06-02-2007, 02:24 PM
It was a warm spring evening...somewhere. Definitely not in the East Bay. I had purchased the tickets months in advance. I'm sure the promoters thought that June would be a great month to have an outdoor concert. Night fell, the fog rolled in and we were glad for our heavy coats.
The opening band was Electrelane , an all-girl band who were trying to channel Nico, Patty Smith and The Melvins into one noisy we're-experimental-dammit experience. I yawned.
After Electrelane's tedious set the roadies did their magic and The Arcade Fire marched on. Introduced by a video clip of a female Evangelical preacher saying we needed a 'Holy Spirit Enema' the 10-member ensemble launched into "Black Mirror", the first track off their new album 'The Neon Bible'.
The band members were incredibly animated, leaping around the stage, using scaffolding as percussion devices and switching instruments when the mood suited them. The drummer would jump across the stage and take on keyboards while the melodion player took his place on the skins. Their were violins, cellos and horns (including the thing that looks like a giant saxophone). The music and lyrics were both complex and catchy, full of angst, energy and passion.
The band played almost every track from "The Neon Bible" and a couple from their debut album "Funeral" including 'Laika', 'Haiti' and 'Power Out'.
The singer spoke infrequently but did utter one of the greatest lines I'd ever heard at a concert. At one point the stage went dim as roadies rushed around obviously trying to solve a problem. When the lights came up the singer walked up to the mike and said, "Your fucking fog killed my amp, thanks a lot assholes'. It was all in jest and the crowd laughed appreciatively.
Yes, it was a little cold, but it was The Greek (one of my favorite venues) and it was the Arcade Fire in a sold-out performance. 10 talented, crazy musicians from Montreal cavorting on stage as if they didn't know they had a 2nd sol-out show to do the next night.
The opening band was Electrelane , an all-girl band who were trying to channel Nico, Patty Smith and The Melvins into one noisy we're-experimental-dammit experience. I yawned.
After Electrelane's tedious set the roadies did their magic and The Arcade Fire marched on. Introduced by a video clip of a female Evangelical preacher saying we needed a 'Holy Spirit Enema' the 10-member ensemble launched into "Black Mirror", the first track off their new album 'The Neon Bible'.
The band members were incredibly animated, leaping around the stage, using scaffolding as percussion devices and switching instruments when the mood suited them. The drummer would jump across the stage and take on keyboards while the melodion player took his place on the skins. Their were violins, cellos and horns (including the thing that looks like a giant saxophone). The music and lyrics were both complex and catchy, full of angst, energy and passion.
The band played almost every track from "The Neon Bible" and a couple from their debut album "Funeral" including 'Laika', 'Haiti' and 'Power Out'.
The singer spoke infrequently but did utter one of the greatest lines I'd ever heard at a concert. At one point the stage went dim as roadies rushed around obviously trying to solve a problem. When the lights came up the singer walked up to the mike and said, "Your fucking fog killed my amp, thanks a lot assholes'. It was all in jest and the crowd laughed appreciatively.
Yes, it was a little cold, but it was The Greek (one of my favorite venues) and it was the Arcade Fire in a sold-out performance. 10 talented, crazy musicians from Montreal cavorting on stage as if they didn't know they had a 2nd sol-out show to do the next night.
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