Post by cuervo on Aug 15, 2010 1:29:22 GMT -5
So guys, last night I went to see a wonderful Canadian band called Arcade Fire. I've never written a concert review before so this is probably pretty ammature, and very journalist-esque. It's not amazing but I wrote it at 2 in the morning so there. 
The show took place at outside, standing only, like a musical festival. It's pretty long, sorry bout that lol.
KIDS LOOKING OUT!
Arcade Fire At Olympic Island
Saturday August 14 2010
8:45pm – 10:20pm
“What a cool venue” said a guy behind us. We crossed the bridge and my mother pointed to the city skyline. I looked and admired, but I was much too anxious to get to the site and get a good place to stand. We could hear the second opening act as we walked within the great mass of people, and her voice sounded sort of like a hybrid between Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé. Shortly after we arrived, she finished her set and left and the stage hands ran onto the stage and started to set up for Arcade Fire. We found a spot on the grass and sat together, mildly regretting not bringing a blanket. I was exceptionally entertained by the 50s billboard hits they were playing between the set. I even called up my friend Katie to tell her where I was and what was happening briefly, and a few minutes after I made that call, the crowd began to scream and yellow lights began to come up dramatically. It was show time, finally. And I’m fairly certain that they were right on the dot. Being punctual is very sexy, don’t you know?
So my mother and I followed the pattern of people standing up and I lead her as close to the stage as I could. We weren’t squished between anyone and we had comfortable breathing space, and while we weren’t very close, I was content because I could see most of the band members clearly. Actually, the member who caught my sight first was whoever was playing the drums, because they were freaking slamming that shit as enthusiastically as possible. They were playing “Ready To Start, their latest single off their March 2010 release, The Suburbs. I’d listened to that track many times this week and my sister had joked that I’d get tired of it, but that was far from the truth. “They sound great,” said my mom. I concurred enthusiastically. They sounded absolutely wonderful. I could hear Win Butler’s voice strong and clear as it accompanied the many instruments being flawlessly played.
Shortly after, they played another extremely infectious track titled "No Cars Go." At this point, the jumbotron video montages started to get interesting. A black and white clip featuring two ladies resembling nuns with dark lip stick, occasionally forming “O”s with their lips and silently shouting back at the crowd played throughout the very epically performed song.
Two other memorable jumotron video montages were the ones that played during “Haiti” and “The Suburbs.” The beautiful Régine Chassagne took the limelight (literally – as the stage lights were coloured green and yellow) this time as she sweetly sang for us. A montage of palm trees played behind her, and I believe if my memory serves, a rather trippy video of what appeared to be a row of Haitian children with crocodile teeth played as well. The colours were inverted and the picture was very vague but that’s what it appeared like to me.
One of my favourite parts during the set was when Arcade Fire performed “The Suburbs.” Unlike the other montages, the video didn’t repeat the same clip over and over. It started with a bunch of kids, teenagers, on their bikes riding in…the suburbs. What else? The song was smooth and soothing to my ears, as melancholic as the lyrics were. We were taken around the neighbourhood with the kids, and we witnessed one boy falling off and hurting himself, another character taking some unknown pills and we watched as they stood in a row and shot out over a balcony seemingly at no specific target. As they were riding away against the sunset, Win hauntingly sang repeatedly, “In my dreams we’re still screaming.”
Régine charmed us again when she sang “Urban Sprawl II,” dancing across the stage between singing and towards the end of the song, grabbing colourful streamers and twirling them around for us. She was so elegant in her metallic silver dress that gave a pretty spiral whenever she spun on her feet. I’d always figured she had a magical, childlike quality to her, and this was very evident when we watched her live.
I finally lost myself and began to flat out dance when “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)” began. The lights flashed bright, bull red in a seizure-inducing manner throughout the incredibly high-energy powerhouse of a song and I couldn’t stop myself from moving if I tried. My mother grinned and pointed out a man who was just…literally standing there. I mean this guy looked like he was at a fucking funeral. Sure, Arcade Fire’s first successful album may have been called “Funeral,” but that still gave him no right to just stand there looking miserable. Why, this was a goddamn celebration and he was more rigid than Christian Bale’s Batman! His lips were pursed in a rather pompous way too, as he just stood there. I laughed heartily and continued my dancing. “You should go shake him,” mom said. I considered it but I was too busy jumping, shaking my head around, wiggling my hips and pumping my fist to bother. It was non-stop, because right as the song was ending, they smoothly transitioned directly into “Rebellion (Lies).” I lost it all over again! Oh, what euphoric power music is!
“This is our last song” Win declared. In the back of my mind I thought, yeah right, you’re going to come right back and perform “Keep The Car Running.” I waved my scarf in the air and bounded to the beat, screaming the words. It was a wonderful rush of colour, sound, vocals that coursed throughout me and my dancing body. That feeling you can only experience when you’re listenting to music of that magestic quality live. The song ended with a bang after the powerful chorus of “Oooooh, every time you close your eyes” that the fans know so well. Win and Régine thanked us for the fifth or sixth time that night and all the band members waved before the exited the stage. As we cheered for them to return, I could hear some people in the crowd still singing the catchy outro to “Rebellion (Lies.)”
Very soon they returned and as I predicted, began to strum the opening riff to "Keep The Car Running." My mother and I got a bit closer in our excitment and this time I got down but not in a spastic way as I had before, in a more rhythmic 50s jive way...so to speak. There was no more driving beat, as the track was much calmler and more melodic. The very last song Arcade Fire performed for us that night was "Wake Up."
Mom and I were extremely passionate about this song, maybe even a smidge more passionate then we were about "Rebellion (Lies)." I threw my arm around mom's shoulder and we swayed together, singing along. It is definitely one of those songs where you wave your hands, or hold up a lighter, or in my case, want to feel close to someone you arrived with. I wasn’t alone, because two guys in front of me had their arms around each other too in a lovely bromantic fashion as they sang a bit too fiercly, because they lost balance and nearly toppled over. I knew when the song would start to pick up, so at that moment I removed my arm and prepared to dance. I turned to mom and asked if she wanted to dance, and so I took her hand and waist as if we were going to waltz and we spun around in a little circle while the concert-goers behind us watched admiringly. This was a profound moment, probably one of the few moments I'd shared with my mother that was pure warmth and joy during the past five years.
"With my lightning bolts a-glowin', I can see where I am going..." harmonized Win and Regine as we reverted back to our positions and continued dancing with ourselves. Then Win yelled, "You better look out below!" and I have to be honest, I've always thought he was saying, "you better look out for love," so that was what I screamed as I pumped my fist in the arm for the last time that night. Either lyric is fine, in my humble opinion.
Arcade Fire made their final exit, waving goodbye to us again before disappearing backstage. A muscular guy who had been standing infront of me, and who I'd noticed smoking pot earlier, turned around and held up his hand in high-five for me. I gladly slapped his palm, and he proceeded to give my mom a high-five and then slap high-five to all his bromance buddies who were probably as stoned as he was.
Unfortunately, it took about two hours to get back home, and a lot more standing while we awaited the ferry. The swearing voices of several humorous stoners kept us chuckling a bit, and I could hear this one dude going off about the Jays and some game we probably just tied or lost. Mom started complaining again after about half an hour of waiting and we did have a bit of an arguement as we drove home. Meh. Things were already back to normal, with us bugging the shit out of eachother and getting on eachother's nerves, but sitting here writing this review right now in the early morning, I can't say that I regret anything. I loved every minute of that show, and the true strength and beauty I felt when I was there, just being a part of it.
P.S. A dollar of each ticket went to a charitable foundation for Haiti. SWEET.
The show took place at outside, standing only, like a musical festival. It's pretty long, sorry bout that lol.KIDS LOOKING OUT!
Arcade Fire At Olympic Island
Saturday August 14 2010
8:45pm – 10:20pm
“What a cool venue” said a guy behind us. We crossed the bridge and my mother pointed to the city skyline. I looked and admired, but I was much too anxious to get to the site and get a good place to stand. We could hear the second opening act as we walked within the great mass of people, and her voice sounded sort of like a hybrid between Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé. Shortly after we arrived, she finished her set and left and the stage hands ran onto the stage and started to set up for Arcade Fire. We found a spot on the grass and sat together, mildly regretting not bringing a blanket. I was exceptionally entertained by the 50s billboard hits they were playing between the set. I even called up my friend Katie to tell her where I was and what was happening briefly, and a few minutes after I made that call, the crowd began to scream and yellow lights began to come up dramatically. It was show time, finally. And I’m fairly certain that they were right on the dot. Being punctual is very sexy, don’t you know?
So my mother and I followed the pattern of people standing up and I lead her as close to the stage as I could. We weren’t squished between anyone and we had comfortable breathing space, and while we weren’t very close, I was content because I could see most of the band members clearly. Actually, the member who caught my sight first was whoever was playing the drums, because they were freaking slamming that shit as enthusiastically as possible. They were playing “Ready To Start, their latest single off their March 2010 release, The Suburbs. I’d listened to that track many times this week and my sister had joked that I’d get tired of it, but that was far from the truth. “They sound great,” said my mom. I concurred enthusiastically. They sounded absolutely wonderful. I could hear Win Butler’s voice strong and clear as it accompanied the many instruments being flawlessly played.
Shortly after, they played another extremely infectious track titled "No Cars Go." At this point, the jumbotron video montages started to get interesting. A black and white clip featuring two ladies resembling nuns with dark lip stick, occasionally forming “O”s with their lips and silently shouting back at the crowd played throughout the very epically performed song.
Two other memorable jumotron video montages were the ones that played during “Haiti” and “The Suburbs.” The beautiful Régine Chassagne took the limelight (literally – as the stage lights were coloured green and yellow) this time as she sweetly sang for us. A montage of palm trees played behind her, and I believe if my memory serves, a rather trippy video of what appeared to be a row of Haitian children with crocodile teeth played as well. The colours were inverted and the picture was very vague but that’s what it appeared like to me.
One of my favourite parts during the set was when Arcade Fire performed “The Suburbs.” Unlike the other montages, the video didn’t repeat the same clip over and over. It started with a bunch of kids, teenagers, on their bikes riding in…the suburbs. What else? The song was smooth and soothing to my ears, as melancholic as the lyrics were. We were taken around the neighbourhood with the kids, and we witnessed one boy falling off and hurting himself, another character taking some unknown pills and we watched as they stood in a row and shot out over a balcony seemingly at no specific target. As they were riding away against the sunset, Win hauntingly sang repeatedly, “In my dreams we’re still screaming.”
Régine charmed us again when she sang “Urban Sprawl II,” dancing across the stage between singing and towards the end of the song, grabbing colourful streamers and twirling them around for us. She was so elegant in her metallic silver dress that gave a pretty spiral whenever she spun on her feet. I’d always figured she had a magical, childlike quality to her, and this was very evident when we watched her live.
I finally lost myself and began to flat out dance when “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)” began. The lights flashed bright, bull red in a seizure-inducing manner throughout the incredibly high-energy powerhouse of a song and I couldn’t stop myself from moving if I tried. My mother grinned and pointed out a man who was just…literally standing there. I mean this guy looked like he was at a fucking funeral. Sure, Arcade Fire’s first successful album may have been called “Funeral,” but that still gave him no right to just stand there looking miserable. Why, this was a goddamn celebration and he was more rigid than Christian Bale’s Batman! His lips were pursed in a rather pompous way too, as he just stood there. I laughed heartily and continued my dancing. “You should go shake him,” mom said. I considered it but I was too busy jumping, shaking my head around, wiggling my hips and pumping my fist to bother. It was non-stop, because right as the song was ending, they smoothly transitioned directly into “Rebellion (Lies).” I lost it all over again! Oh, what euphoric power music is!
“This is our last song” Win declared. In the back of my mind I thought, yeah right, you’re going to come right back and perform “Keep The Car Running.” I waved my scarf in the air and bounded to the beat, screaming the words. It was a wonderful rush of colour, sound, vocals that coursed throughout me and my dancing body. That feeling you can only experience when you’re listenting to music of that magestic quality live. The song ended with a bang after the powerful chorus of “Oooooh, every time you close your eyes” that the fans know so well. Win and Régine thanked us for the fifth or sixth time that night and all the band members waved before the exited the stage. As we cheered for them to return, I could hear some people in the crowd still singing the catchy outro to “Rebellion (Lies.)”
Very soon they returned and as I predicted, began to strum the opening riff to "Keep The Car Running." My mother and I got a bit closer in our excitment and this time I got down but not in a spastic way as I had before, in a more rhythmic 50s jive way...so to speak. There was no more driving beat, as the track was much calmler and more melodic. The very last song Arcade Fire performed for us that night was "Wake Up."
Mom and I were extremely passionate about this song, maybe even a smidge more passionate then we were about "Rebellion (Lies)." I threw my arm around mom's shoulder and we swayed together, singing along. It is definitely one of those songs where you wave your hands, or hold up a lighter, or in my case, want to feel close to someone you arrived with. I wasn’t alone, because two guys in front of me had their arms around each other too in a lovely bromantic fashion as they sang a bit too fiercly, because they lost balance and nearly toppled over. I knew when the song would start to pick up, so at that moment I removed my arm and prepared to dance. I turned to mom and asked if she wanted to dance, and so I took her hand and waist as if we were going to waltz and we spun around in a little circle while the concert-goers behind us watched admiringly. This was a profound moment, probably one of the few moments I'd shared with my mother that was pure warmth and joy during the past five years.
"With my lightning bolts a-glowin', I can see where I am going..." harmonized Win and Regine as we reverted back to our positions and continued dancing with ourselves. Then Win yelled, "You better look out below!" and I have to be honest, I've always thought he was saying, "you better look out for love," so that was what I screamed as I pumped my fist in the arm for the last time that night. Either lyric is fine, in my humble opinion.
Arcade Fire made their final exit, waving goodbye to us again before disappearing backstage. A muscular guy who had been standing infront of me, and who I'd noticed smoking pot earlier, turned around and held up his hand in high-five for me. I gladly slapped his palm, and he proceeded to give my mom a high-five and then slap high-five to all his bromance buddies who were probably as stoned as he was.
Unfortunately, it took about two hours to get back home, and a lot more standing while we awaited the ferry. The swearing voices of several humorous stoners kept us chuckling a bit, and I could hear this one dude going off about the Jays and some game we probably just tied or lost. Mom started complaining again after about half an hour of waiting and we did have a bit of an arguement as we drove home. Meh. Things were already back to normal, with us bugging the shit out of eachother and getting on eachother's nerves, but sitting here writing this review right now in the early morning, I can't say that I regret anything. I loved every minute of that show, and the true strength and beauty I felt when I was there, just being a part of it.
P.S. A dollar of each ticket went to a charitable foundation for Haiti. SWEET.