Belle, Sebastian and Tommy Lee:

So last night my friend Lucia and I go to see The New Pornographers/Belle and Sebastian double bill at the San Francisco Design Center. I’ve been to the SFDC for the expos like APE and can say now, without remorse that with expos it should stay. The Concourse, where the concert was held, is a long, narrow, level space that muddies sound only slightly less than a wind tunnel. Since it’s general admission (even though my ticket assigned me, inexplicably, to seat 458) and the floor is as flat as the deck of an aircraft carrier, there are about 6 good viewing spots in the whole place. The spectacular New Pornographers thus sounded like their songs have been left in the dishwasher and looked like the back of some guy’s knit cap.

I’m ready to leave but Lucia and I are having a fun chatting so I decide to stick it out for a little B & S. Chunky black glasses and cute indie couples (CICs) are everywhere. They haven’t budged an inch for the insanely dancable Pronographers so I’m thinking the set-in-a-limoge-box sound of the headliners won’t be any different.

Lights go down. Stage bathed in purple glow. Crowd faces forward. And then the world explodes.

Screaming, clawing, siren-grade wailing. Cute indie couples are throwing fists in the air and, from the sounds of it, panties and related underthings at the band. We can’t see anything but the sound is that of an impending riot. Lucia turns to me and says…

“Jeez, it’s like fuckin’ Motley Crue just got in”

And which point we raise the sign of the devil and thrash. The CICs don’t even blink.

That made it all better.

• Category: music