The buildup to this show was unreasonably high. Everyone was talking about it all day. At every venue, you’d hear people chatting and the general sentiment was: “yeah, I am just really excited for Arcade Fire.” Endless (and encouraged) comparisons to religious services, the spread in NYTimes, blog after blog raving about their shows, the epic release of Neon Bible, expectations were over-the-top.

Before Arcade Fire was Manu Chao, who completely ripped the doors off his set. People were dancing, he was dancing, he was singing in four different languages. Incredible.

Then, the sun set, the band walked on the stage. The crowd roared and then hushed. They played the opening chords of “Black Mirror” and the crowd roared again, and then hushed. Enthralled. Then the song ended. Crowd roared. Opening chords of “No Cars Go.” Cue crowd. Hush. (Repeat about 10 times)

You get the idea.

They alternated, almost trading song for song, between new tracks and older material. The guys were dressed in blue, the women in black and red. Everyone was constantly moving. With Arcade Fire, I keep looking for a lead to emerge, someone who rises above the rest and takes the spotlight. I am not successful. The feel is cohesive, each person plays a defined role.

However, the set seemed less than careful, heavy handed. Every song starts small, and builds, and builds and then you lose track of the layers and your head is spinning and there are so many pieces and then. Crash. End of song. (Cue Crowd) (Repeat). Arcade Fire is popular enough, so universally enjoyed, that it’s natural there is this backlash.

Let’s just remember that there is a reason they became so popular, so universally enjoyed, in the first place. They make good, fun, accessible, music that you doesn’t sound like everything else you hear. Keep it up. If their style is occassionally repetitive, we can still enjoy the show.

Myspace: Arcade Fire

(travis)

Oh and here’s a pic of the mainstage (and the back of my friend’s head) taken about an hour before they went on, during Manu Chao’s killer show.