Burning Down The House

January 2, 2005

If anyone remembers that “37 Record-Store Clerks Feared Dead In Yo La Tengo Concert Disaster” article from the Onion, the Arcade Fire show at Spaceland a few weeks ago was a lot like that. Fortunately nothing happened, but if anyone wanted to wipe out A&R and music bloggers in one fell swoop, there was certainly opportunity. The Arcade Fire’s first trip from Canada to L.A. soil was, in my recollection, the most hyped ticket since Franz Ferdinand first played here in the beginning of the year. The show was sold out long before but that didn’t stop a line around the block for kids trying to get standby tickets and cancellations, which was probably the first time I’ve even seen a line at Spaceland.

Luckily, I had tickets, so I camped in front of the stage and took it all in from the front row. Arcade Fire rolls seven strong, crowded and cramped on the small Spaceland stage with their instruments and a few Christmas light animals. The group performed in snazzy suits spraypainted with homemade designs, a combo of art school kitsch and prom night formality. After a long period of setup, the band struck a pose and lit into “Wake Up,” an anthem that starts with all seven band members screaming like a choir of banshees. If anyone was still sleeping on Arcade Fire, they certainly were awake now.

Other than their violinist, all the band members rotated through their instruments as each song called for. Members left without toys when their game of musical chairs stopped would usually just beat on whatever was handy, be it the exposed airducts of Spaceland or singer Win Butler’s head. Musically, the band’s notable for just how overwhelming it is. The cacophony generated by the band’s sheer numbers is staggering. While Win Butler and Regine Chassagne are the de jure vocalists, virtually every line is sung by both the band and the audience as a huge unmiked chorus.

Oddly, I think the first song of the show was still its best. “Wake Up” had all the screaming and hubbub and a bridge that sits comfortable inbetween “A Town Called Malice” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” and “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” were also live heavyweights, although I wonder why the song cycle is never played straight through live or on record. Anyone know? “Rebellion (Lies)” was the other standout, and in general I liked Arcade Fire best when they were creating a sonic ruckus, seeing just how many people could sing along to one beat. That said, I think Win Butler stage diving like it was 1993 was one moment where I felt they could have dialed it down a notch. While “Haiti” still reminds me too much of “Genius of Love,” it served as a refreshing change of pace. Quieter moments like “Crown of Love” and “In The Backseat” just didn’t do it for me, as they tended to highlight how melodramatic and humorless the band can be when they’re stretching for something poignant and sincere. The material from Funeral was rounded out with “No Cars Go” from their debut EP and their cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody).” Yes, even their covers have parentheticals.

Their high-energy, maximum effort show definitely deserves a shot. I’d recommend folks go to their upcoming Troubadour shows, but they’re sold out already as the Arcade Fire bandwagon threatens to burst at the seams. In all likelihood they’ll be back in the New Year at a bigger venue, with an even bigger stage show that will incorporate searchlights and helicopters and live animals instead of plastic ones.

Posted in From Blown Speakers