yes, it's true. last night's show culminated in my flying into a drunken rage, as so many of my evenings are wont to do. i can't blame the arcade fire though- they put on an absolutely lovely show. i'll start at the beginning.
doors were at 7:30, and i left the house super-early because i was convinced that the bands were going to come on at a reasonable hour. of course no one started playing until like 9:30, so i had a lot of time to stand around getting cranky and drunk. i'd expected the standard mix of scenesters and industry types, but in reality the crowd felt more like a bunch of top 40 enthusiasts who think of the arcade fire as their own personal pet band that they feel extra-cool for having discovered. case in point: while we were standing in line, the people behind us had the following exchange:
Annoying Girl: Wow. I guess this band is a big deal.
Annoying Guy: Yeah, well the Arcade Fire is like the coolest band in the universe if you're a HIPSTER.
Annoying Girl: Thank GOD none of us is that!!
(Hearty laughter all around)
ME (turning around): 'uh, yeah. don't worry. doesn't look like any of you is in any danger of being mistaken for a person with STYLE'.
KIDDING! i just chuckled to myself and went inside, at which point the aforementioned standing around commenced. finally at around 9:30 man man came on. this caused some confusion because a band called final fantasy was supposed to play first, but more on that later. now, i understand that some people (like pitchfork) like man man, and i have to wonder, have their fans had the misfortune of seeing them play live? the music was clashy and unpredictable and intriguing enough to grab people's attention, which is no small feat for a band opening for one of the most hyped acts of 2004. unfortunately, their whole art-spaz schtick came off as so obnoxiously pretentious that if the drummer hadn't ripped his own sleeve off in a fit of self-loving euphoria, i might have been moved to do it myself. seriously, he ripped off his own sleeve during the show. need i say more? anyway, here's the one photo i took (post sartorial self-mutilation):
after what seemed like an eternity, man man finally stopped banging things and freaking out and it was time to wait another eternity for the arcade fire to come on. at around 11, they finally took the stage. PSYCH! actually they pulled that annoying we're-a-big-band-so-we-can-fuck-with-you-guys thing where they get the crowd all excited and then at the last minute inform them that they have to wait juuuust a little longer because another band is actually going to play first. the other band in this case was final fantasy (see fourth paragraph, above). now, i have to admit that i felt kind of sorry for this guy. he was wearing an ugly red t-shirt with rhinestones on it, and he was playing lame shoegaze to the sound of his own violin. it turned out he was a member of the arcade fire though, so we can forgive him his indiscretions. a picture:
then, finally, the arcade fire came on. i think that because their music is so intricate and mature, i'd always assumed they were older and more serious than the average band. totally not true! they were young and adorable and fun. win, the singer, apologized for their lateness and blamed it on the fact that they'd just appeared on conan. they did look a little frazzled, but they sounded excellent. they played a bunch of songs off of funeral--annee sans lumiere, tunnels, wake up, rebellion (lies)--and some other stuff that i didn't know. it all sounded brilliant. it was absolutely phenomenal to watch them build up those big, mind-blowing crescendos of sound, all the while banging on things and playing funny instruments and looking like they're having the best time ever. kind of like broken social scene, if they'd ever really taken their music to the next level.
unfortunately, throughout their set, the girl to my right was (loudly) baiting her date into admitting that he thought the singer was hot and then getting all pouty and stupid when he said he did. after about a half hour of this, i snapped and went on a drunken tirade about how i HATED the FUCKING PEOPLE standing NEXT TO US, at which point everyone in the vicinity gave me the most shriveling stares i've ever seen. so, if you were standing next to me, i apologize. i didn't mean it. unless you're the insecure girlfriend who wouldn't shut up the whole time. you suck.
anyway, all in all one of the best shows i've seen in ages. perhaps not a "religious experience," as so many people have described their live shows, but they definitely lived up to the hype. here are some photos (wish i could take better ones!).
if you'd like to listen to their performance on conan, you can find it here.
on a totally unrelated topic, a friend of a friend has a movie opening at the angelika this thursday called assisted living (you can peep the movie's website here), that looks awesome. it's a comedy about the relationship that develops between an old lady and a pot-smoking janitor who works at her nursing home. anyway, it's totally independent and it's really important that the opening weekend does well, so if you're interested at all, please go see it sooner rather than later. you'll make someone happy. [ed. note: i'd already made plans to go see it even before i found out the personal connection, i swear! i heart old ladies.] here's the premiere/party flyer:
Your description of the crowd made me remember why I have stayed away from live music for the last few years... but your description of your reaction to them reminded me why I've started going to shows again: with the proper amount of alcohol, you get to enjoy music AND vent a bit. Here's my latest pet peeve: guys who call friends during shows and lift their cell phones in the air to 'broadcast' the show. (it always seems to be guys)
Posted by: StumbleBum | February 02, 2005 at 03:11 PM
um, you accuse people of being top-40 pets just jumping on the bandwagon, yet you had never seen them before and obviously don't even know their music???
Posted by: | February 04, 2005 at 03:09 PM
um, you accuse people of being top-40 pets just jumping on the bandwagon, yet you had never seen them before and obviously don't even know their music???
Posted by: | February 04, 2005 at 03:09 PM
well aren't we a critical bunch! and posted twice, no less.
i had something else posted here, but i changed my mind. i'm not trying to have a pissing contest about who knew about which band first and who's the coolest. just trying to write about an awesome show. i've liked AF for awhile, a lot of other people have as well, and it's all good.
ANYWAY. all comments welcome, even if they're from negative nancies. :)
Posted by: manicmess | February 05, 2005 at 05:01 PM
not a negative nancy... but my dear fuck i am so jealous you got to see arcade fire.
they performed here a while back before the release of funeral/their big hype explosion.... but seeing as it was across the bridge in scary quebec boonieland, i didn't bother going and i totally regret it.
rock on - good entry and i love the pics.
Posted by: kiddo | February 08, 2005 at 01:59 PM
Sartre: Hell is other people.
Posted by: Michael Nash | April 23, 2005 at 09:22 PM