As for Belle and Sebastian, a couple nights before the MPP show, they played at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic and I was there. To describe it as epic doesn't even begin to do it justice. The band were in top form, the show was totally sold out, and it was a very special kind of night. It started off like Beethoven and everyone was polite, clapped and were on good behavior, but by the end people were going absolutely bonkers. At one point Stuart ran up into the crowd and then people were literally running down the aisles, dancing, climbing on the partion in front the stage, and the band was TOTALLY into it. There was a stage invasion and the Philharmonic musicians were scrambling to protect their instruments. It was hilarious. I think that following a show like that (which they stated firmly was a career highlight), the MPP show may have seemed like the inevitable comedown. How does one compare the 2 shows? They're still one of the most consistent live bands I've seen, and I've seen them probably close to a dozen times.
