Arcade Fire Amaze At MSG (8/4/2010)

I have been fortunate to see my fair share of shows in my lifetime. Ever since I started this blog I have started to go to them on a pretty regular basis. I go to shows, usually have fun, and then move on. However, it’s rare that I leave a show and truly feel like my life has actually been impacted. Well, that changed tonight after I witnessed what was arguably the greatest concert that I have ever seen. It’s nearly 3 in the morning yet I am still running on adrenaline from the show.

I got to the show at around 4:30 and met up with my friends Steve and Chris and waited in line as we had lucked out with GA. We literally were front and center for the show, standing in front of both Britt Daniel and Win Butler. You can say we got our moneys worth.

Owen Pallet opened up with a short but sweet 30 minute set with a damn beautiful performance of “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”, from the great Heartland.

It was quite a treat to get to see Spoon, one of my favorite bands, open for another one of my favorite bands. Spoon dominated MSG with a thrilling set of their best cuts new and old. They absolutely rocked it. I was glad to hear “I Turn My Camera On” since they didn’t play it when I saw them at Radio City. Spoon certainly proved they have the chops to headline MSG themselves.

Arcade Fire came out with a thunderous start of “Ready To Start”. They then cut to the classics: “Laika” & “No Cars Go”. Both songs introduced a new member to the band: The MSG Crowd. Everyone in the arena was acting as the bands choir, shouting back the words and harmonies. The echoing voices of the crowd backing up Arcade Fire made the event seem like a religious experience.

“Haiti” was beautiful but rocking, and “Half Light II (No Celebration)” was great. “Rococo” is an animal live, it must have been written for the live setting. “Crown Of Love” was a damn pleasant surprise in the set. Everyone in the crowd felt the same way as everyone sand along in dramatic fashion. After “Intervention” & “We Used To Wait”, Win Butler pointed to a section of the pit (his right), saying it was his favorite section because it was where Hakeem Olajuwon (from his Houston Rockets) blocked John Starks of the Knicks, in the 1994 NBA finals.

Obviously, MSG didn’t like that, allowing a rare moment of boos. Win couldn’t help but grin, as he suddenly kicked into an absolutely monstrous performance of “Power Out”. It was an absolute party in the pit, with everyone singing and dancing without a damn care in the world. Things only got crazier when the band flawlessly transitioned into “Rebellion (Lies)”. It was perfection. I forgive you for hating on my Knicks, Win.

“Month Of May” brought out the rock and roll side of Arcade Fire. The crowd was in a frenzy, and they completely lost it with the always dramatic “Tunnels”. The band gave us a 3 song encore consisting of “Keep The Car Running”, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, & “Wake Up”. Words cannot transcribe the unity that “Wake Up” provides. It is a song that took the best of MSG and put it on full display. It was damn beautiful. Win came into the crowd after the song, and I was close enough to touch his guitar, and pluck his strings. How’s that for epic?

With so many people on stage at once (including Owen Pallet), it’s no surprise that Arcade fire bring a powerful sound. However, it’s amazing to hear songs like “Tunnels” & “Wake Up” in perfect unison. Whoever did the sound for the show deserves a raise, because it was top notch. Also, I usually hate on crowds, but this crowd was one that heightened the concert experience. That should be commended.

God bless you if you made it this far down. I know it’s a long post, but I can’t shake the performance that i just witnessed, and I just had to share. Arcade Fire may be an indie band at heart, but they are meant for stadiums and arenas. They had no problem tackling MSG. You could tell they were confident enough to tackle the Garden, it didn’t phase them. Why should it. They were born to turn MSG into their personal chorus. They had thousands singing their heart out, all becoming a part of something special:

One of the finest shows that you will ever see. Period. God bless you, Arcade Fire.

Here is a video I shot of “Wake Up”:

Setlist:

(I didn’t bring my camera, as I didn’t want to deal with security harassing me about it. However my phone (droid x!) snapped some really good shots thanks to where I was: