There is a certain giddiness that comes along with seeing one of your favorite bands — you either wait in line, brave sky-high service charges, or scour Craigslist for tickets; you count down the days until the show; you impatiently sit at your office desk the day of hoping that they play song x and song y; you bear the incessant pushing, shoving, and general human crush that accompanies many shows to get as close to the stage as possible. And then lights go down. It’s time — the waiting has paid off.

But as you emerge from the club, ears ringing, you can’t help but feel let down. The show just wasn’t as good as you would have hoped. It didn’t reach that musical zenith you had so played out in your head. Is it you? Have you simply outgrown their music? Or is it them? Have their shows become less inspired, less compelling, less able to capture your attention?

One always hopes for the former, but at the end of Our Lady Peace’s set at the 9:30 club last night, we could hardly deny the latter.