Belle and Sebastian, live @ the SF Design Center

I saw Belle and Sebastian at the SF Design Exhibition Center little while back. I'm a huge fan, but wondered how good they would be live, considering that their sound is pretty complex musically. I wasn't sure if they could capture that in a live performance. With only a few exceptions, they sounded really solid and put on a great show. "Stars of Track and Field" was the opener and maybe the best of the night. They did a good job of crafting a version that sounded good live - strong bass and good build throughout the song. "I'm a Cuckoo" was really fun, likewise for "Judy and the Dream of Horses." they also played two songs about San Francisco - "Piazza, New York Catcher," and "Sukie in the Graveyard" - which Stewart said was written about a a student at the SF Art Institute. Stewart and Stephen Jackson were really fun to watch - they danced enthusiastically throughout the show, especially during "Electronic Renaissance." I'm quite jealous of their moves! On a couple of the songs, they seemed to miss the groove - like on "Piazza, New York Catcher" and "If You're Feeling Sinister" - Stewart cursed under his breath during "Sinister" because the band couldn't quite get on the same page. I was hoping that they would have more string accompaniments, but they only performed with one cellist and one other string instrument. Still, it would have been nice if the strings and woodwind parts were amped up a bit. I would have loved to hear more from "Dear Castrophe Waitress," but maybe some of those songs wouldn't have worked without a chamber orchestra. Their show at the Hollywood Bowl should be interesting - they'll be accompanied by the L.A. philharmonic.