Wow

They are every bit as good as advertised.

Arcade Fire put on a show last night that had everyone leaving with looks of awe on their faces. Next record comes out and these guys (and gals) are going to be selling out stadiums. It was incredible to watch ten people on stage playing violins, french horns, hurdy gurdy, upright bass, accordian, and of course, your good old rock and roll guitars, bass, and drums. I enjoyed watching them switch instruments - those guys are incredibly versatile musicians.

Win Butler, the main lead singer who stands at an impressive 6'4", easily stole the show from his bandmates. The guy has that rock star quality that makes me wonder how long his six bandmates (three who were on stage with them are not technically part of the band) will stick together. They seem to love playing with each other now, but it's only their second record after being together four years, and they have yet to suffer from the blinding lights of international superstardom, to which they are rapidly ascending.

The band's album Neon Bible is beautifully orchestrated social commentary about the state of the world today with America as its center. Win and his brother William are expats, born and raised in Texas but living in Canada where the rest of the band are from, so the album is kind of looking at America from the outside. Neon Bible debuted at Number 2 on the US and UK charts last month and Number 1 on the Candian and Irish charts. Considering Arcade Fire releases their records on Merge Records, an independent label, such high chart positions is quite a feat. Hurray for indie labels giving the corporations a run for their money!

The show began with a video of some evangelical crackhead ranting Jesus this, Jesus that, women should not wear high heels but combat boots to fight the fight for the Lord, and other nonsense before the band launched into Black Mirror. They proceeded to play nearly every song from Neon Bible and most of the songs from their debut Funeral.

The most poignant part of the night for me was during the song Windowsill, when the crowd seemed to shout the line "I don't want to live in America no more" a bit louder than the rest of the lines. It seems a lot of US citizens are looking to fill that America-shaped hole in their hearts left there by the destructive policies of this admininstration. Arcade Fire may be one of those bands that will help to vocalize what many of my generation are thinking these days.

I don't want to hear the noises on tv
I don't want the salesmen coming after me
I don't want to live in my father's house no more

I don't want it fast, I don't want it free
I don't wanna show you what they done to me
I don't want to live in my father's house no more

I don't want to choose black or blue
I don't wanna see what they done to you
I don't want to live in my father's house no more

because the tide is high
and it's rising still
and I don't want fear at my windowsill

I don't want to give 'em my name and address
I don't want to see what happens next
I don't want to live in my father's house no more

I don't want to live with my father's debt
You can't forgive what you can't forget
I don't want to live in my father's house no more

I don't want to fight in a holy war
I don't want the salesmen knocking at my door
I don't want to live in America no more

Because the tide is high
And it's rising still
And I don't want fear at my windowsill

I don't want to see it at my windowsill
Don't want to see it at my windowsill
Don't want to see it at my windowsill

MTV what have you done to me?
Save my soul, set me free
Set me free, what have you done to me?
I can't breathe, I can't sleep
World war three, when are you coming for me?
Been kicking up sparks to set the flames free
The windows are locked now, so what'll it be?
A house on fire or rising sea?

Why is the night so still?
Why did I take the pill?
Because I don't want to see it at my windowsill
I don't want to see it at my windowsill

Of course, without the music for which they are known, you can't get the full effect of the song. You can't really get it here, either, because the quality is piss poor:


They ended with the song I was hoping they would end with - Wake Up.


The show was easily worth the double face value I paid for the ticket. In fact, I would pay double that to see them again. Although I hope it doesn't happen for many years, I envision one day when U2 hands their instruments over to Arcade Fire like the Police did to U2 all of those years ago when they became the Biggest Band in the World. I guess, though, U2 doesn't have enough instruments to hand over!


They already have U2 connections, as Wake Up was the song U2 played right before they came on stage for the Vertigo Tour, and Arcade Fire opened three shows for them. And then there was this beautiful number:

The opening band, The National, was great, too. Good stuff.