Belle & Sebastian at The Fitzgerald Theater

The Hidden Cameras from Toronto were really good, way better than I was expecting. Radio K has been playing the song “Ban Marriage”, and I think I might have to buy Smell of Our Own. The highlight of the set was when they got everyone to stand up and do a little dance move they made up for a song. It really helped energize the crowd and got everyone in a good mood. After the show they all came to the front of the stage to watch Belle & Sebastian. Nice to see bands act like fans, seemed like cool kids. Hopefully they will come back sometime, as I’ve heard this was tame compared to most shows. I don’t know why or how, but it looks like they are on Sanctuary Records, the same label as Megadeth, Queensryche, and Tesla.

Stuart Murdoch (vocals, guitar, keys) was a little timid, except for when he forgot the lines in a few songs. The crowd started laughing, so Stuart put his finger to his mouth, trying not to laugh and got back on track. And by the end of the show, he would add little remarks that usually got laughs. Stevie Jackson (guitar, vocals), the one who does most of the spoken word parts on the CDs, spoke most of the time, usually embarrassing himself, which the crowd enjoyed. Stuart and Stevie both did a great job with the crowd. It was one of the few shows where I actually enjoyed the between song conversations. Maybe it’s just the Scottish accent!

Mick Cooke (trumpet, bass), is an odd looking character. He didn’t say anything the entire show, which was fine, his horns add so much to the songs and that’s good enough. Sarah Martin (violin, vocals) seemed very shy and looked super cute when she had to sing. I wish Stuart David and Isobel Campbell were still in the band, but I guess they’re both happy working on their own projects, Looper and The Gentle Waves.

I’m still searching for a tracklist, but I remember hearing: “Stars of Track and Field”, “Judy and the Dream of Horses”, “Sleep the Clock Around”, “Like Dylan In The Movies”, and new songs “Step Into My Office, Baby”, “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, “Piazza, New York Catcher”, and “Wrapped Up In Books”.

Unfortunately, they didn’t play my favorite new song, “If She Wants Me”, everyone’s favorite, “If You’re Feeling Sinister”, or the first song I heard way back in 1996 on Radio K, “Mayfly”. But they have so many great songs, that I new I would miss some of my favorites.

The biggest disappointment was the encore. They only played one song and I can’t even remember what it was. They thanked the crowd again and walked off. I think most in the crowd were expecting them to come back out, but the lights came on and that was it.

The Fitzgerald Theater is beautiful. Smaller than the Minneapolis theaters, which is a bonus. We had great seats which really helped. I really must go back to see Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” sometime soon.

Having it on Halloween was a blessing. I couldn’t imagine it not being on that day. Both bands were dressed up and had a fun time with it. I talked with one of the guys in The Hidden Cameras and he said they usually dress up in costumes and have fun with the shows. Stuart even dressed like a skeleton when he first came out, but took it off after a few songs.

The crowd was very cool. A lot of, what I call, hip art school students, even though they were probably just random indie kids. Quite a few were dressed up in costumes, most notably was the Donny Darko character, which was definitely not as good as this one, worn by Markus J. I see a few other bloggers from Minneapolis were there as well.

While I had a great time and loved the show, I had the same feeling I did a few years ago when we went to Chicago to see Bjork. I was just so stunned that I was actually seeing them live, that I had a hard time getting into the show. And I really wish Chris and Jeff could have been with, since that’s who I think of as Belle & Sebastian fans from back in the day.