Saw Placebo a few nights ago, a very nice/generous show (special nod to the band for addressing the crowd in french, and not just an "allo" either). My friend brought me to see Massive Attack last year so it was my turn to treat her to a show and she's a longtime Placebo fan so that was an obvious choice... the thing is that I didn't know much about the band (though we were compared to them on many many occasions) and I've only heard a couple of songs prior to seeing them live but it was kinda nice to go see a major act with little knowledge of the band and nothing to expect beforehand. I think I get where the comparisons came from; this is the kind of band that you love or hate, no in-betweens. The only real downside was the crowd. I know it seems as though it shouldn't matter but it does (it so does). Some artists will attract a specific type of crowd (one where you almost feel as though you could connect with practically anyone in the room) while other artists have more of a widespread appeal; those are the ones you have to watch out for. For instance, a Radiohead crowd can (almost) ruin a show but I doubt that a Portishead crowd ever could (and yes, I've been to both, many times). I'm not saying "don't go see Radiohead" -- that's dense, but if you see em' in Montreal ('cause see, it depends on the countries and areas too) well you gotta expect some moron to talk or scream while Yorke's trying to do some quiet notes on the piano (though the rule excludes outdoor shows and festivals, that is to be expected -- and allow me to contradict myself even further by stating Radiohead did defy the rule here in Montreal, outdoors at that, in 2001 where they successfully got the whole island to quiet down -- but goddamn, that's rare). Soooo the crowd at Placebo really got on our nerves (I'm not that much of a violent person but I felt like assaulting a few on that night) -- it was distracting but it wasn't enough to ruin the experience. The last ideal crowd I've witnessed was at the solo Cat Power gig and that was a while ago. You see, you can be loud and noisy at home while listening to the music too -- that's why they record albums.