Two Nights with Arcade Fire

Ah the mall. A place where you can shop your blues away, watch a movie, eat fast food, people watch and two nights ago see Arcade Fire.

I was in good company from the get go when my friend and I circumvented the line-up. When you see a group of people heading in the door past the line up make like a sheep and follow.

Every hipster in the city, with maybe the exception of that guy from Listen Records, made an appearance last night. I'm not a fan of all ages shows, but I could hardly notice submerged in the crowd. I'd like to take this opportunity to appologive to the woman standing in front of me in the short dress and plaid corsette. Sorry, I didn't mean to touch your ass on more than five occassions.

The audience was mature, controlled, and appeciative. They were rivited watching Belle Orchestre a quasi-avant garde foursome. They were treated to polite applause, without the continual talking that happened during the Calgary show. I think it says a lot that they sold 25 cds in Edmonton, and only 11 in Calgary. Oh how literate we seem. http://www.bellorchestre.com/ .

The sound, oh the sound was bad, but I will hand it to all the bands for continually tweaking it until it could get no better. I'd like to think someone read our e-mails warning of shitty soundmen in a shitty room, but more likely they did it because they are professionals. The sound was as good as it gets at Red's. It's a tough place to play music with it's odd shape, and let's face it it was never designed for live music.

Arcade Fire had stage presence to spare. Although I couldn't take in the whole stage from my place in the crowd, the members I could see were passionate, lively, and enthusiastic throughout the evening. Their set was substantial, and they finished it off by zig zagging through the crowd doing an accoustic version of David Bowie's Queen Bitch.

Last night in Calgary they played at the bomb shelter AKA MacEwan Hall. You could see the stage anywhere in the room, again with the exception of the vertically challenged. MacEwan Hall does have the feeling of a large gymnasium. And like a high school dance there is nowhere to sit, just leaning room against the concrete walls.

It was an all ages show and the crowd was quite young. 16 going on 12- they acted like they'd never been to a show. A few with front row realestate talked incessantly to the bands, but how can you blame them when their idols are three feet away. Their youthful exuberance seemed more like aggression, and I believe that is why the band walked down the side of the venue to finish the show instead of manouvering through the shoving pit at the front.

Arcade Fire seemed tired and played a shorter set. They fought with some feedback, and the performers gestured vigorously for more monitor output. It would have been great to hear Cold Wind from the Six Feet Under Soundtrack, but the New Order and Bruce Springsteen covers filled the tiny void perfectly.

It's hard to say whether Arcade Fire would have stopped in Alberta if they weren't Canadian. The gruelling tour schedule they have been on has given them the international attention they deserve, and has possibly made them a slave to their fans. Hopefully it isn't the last Alberta has seen of this dynamic, talented and enthusiastic group of musicians.

A big thank you to Mange for your imput for this blog on the drive home, as well as the transportation and accomodations. And especially for supporting my weight when I almost passed out.