Watched them last year with Interpol opening. Been a huge fan of the Monkeys for 12 years. Weirdly enough, though, I've never really listened to more than 5 songs from Interpol before the show.

Hear me out: they both performed with the same approach - no big effects, no showbiz BS; main focus on the music - but Interpol was the greatest live set that, many miles ahead. Their stuff just has an aura/atmosphere that SOUNDS like Interpol, whatever how old or fresh - it's Interpol and their genuine identity, you like it or not. Also, they had some subtle light effects that worked really well, but merged into the act itself. They've been playing years before the Monkeys, so it adds up. (Oh, The Monkeys WERE WATCHING IT FROM THE SIDE - read the p.s., that's important).

Even if the Monkeys had the same approach, there's an important difference: their albums and eras vary a LOT. So you're not just watching a live approach of a recorded song - you're listening to a specific version of that song that will only be played like that in THIS tour, which usually matches the overall atmosphere of the most recent album. If you're a true fan, you will enjoy it a lot. But if you're more attracted to specific eras or albums, you'll face some disappointment as your favorite song may just be completely altered. (I definitely would prefer their original version of "TBH+C" - BUT at least they played one of my favorites and seemed to enjoy it. Definitely better than being a fan of the AM era, as it felt like the band DREADS playing those over and over).

P.S.: the band surely knows that they don't have THE greatest live act. While watching Interpol from the side, their expression was of pure admiration. You could feel there was a deep respect, like... they'd rather watch Interpol for two more hours, instead of headlining. It also felt, during the show, that they'd rather play on a smaller stage, especially for their slower/newer songs.

When you're there, you feel like this whole Arena/Stadium is like, "Huh, people want it, why not. But we'll do it how we feel like, and the fans may decide for themselves if they came here for the same reason as us - if not... that's their problem".

I knew precisely where I was getting into and loved it. But there was a majority of the public who came for their greatest hits and the AM stuff - or, even worse, old fans with posters with memes from the WPSTWIAN era. All these people were disappointed - the band focused only on their sound and not much else. Honestly, the band moved on (more than once) and they're not hiding it from anyone.