Arcade Fire

When I try to remember how I first heard of the Arcade Fire, memory escapes me. All I know is that somehow the music from their first album, Funeral, ended up on my ipod and I have been listening to tunes like Rebellion and Wake Up for at least two years now. Once thing is certain, there was a buzz surrounding this Canadian band that led me to research what they had to offer. I have to admit that the aforementioned buzz did build me up and I expected to be transported by their music…which can often happen on a first listen. This was not the case for myself though. Up until last week, I’m not sure I ever had a “must listen” moment. But please do not misunderstand me! I liked what I heard. I knew that what they had to offer musically was unique and incomparable, and despite all that, even catchy! But truthfully, I wasn’t wholly taken in.

Something easily solved with a live experience.

Due to the pending drop of their second studio album, Neon Bible, the Arcade Fire recently played a series of five consecutive shows at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. That’s right, a church, something that I admit, immediately intrigued me. Upon arrival, we studiously took our places as the last in an ever-growing line of individuals who we thought were regular ticket holders like ourselves. It didn’t take long to find out that this was a line for people who had no ticket! They were standing in the freezing, brisk weather in the hopes that someone would have an extra ticket or just not show up! Did I forget to mention that all five nights of the show were sold out? Well, as you can imagine, it was music to our ears to be able to skip this whole “line thing” in favor of walking straight to the entrance and entering the church without a hitch.

As I entered the main room of the church, I took in my surroundings. There were the usual stained glass windows and a choir loft above us. Ahead, there was a simple stage cluttered with various instruments: an accordion, keyboards, guitars, a violin, and a neon sign of a book, that reflected on the wall above the choir loft, a “neon bible” I presumed. The crowd consisted of the mature, professional type which was why I was pleasantly surprised when the concert began and this same mature crowd had no qualms about dancing, pumping their fists and singing along to a set list that ranged from the new (first single of the new album Black Mirror) to the old (Neighborhood #1(Tunnels)). Arcade Fire has a reputation for building up a song gradually to a crescendo and this night was no exception. With each passing song, the crowd became more consumed as did the band. It was gratifying to see a group of performers who actually enjoyed the music they were playing. Without knowing one single song from the new album, I find myself anticipating it’s future release of March 6, 2007. Arcade Fire truly is a trip to the unexpected.