some friends saw them open in nyc on the same tour (and before that at cmj) and they were voted one of the best bands to see live at cmj. id normally take that stuff with a grain of salt, but considering i really liked the other bands listed and saw some of them live, i figure its probably spot on.
seemed most of their shows they played very solid sets that didnt leave people bored to tears. perhaps its the audience? and FYI - snow patrol in NYC draws pretty energetic crowds that do get into their music. im not going to start the DC people dont dance debate, because thats not relevant, but perhaps the show lacked people showing emotion/energy/signs of life??
which reminded me - i saw the dandy warhols at the 9:30 club a few years back, then days later up in nyc. i was able to talk to CTT for a bit and i recalled him saying that the DC show was so bad, that the band just didnt care, and since the crowd wasnt into it, they werent either.