Arcade Fire Concert Review

So Last night I was privileged enough to be one of the few in attendance at Massey Hall in Toronto for Arcade Fire's second concert in as many nights and if I were to sum the experience up into one word, I would have to choose Captivating.

Track List
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I was ultimately impressed with their selection of songs which had one from their first album - No Car's Go (also released in Neon Bible), several from their second album, Funeral - including Tunnels, Haiti, Rebellion and all of the tracks included in Neon Bible.

Atmosphere
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I have only been to Massey Hall once before, for a Dave Chapelle act but did not truly register its ambience, acoustics and atmosphere. The venue, one of the oldest concert halls in the city of Toronto seemed to compliment the evening with its old stucco walls, worn out wooden chairs and dark drapery around the stage. As soon as the band came out on set, it felt as though time had frozen and I didn't seem to notice anyone in the crowd at all - and Goosebumps tumbled all over my body, from head to toe. They had setup half a dozen circular projection screens which displayed a live feed of the band members while playing their instruments. It was pretty cool because with the added effects, it appeared as though I was watching an old Beatles video from the 60's.

The Band
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To my surprise, all 10 band members were contributing by playing several different instruments throughout the evening along with supporting vocals - sometimes through a megaphone. At times, a few members were dancing around the stage with only a set of drum sticks and were banging on any object that would carry obscure sound waves to the audience. There were several times where one member climbed up to the second level and continued to play within the audience.
Lead singer, Win Butler rocked the night away with spectacular vocals and some pretty impressive guitar moves (especially during Haiti) - he to wowed the crowd by prancing along the floor section singing with all nearby fans.

The Verdict
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Well, for the price of only $47.00, I was lucky enough to see one of my favorite bands perform in a wonderful venue. Overall, I would rate the concert 9.5/10 - which is pretty amazing. I can only hope that the rest of the world sees musicians from Canada not be so cliché (sorry Tragically Hip) but as an untapped emerging market within the music industry. Arcade Fire has successfully found a way to make a name for themselves while spanning across decades of music genres without affecting their identity.


Until next time,

Double D.