Arcade Fire @ Chicago Theatre, May 18th-20th

ARCADE FIRE-CHICAGO THEATRE MAY 18th, 19th, 20th

So, with the Friday night show being on my birthday, and Arcade Fire being one of my favorite bands going these days, I was obviously exhilarated heading down to the Second City this past weekend. First of all, the Chicago Theatre is a jewel of a venue, almost too nice for the likes of me and my friends-almost. The acoustics are fantastic, with nice full sounds reverberating throughout the theatre, and although the balcony (where I sat for Saturday and Sunday’s shows) was steep, it allowed for a flawless sight line that made the stage appear closer than it actually was. And what a stage setup the band had. Besides the large omnipresent Neon Bible flashing behind the stage, there were five circular screens spread out on the flanks of the stage, broadcasting security camera type images of the band members performing. Add to that the soothing red glow of the lights on the mic stands and the lighting overall, and I was impressed before the band struck a chord. I can’t recall ever anticipating a set of shows as much as these, so going into Friday night, my expectations were high, to say the least. I walked in hearing the first couple exhortations of the ‘preacher lady’ video that has been serving as the introduction for the band on this tour, and rushed in to find my seat, followed close behind by the Arcade Fire, marching down the center aisle of the Theatre to take the stage. I wish I could say everything from that point was magical, but unfortunately due to sound problems, and perhaps, nerves, it took the band a while to warm up. The set opener, Black Mirror, was off from the start, with Win angrily throwing down his guitar at the end of the song, obviously upset with the sound. There was a sense of the show going in the right direction with one of my fav’s from the new record ‘Keep The Car Running’ up next, but still, a spark was lacking. I think the band really found their way on the rollicking (Antichrist Television Blues), picking up speed until the song ended in a frenzy. And from that point on, the show delivered on its promise of grandeur. ‘Laika’ was complete bedlam, with Richard and Will nearly taking each other’s heads off with the flying snare drum. The new material really translated well to a theatre setting, with the ambiance of the stage set adding to the depth and feeling of the new songs, and the band seemed to feel that way as well, playing all but one song from the new record. ‘My Body Is A Cage’ was especially enthralling , with Win playing a large pipe organ for the song while the rest of the band seemed to hide on stage until the explosive conclusion-but alas, no cardboard cutout on the first night-that was saved for later. Everyone seems to talk about the electrifying combination of Power Out->Rebellion, and for all the hyperbole, those two songs played back to back were worth the ticket price alone. The crowd was as enthusiastic as they were going to get all weekend, completely whipped into a frenzy, and the band was lost in the moment-a superb way to close a set. I felt that even though I love ‘Ocean Of Noise’ it was much too somber to play for the first song of the encore, not building on the enthusiasm built up during the main set, but that disappointment was short-lived, because ‘Tunnels’ was up next, and the momentum was back. The elation and utter euphoria of the crowd and the band was palpable-truly magnificent. The roar of the crowd did not diminish when Arcade Fire left the stage, everyone hoping for another song. Most of the crowd, including myself, thought they would play ‘Wake Up’ when they reappeared on the stage, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when Regine took the microphone, and proceed to blow the crowd away with a truly stunning version of ‘In The Backseat.’ I’ve always liked that song, but never loved it-until now. What a perfect way to end my Birthday show-Bring on Saturday night.

Saturday Night, Chicago-everything seemed in place for an outstanding show. And while it was good, it was not great. The set definitely started smoother, with no sound issues or momentum building problems-‘Keep The Car Running’ and ‘No Cars Go’ into ‘Haiti’ was a fantastic set opener. But instead of building on the momentum, the band and especially the crowd seemed stagnant. There were plenty of opportunities the band provided the crowd to sing along, especially at the end of ‘In The Backseat’ offering the melodic ‘ooh oh oh ooh ooh oh oh’ to the crowd to sing at least two or three times, met each time with silence. I believe the Arcade Fire enjoy the crowd participation aspect of the live performance, so it’s not just a bunch of people standing and watching them, it’s more interactive-so, in my mind, the crowd really dropped the ball on Saturday. The band certainly didn’t-they sounded great and the songs, although essentially the same set list as the night before, were wonderful. But there didn’t seem to be that connection to the audience that so often takes a good show to a different level. They did play ‘Black Wave/Bad Vibration,’ the only song from ‘Neon Bible’ that they didn’t play on Friday, and of course hearing ‘Laika’ as a closer was wonderful, but something was missing to make this show magical. And it seemed like a large contingent of the crowd was congregating in the lobby after the show, hoping for ‘Wake Up,’ but it was not to be. They must be saving up something for Sunday, it seemed.

Erik T "The Legend" along with great Chicago pics

So, with the final act of the Arcade Fire Chicago Trilogy on Sunday, I had hopes for the show of the weekend. And it started out positively enough, with the band giving the crowd exactly what they wanted, a rousing opener of ‘Wake Up’ that was energetic and frantic and moving-everything that makes that song great. My friend that I brought on Sunday had told me a story about the emotional significance that ‘Keep The Car Running’ has for him, and I was happy they played that next. The momentum kept building with a rousing version of (Antichrist), followed by the best version of Black Mirror from the weekend-it seemed that the band was especially on point for this one, concentrating extra hard at nailing this song, which up to this moment hadn’t coalesced over the weekend. And the rest of the set was incredible, with one hightlight after another, especially 'My Body Is A Cage' and the weekends best version of 'Intervention.' But again, it seemed the band wasn’t getting the crowd interaction they were hoping for, with Win saying “C’mon Chicago, if you don’t start moving you’re going to be known as frigid.’ And later, “Chicago, you invited us over for three nights, and we kissed and made out, which was nice, but I thought we’d go further than that…” Which seems to be exactly how I came away from the weekend-the shows were great, the songs were great, but I wanted that one magical moment or show that would set it apart from the 75 other shows I see in the year. And that moment or show never truly happened. I was also slightly disappointed that the setlist never really varied from night to night, there were just two additions to the 16 songs played the first night. When I saw Pearl Jam last year in Chicago, they played over 50 different songs in two nights. A little variance in the setlist, especially considering all the die-hards there that were going all three nights would have perhaps made the shows magical. But that is quibbling, and I don’t really quibble. The Arcade Fire are definitely one of the best live acts going these days, and I had the wonderful privilege of seeing them three nights in a row in the beautiful Chicago Theatre in the fantastic city of Chicago. Who could possibly complain about that. Not I.

-Erik T.

SET LISTS

Friday, May 18th
Black Mirror
Keep The Car Running
(Antichrist Television Blues)
No Cars Go
Haiti
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Intervention
Neon Bible
My Body Is A Cage
Windowsill
The Well And The Lighthouse
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
ENCORE I:
Ocean Of Noise
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
ENCORE II:
In The Backseat

Saturday, May 19th
Keep The Car Running
No Cars Go
Haiti
Black Mirror
Black Wave/Bad Vibration
In The Backseat
Intervention
Ocean Of Noise
The Well And The Lighthouse
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
ENCORE
My Body Is A Cage
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)

Sunday, May 20th
Wake Up
Keep The Car Running
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Black Mirror
No Cars Go
Haiti
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Intervention
Neon Bible
My Body Is A Cage
Windowsill
The Well And The Lighthouse
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
ENCORE
Ocean of Noise
Tunnels

Thanks again Erik for the solid weekend reviews of the arcade fire shows and Happy belated Birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate. I know their are a lot of die hard Arcade Fire fans out there, so these reviews will be greatly appreciated. This band is arguably the best band in the world, I can't argue that. Lets hope they make it to Minneapolis soon..