US music critics have given the UK's latest buzz band, the Arctic Monkeys, a lukewarm reception at the start of their first full American tour.
The Arctic Monkeys' debut album went to number 24 in the US chart
After frenzied sales and acclaim in Britain, the US press has been careful not to believe the hype.
Variety magazine said the band still "have a long way to go".
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that a gig was "not the messianic exercise it was impossibly built up to be" - but still "felt like the real thing".
The Arctic Monkeys broke the record for the UK's fastest-selling debut album with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not in January.
They won the best breakthrough act at last month's Brit Awards, followed by prizes for best British band and best track at the NME Awards.
Variety said singer Alex Turner was "openly hostile" to the audience at first.
"It was hard to square the generally uninspired performance with the album's youthful energy and crackling intelligence.
"Maybe this was an off night. Perhaps, for all the sales and hype, the band has been brought up too quickly and isn't ready to headline," the magazine said.
Although expectations had been raised to unrealistic levels, the Arctic Monkeys had the "knack and chops to be a lasting force", the Hollywood Reporter said.
"Turner and the group have a rock authenticity that owes to a mix of genuine talent and serious youth. Stay tuned."
The Los Angeles Times said their show was "less than you might have wanted it to be, but still rang with the urgency of a voice yearning to be heard and insisting that you pay attention".
But the Oakland Tribune's began its review: "THAT'S IT?
"You'll have to excuse the folks who might still be hanging around out front of the Great American Music Hall looking under rocks and hoping to find something more. How many times will we fall for this?
"Few bands have fallen short to a greater degree than the Arctic Monkeys did in San Francisco. But, then again, few have had so much room to fall."
But the review continued: "To be fair, the quartet did put on a likable show.
"If I had stumbled into the concert without a head full of advance buzz on the band, I might have been somewhat impressed. But we all travel with baggage."
'Out of tune'
The US tour began after the band's debut American TV performance on Saturday Night Live.
Writing about the appearance, the Miami Herald declared: "The teen rockers revealed a lack of seasoning.
"Its drummer sang laughably out-of-tune harmonies, its lead singer wasn't especially charismatic, the music felt catchy but unexceptional."
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not entered the US album chart at number 24 which is considered a good result for a new indie band.