Arcade Fire practically skip onto the stage. Throughout the following ninety minutes mic stands fall over, instruments are left discarded on the floor, band members run into each other and practically every song ends with a wall of tortured feedback. This quite simply, is not how you headline a massive stadium show.
While Arcade Fire’s live performances have been compared to the epic and all encompassing sense of community that U2 and Bruce Springsteen create, the difference in the stage craft is astronomical. Arcade Fire are still essentially a bedroom band. Apart from a few absolute sing-a-long moments, these songs have been written with nothing in mind except the moment of inspiration Win Butler’s moment of genuine disbelief that follows the crowd singing the refrain of Tunnels long after the song’s conclusion (“how can you sing that, it’s so high!”) reveals a band that never set out to chase stadiums. However, stadiums are the only places that can contain the gloriously epic nature of the music.
The sense of small town disillusionment that encompasses recent album The Suburbs has perfectly framed Arcade Fire. It creates a stepping stone between the child-like wonder of their debut and the bleak modern world view of Neon Bible. As a result every song sits comfortably with the next, revealing another side of the band’s personality.
They begin with songs essentially about escape. From the pounding opening of Ready To Start to the sense of panic conveyed at the end of No Cars Go (“women and children – Let’s Go!”), the eight band members swap positions and instruments with a frantic persistence. Even halfway back in the arena, they look like they’re threatening to jump out and hit you in the face. It’s a truly captivating opening. Regine Chassagne is given an early moment to shine with a run of songs that see her take lead vocals. She begins with some magnificently kitsch wedding-dancing and ends twirling around the stage with masses of ribbons. In between she belts out the songs barely able to close her mouth from smiling. It’s about as far away from Bono’s shades as you can imagine.
Despite every member of the crowd being on their feet and the occasional pockets of pogo-ing, the control Arcade Fire have over the vast stadium is left beyond doubt following an explosive Month Of May that sees every band member threaten to collapse under the song’s sheer force. Win Butler ends the song at the barrier with the front rows strumming his guitar as the rest of the band disintegrates in a mass of screaming violins and destroyed drums. It’s unbelievably powerful.
|
The lack of practised stage craft is apparent before a ridiculously massive version of Power Out. Attempting to find some common ground between his band and the crowd, Butler inadvertently refers to Birmingham as “a shithole” and then spends the first verse of the song hysterically apologising. The rest of the song is spat out with furious venom before merging seamlessly into Rebellion (Lies).
Returning for the encore Butler announces the band have been overwhelmed by the “amazing energy” from the crowd tonight, knowing full well that the inevitable finale of Wake Up is going to be nothing short of spectacular. Seeing the crowd scream back the wordless chorus without the slightest encouragement is one of the most stunning moments of live music I’ve ever witnessed. Arcade Fire have gone on to own stadiums without compromise in a manner not seen since Radiohead made the leap with OK Computer. Hearing these songs amongst thousands of people is one of the most uplifting and empowering experiences available in modern music.
*Arcade Fire played:
1. Ready to Start
2. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
3. No Cars Go
4. Haïti
5. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
6. Empty Room
7. Rococo
8. My Body Is a Cage
9. The Suburbs
10. The Suburbs (Continued)
11. Month of May
12. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
13. Intervention
14. We Used to Wait
15. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
16. Rebellion (Lies)
Encores:
1. Keep the Car Running
2. Wake Up
|
