I’ve always had a bit of a strange relationship with Arcade Fire. Do I like their music? Actually I do, quite a lot. But as much as I intellectually appreciate their multi-layered compositions, I’ve never really connected emotionally with their music as I have with some other bands. I include them in the list of artists that I really like, but don’t transfer them over into the bands I consider my favourites.
I always had the feeling they would make a lot more sense to me if I saw them live. I developed this belief after watching YouTube clips, where they always seemed to put themselves completely into their performances. Even their appearances at awards shows – which can be a pretty sterile environment – are really intense, such as their performance of Rococo at the Junos this year.
So that brings us to Thursday’s Arcade Fire performance at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. I bought my pre-sale ticket and was luckily able to cash in a vacation day to head to HRM from Cape Breton for the show. My hopes were high that I would be impressed.
And I was. My vantage point was at the left side of the stage, with about three people in front of me. They took to the stage with Ready to Start, and the crowd of 7,000-plus immediately responded with adulation. A highlight of the first half of the show was Regine’s passionate performance of Haiti. When she is up at the front of the stage, it’s hard to take your eyes off her, in her sparkly silver dress and matching fingerless gloves. And that is saying something when she’s standing up there next to Win Butler, who is as engaging a frontman as they come.
But the best part of the show was the final act, beginning with Month of May which segued directly into Rebellion (Lies). The show started out on a strong note and only built in intensity. And you have to respect a band that seems to always put so much passion into their show and is so seemingly appreciative of its audience. Win even talked about coming to Nova Scotia a few days earlier to explore the coastline.
The supporting act was Owen Pallett, who also joined Arcade Fire onstage for the second half of their set. Owen didn’t seem to resonate very strongly with the crowd. I’ve been listening to Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy for years and really like him, although I prefer his earlier material (he happily closed the set with This is the Dream of Win and Regine). I don’t know if it’s because he has a new band and they’ve only played a couple of shows together, but in spite of the obvious musicianship it seemed a little awkward, he even called out the crowd for being quiet. I think a more intimate venue would have been a better fit.
Unfortunately, I had to duck out during the first song of Arcade Fire’s encore, Wake Up, and totally missed the final song of the night, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). I had to drive back to Cape Breton after the show and had to make sure I wasn’t caught in a huge crowd of people waiting for the ferry.
I must admit they’re creeping higher in my affections, and I would never pass up an opportunity to see them live again. I was one of those people clapping my hands and screaming, “Lies, Lies,” during Rebellion (Lies). It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a show where the crowd was so into it. It was the best show I’ve seen this year.
Month of May and Rebellion (Lies)
Video I took of Owen Pallett performing This is the Dream of Win and Regine.
Rococo performed at the Junos
