Friday, April 15, 2011

who the heck is Arcade Fire?

Finally checked off a long-standing item on my life's to-do list Wednesday night: saw Arcade Fire in concert! And it was amazing! While the venue was a way too large for my tastes (a 10,000 seat theater isn't exactly intimate), the energy was high and the band expertly translated the highly emotional qualities of their recordings to the stage.

P.S. This is where this post's title comes from.

Highlights (besides the entire show):
  • Stage was set up like a drive-in theater complete with (Harry Potter!) trivia and this fantastic movie trailer projected onto the video screen right before the band came on. It set "The Suburbs" mood quite well. They're such a thoughtful, passionate, theatrical band. They were there to put on a SHOW, not just another boring straight concert.
  • Regine skipping around the stage in her gold dress and sequined and fringed wrist cuffs - playing the drums, accordion, hurdy-gurdy, tambourine, singing, dancing...
  • Will Butler, the most animated crazy person ever, running around the pit, beating the living daylights out of his drum and hugging unsuspecting concert-goers.
And here's a thoughtful review of the show - far better than I could attempt to write. Part of the reason Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands, besides the amazing relatable music they make, is summed up by this quote from the above review: "the band's ability to project a mix of showmanship and humility while forging a connection to the people they played for is what really stood out."

Definitely not the same as being there in person, but a fan recorded fairly decent clips of much of their performance Wednesday night. I added a few other links from other shows. 

I just thought I'd type this all down - mostly as a diary-type entry for myself. And hey - maybe Arcade Fire will score a few more fans too.

Encore break
Ready to Start
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) 
Mountains Beyond Mountains
 
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2 comments:

  1. KellyApril 15, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    We are seeing them in concert on Easter! Did the National open for them? That is the main reason why we are going because the National is our favorite..but we love Arcade Fire too.. so it should be an awesome time :) I'm glad to see they played some of my favorite songs at your concert!

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  2. MaryApril 15, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    :) It would have been even better if The National opened, but no, it was Local Natives. Pretty good live, but I hear that their album is better. They were a bit too loud in concert.

    Enjoy the show!! (And also, you already know this but, Gibson was the cutest puppy ever.)

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