The Great Chicago (Arcade) Fire Connecticut

The Great Chicago (Arcade) Fire
Chicago, IL, USA; May 18, 2007
by Sean McCarthy

In three scant years, The Arcade Fire has gone from playing in bars to headlining music festivals and selling out venues like The Chicago Theatre in a matter of minutes. They are the band of the moment, drawing celebrity sightings at their shows (murmurs of Tim Robbins and Vince Vaughn sightings were heard from some of the crowdgoers for the Friday show).


Opening for The Arcade Fire was St. Vincent, led by singer/songwriter Annie Clark. Appearing solo onstage for a few songs, Clark performed with a blues-heavy swagger. Sadly, as her supporting band came out, St. Vincent’s sound became more one-dimensional and a lot less interesting. A little more focus on the blues and a little less focus on indie and St. Vincent could be lethal.

At about 8:45 p.m., the lights dimmed and a grainy video of an amped-up fire and brimstone preacher appeared on the projection screens on the stage, bringing the 3,000-plus attendees to their feet. The Arcade Fire walked down the center aisle and took the stage to perform “Neon Bible.” It was one of those goosebump-inducing moments that can make a few thousand geeky followers to scream “Uh Deux Trois Dix Miroir Noir!”

Lead singer/guitarist Win Butler, looking like a blacksmith from the '30s, didn’t do much moving around for most of the show, saving the stage athletics for the rest of the ten-piece band, who routinely almost ran over each other switching different instruments throughout the set. In the mournful, oppressive, but oddly bouncy “Intervention,” Richard Reed Parry was beating a drum near the front of the stage in perfect synchronicity with drummer Jeremy Gara as Butler led the audience in one of the most depressing sing-a-long songs you’ll hear this year: “Working for the church while your family dies / Your little baby sister’s gonna lose her mind.”

Butler’s gaze rarely left the audience, despite the rowdy Parry freely tossing cymbals around the stage. Regine Chassagne, when not playing the accordion and drums, danced around the stage waving her hands and looking at the audience, seemingly having as good of a time as the audience was, grinning widely throughout most of the show.

Despite a few sound glitches, the only thing that slightly marred a near-flawless evening was the slight predictability of the set. “Keep the Car Running,” the fantastic second song from Neon Bible, was played directly after the opening title track. The two songs bookend each other so perfectly on the album, it’s almost a given that these songs should be played back-to-back live. The rousing anthem “Rebellion (lies)” is a custom-made set closer or encore song, as is the haunting “In the Backseat.” Sure enough, “Rebellion (lies)” closed the set and “In The Backseat” was played in the second encore.

Does that take away the thrill of seeing a full theatre jump up and down in a pogo-like frenzy during the stomping opening chords of “Rebellion”? Does that sap the power of Chassagne’s vocals in “In The Backseat”? Hell no!

The Arcade Fire has a lot at its disposal right now. Critics love them. Their shows sell out and as a result, they’re able to afford to bring pipe organs and the equivalent of a mini-orchestra to their shows. Still, the band’s enthusiasm and earnestness helped capture the immediacy that made their club gigs so legendary. Now that’s religion.

For more music reviews, visit www.dailyvault.com.

TicketCity

We have best tickets for all sports, concerts and theater. Buy online or call 1-800-SOLD-OUT.

1-800-Sold-Out
5912 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX
Concert Tickets

WHO WE ARE

TicketCity is a ticket broker that sells tickets for all events. Unlike Ticketmaster, who only offers tickets for certain shows, TicketCity is a service that gets you the seats you need to the events you want to attend. We take pride our work, and that reflects in the job we do for you.

WHY BUY FROM US

TicketCity sells great tickets to the most memorable events in the World. Whether you need courtside tickets to the big game or the best seats at a concert you thought was impossible to get tickets for. We get you into the events that you will remember for a lifetime.

That’s why you Never Miss an Experience with TicketCity.

A knowledgeable and experienced service, we are your reliable source for great tickets.

* Orders backed by a 200% guarantee
* Established in 1990. We’re one of the most experience ticket companies.
* We attend the events we sell, because we’re passionate about them.
* We give recommendations based on our first hand knowledge.
* We own one of the largest ticket inventories in the World.
* We offer terrific deals on many of the tickets we own.
* Our prices and service charge are some of the lowest in the industry.
* Our long history means you can trust us with your important business.

Take the risk out of buying tickets, by getting yours at TicketCity.

WHAT WE DO

TicketCity sells tickets to all events. We have seats for any event in the World. Our tickets are sold at market value, not face value, so our prices are based on supply and demand. And we offer many additional features like event hospitality and on-site deliver; that allow us to create a package which meets all your needs.

We specialize in tickets for college sports & championship events.
* All major college football teams & college basketball games.
* College bowl games, the NCAA Tournament & Final Four
* The Masters, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl & US Open.
* Olympics, World Cup Soccer, Ryder Cup and Rugby World Cup.

Buy tickets from us for any event.
* NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball & NHL
* All concerts, theatre & special events
* Auto racing, tennis, golf, boxing and more!

BUY FROM US TODAY
* Buy online 24/7.
* Buy on the phone by calling 1-800-SOLD-OUT.
* Speak directly with our ticket experts.
* No waiting to talk to us, we’re open 7 days a week.
* All transactions are protected from fraud.
* We’re members of the BBB and our local Chamber.


We have over 100,000 loyal and happy customers to praise for our service. We offer email updates, to keep you abreast of upcoming events and offer you the latest ticket specials. And we’ll assign you a dedicated representative, that’s available to help you find the tickets you want. And if you are looking for a great gift idea, you can buy a TicketCity gift card today!

We strive to make buying tickets from us to be as unforgettable as the event itself.

– Bowl Game Tickets
– Christmas Spectacular Tickets