In a message dated 10/24/98 11:51:27 PM EST, ben writes:

I am somewhat new to this list but i needed to voice my outrage on the matter of the Toronto show being cancelled. I was supposed to go see Belle tonight in Toronto. I am only 15 so me and a friend got a ride from his dad all the way to toronto. May i add that it took 3 hours to drive there a lot of food and gas money. anyway, we arrived at the venue and waited around for about an hour and when 8 rolled around they started posting signs saying that the concert was cancelled and postponed and whatnot. Well I talked to them and they said that they only found out about the cancellation that day around 4. I find this extremely inconsiderate on Belle and Sebastians part, I would have thought they would have had more concerns for there LOYAL FANS, don't get me wrong I hope Isobel gets well as soon as possible but just perhaps notifing the venue a day before the concert was to be cancelled would have been nice.

okay, i hate to start fights or even contribute to disagreements, but i've got to say that this is not being fair to the band or jeepster or especially isobel. for crying out loud, i'm sure she didn't ask to be put in the hospital in the middle of their first north american tour. it's not like there's a plot to make kids sad by promising a visit from their favourite band and then cancelling at the last minute. poor isobel is sick and in the hospital, and the others can't very well leave her lying in a bed in phila while they go off and continue the shows. several people have been a bit nasty about this whole sad situation, saying that somehow the band owes it to people to play a show, whether or not one member is missing. i don't blame them for not wanting to play without isobel, and while i would like to say that "the show must go on, they could play without her" it's totally unfair because the bad have their own reasons for making the decision they have. i doubt they're oblivious to the fact that a lot of people have made big plans focussing on their shows, but it's not about us fans. as much as i would have loved to see any part of the band tonight, i'd be terribly sad if they forced themselves to play while their hearts were breaking for poor isobel. yes, some people drove long distances and totally rearranged their lives to have a chance to see belle and sebastian just once, there were long plane rides and car rides and much money spent on planning this event, but you know what? they didn't ask you to commit yourself in that way. they don't owe you a show even if you walked over on water from australia. you can't expect a band to schedule shows in every single city where there are fans, so of course some people will have to travel. some people also pay higher rent to have the benefit of living in the city. deal with it. i was thrilled enough that a canadian date was even considered, and for people like ben here to say that they need to be compensated somehow for their effort is just disgusting. have a little concern and consideration. although i didn't get to see the band tonight, i did get to meet a whole bunch of fabulous people, drink plenty of tonic water, inhale too much secondhand smoke, share hilarious stories, watch people get drunk, stuff 5 people in the backseat of a cab, take photos like a mad tourist, and i also experienced the infectious obsession created by stripping russian midgets. maybe the reason i'm not angry at the band at all is because firstly, who can help being sick? and secondly, i had a great time with the sinisterines. the venue was unable to be notified a day ahead of time because the setback only happened the night before. the band seems to have their prorities right, thinking of isobel first and themselves second, and not worrying about the shows. yeah, i'm really sad and disappointed that i can't see belle and sebastian, i've waited a long time for this and got so many hopes up, booked the entire weekend off work so i could indulge in pre- and post- show festivities, but hey, it's not the end of the world, i met some great people, i had funfunfun, and that's that. so please stop saying that because you invested x amount of time and money and because you're a loyal fan that they should be thinking of you. nope, wrong. they should think about isobel and themselves and hope that being in an american hospital is not costing them too much money. can you tell that i'm pissed off at people being so mean? grrr, jessicaxo ps. the 'xo' at the end of my name is like a kiss and a hug, not my last name. just (ahem) in case there was any confusion (er, debbie?). +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+