arcade fire: concert review

(Note: go here first if you don't know about the Arcade Fire)

It started well, sitting in my room in pajamas, sipping coffee at 5 pm, when my friend told me she was going to the show in 20 mins with her friend. I had forgoten all about it and so had not arranged a ticket. I went anyway, to check out the scalper-ticket scene and, if that was pricey, any secret entrances. Scalper tickets were steep (70 / 80 euros for what was a 31 euro, albeit sold-out, show) and the place was too small to have unguarded entrances. Plus security was alert as it seemed I wasn't the only one without a ticket and bent on going.

Luckily, after some stress, concern and cunning conversation I managed to find a way in.

All smiles now as we get comfortable on the main floor of the small but classy general admission venue. The Fire are quickly on stage and tearing into Ready to Start one of the catchier tracks from the new album, the Suburbs with a bumpy Strokes-inspired rhythm. Next they play a forgettable song from the new album and two Neon Bible rockers, Keep the Car Running and No Cars Go. After these I'm pretty excited, although I knew right away from the size of the venue that Bruce Springsteen was not in the house and would not be making the now-famous cameo in Keep the Car Running.

Not much audience communication from Win or the band for the first 4 tracks. In fact besides a 'Hello', the only thing he said, I think after Keep the Car Running, was 'Its been a while since we've been here, good to be back'. Then he paused waiting for the crowd to scream. It simply didn't. So gruffly he says, 'So that's how its going to be' and turns coldly around to the band who starts up No Cars Go. Ok.
Then they played Haiti, their obvious attempt to bring us emotionally closer after the 4 pumping tracks. But it failed, at least for me, for instead of drawing us in, it only seemed to scatter everyone's eyes around the room. And in this room that was not welcome, for it quickly became apparent that Berlins love of Arcade Fire is merely academic, or at least it was for most of those who could afford the 30 euro concert ticket. 35 - 45 year olds donning thick rimmed glasses, cardigans, and tight haircuts trying to groove to Haiti - a very awkward scene to say the least. Four more forgettable average tracks off their new album only made this geekstreet.com party more shifty and dull. I was staring to get frustrated.

Jagermeister... zwei bitte.

At this point I thought that maybe booking Arcade Fire in Tempodrom is just some promoter's swindle. An outdoor concert for 12 euros would have brought out the cool kids and let the web designers and architects geek out. But would it have changed the set list?

Intervention now and some hands come up. Only a few fists pump the crisp (read absolutely smokeless) air. Great song no doubt, but hearing it live didn't do it for me. It only brought to the forefront the hard fact that Arcade Fire are a rock band. For now, this fact shall remain neutral. However, in this context in means that Intervention doesn't have to be a straight rock song, it has gospel roots, a delicate glockenspiel bounce, and a great acoustic guitar rhythm, so why did it have to come at me as a wall of sound? This line of questioning was the beginning of the end of my open eagerness to hear them as them, and the the start of my wanting to hear them as I would have them.

That said, I had no trouble at all getting emotional and dramatic to Crown of Love and jumpy and yelly to Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) - two basically perfect songs that were played excellent and strong. We Used to Wait was equally awesome. 'The best song on the new album', my friend said with confidence as the opening punchy piano strokes filled the room. I nodded in firm agreement. They finished the main set with Power Out and Rebellion (Lies). The latter was great, eyes closed singing along, but Power Out, on the other hand, had the Fire channeling this unwelcome wall of sound presence again.


They took a break, and I went inward wondering why I wasn't fully enjoying myself. I was seeing one of my favourite bands live for the first time after all, so why so troubled? I started thinking about my recent experience at a Pearl Jam concert where I kept thinking similar thoughts, namely, 'Can these guys please just take their fists off the Rock Button for a bit?' Pearl Jam was WAY worse, to the point of performing many of their great softer songs in punk style. But I think Arcade Fire can be rightly accused of the same malfunction - rock is an emotional tool or state that bands can and should call upon or manifest as at times, but it should never be a bands essence or goal. After all, rock is just a beefy rhythm and blues with a folk girlfriend, a jazz mistress and a country maid. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

But whatever, Arcade Fire is indisputably a great band, I just wasn't expecting them to be a straight-up rock band live. I liked them better when they were (in my mind) a mostly-acoustic indie-pop band with strong folk influences who often found themselves rocking. I guess with 7 members, breaking it down, elongating the songs and allowing for more solos would only serve to bore the other members. But maybe not. Maybe the second violinist would be happy playing less if it meant that when she did play the audience could actually hear what she is playing.

They rush back on stage and I cease the judgmental internal banter, and begin trying to figure out what songs they will play in their encores. They start with Sprawl II, the political Fleetwood Mac-esque track off the new album that has Regine singing lead vocals. While there is little question that the girls liked this one best, it is more than just a chick song, for the driving piano in the chorus had me and the other guys stomping. However, towards the end of the song the obviousness of the desperate need for more instrumental and solo sensitivity became fully manifest as the Fire with Regine at the reigns and the piano underfoot, had the crowd fully for a moment. I am sure everyone in the room wanted her to sing solo over just the piano, a brushed snare and some strings, for only 30 seconds before adding some more instruments or just fading out. But they didn't. They quickly and prematurely ended the song with a crash (or something similarly displeasing) and began the epic sing-along Wake Up. Then they rushed off stage and the house lights came up. A large WTF echoed through Tempodroms micro-noosphere. Only one encore? Unhinged I start screaming 'My Body is a Cage', before right out singing the song that should have been the last in the second encore. One of the few youngsters in the room knows what I am on about and hums along in accordance. She asks if I have heard the outstanding Peter Gabriel version. I say no. But that I will check it out.

We gather our thoughts outside, and come to the sullen conclusion that it could have been better, much better. More intimate moments, more solos, more talk with the crowd, another encore and way too much rock. We thought that Berlin didn't get 2 encores because of Wins pithy (and only!) comment of the night, but looking at the other set lists from the tour I see that everyone got only one encore, and no one got My Body is a Cage.
However we all agreed that the show was still quite good by any normal concert-band standards. Seeing live for the first time the songs that defined such a huge period of my life was very very good. I was after all goose bumped, eyes closed, and almost tearing whilst reliving the brighter moments of 2006/07.
We came to the point (made back to the point made in the Nicolas Jaar post) that greatness generates its own unique standard. We all just wanted Arcade Fire to be great by the standard we thought they created with their music, lyrics, styles and causes. We didn't keep in mind that everything about the evenings songs and this tour were consciously planned by the Fire, who are probably really happy with the new album and tour (even if they didn't like Berlin). Now we may rightly ask ourselves if being disappointed is just a product of our unfulfilled unrealistic expectation? I say yes and no. Yes (unrealistic) because they are happy with the show and the album. No because Arcade Fire are still a young band, they have already proved they are one of the best studio bands around and now they need to work on their live act. Their energy and instruments are great. Their melodies and lyrics are brilliant. Now all they need is to have a calm and relaxed stage presence and a more jam-band style approach to the live show - things that would be as simple (but not as easy) as recreating the music environment of their warm-up jams at Win and Regine's place in Montreal. Then and only then will they be great by their own standard. Until then, well, we are used to waiting.

We Used To Wait





And here's the Peter Gabriel connection.



Download:
Peter Gabriel Covers Album - Scratch My Back (Hotfile)

01 Heroes (David Bowie cover)
02 The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon cover)
03 Mirrorball (Elbow cover)
04 Flume (Bon Iver cover)
05 Listening Wind (Talking Heads cover)
06 The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed cover)
07 My Body Is a Cage (Arcade Fire cover)
08 The Book of Love (Magnetic Fields cover)
09 I Think It's Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman cover)
10 Après Moi (Regina Spektor cover)
11 Philadelphia (Neil Young cover)
12 Street Spirit (Radiohead cover)


Read a bit about Gabriel's new found appreciation for the Fire here.