The Arcade Fire
The Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
June 1, 2007

I can't say i've had a love-hate relationship with the Arcade Fire, but it has had that sort of bipolar wavering. It's more like i've vacillated between casual interest and haterism-driven questioning of the praise lauded upon the band. However, since the release of their sophomore effort Neon Bible, i've become more and more mesmerized with their Victorian-tinged indie rock. A horrible description i admit, but it reflects their incorporation of antique instruments and horns, strings, and other elements between the traditional guitar, bass, and drums. After hearing the triumphant "No Cars Go", i've joined the hordes proclaiming the Montreal collective as one of the most worthwhile acts of the year. I thought i would miss both of their shows at the Greek because i would be out of town, but luckily my schedule rearranged itself to allow me to attend. I did make the mistake of failing to pick up tickets, but thankfully V and my network of indie contacts helped us out. We arrived in Berkeley at 8:45pm after hitting Jenz's art show, unfortunately missing openers Electrelane but getting into the venue in time to secure sweet standing room spots on stage left just beyond the central amphitheater "pit". The band, numbering at 9 or 10 by my count, emerged at 9:15pm after a brief video of a country woman praising Jesus played on the assorted video screens. The band opened with the first two tracks from their new album, "Black Mirror" and "Keep the Car Running". Personal favorite "No Cars Go" came third, with the band rousing the enthusiastic crowd during the climactic sequence of the song ("Little babies, let's go! Women and children, let's go! Old folks, let's go!"). While i was definitely into the show, it wasn't until "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" from their first album Funeral that i was truly awed. Two of the bandmembers (it's useless to be more specific, as each person plays at least two different instruments) grabbed drumsticks to pound out the rhythm of the song on assorted drums and other set fixtures. From that point on i was truly enchanted. The set included an array of visuals on the video screens, ranging from silent movie clips to footage of the band playing as recorded by several cameras mounted on megaphones the group would occasionally shout into. The band did well to represent both current and past highs, including the resonant, twangy "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)", the poppy, bouncy "Haïti", the organ-driven damnation of religion "Antichrist Television Blues", and the wispy xylophone of "The Well and the Lighthouse". The main set closed the marching "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", followed by the penultimate "Rebellion (Lies)". The anthemic single was played with outstanding vigor and enthusiasm, with one of the bandmembers grabbing a drum and running just past us to the top of the Greek stands. As the band exited the stage (again, just by where we were standing), the crowd was left humming the closing melody to the song. The boys and girls reemerged to play a somber track they recorded for Six Feet Under in honor of the singer's grandfather, who's buried in San Francisco. They closed the night with "Wake Up", a fitting end with the band and crowd singing into the foggy Berkeley night. Without a doubt the best show i've been to this year, and a great indication that the Arcade Fire will be producing and performing quality music for years to come.

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