The rumors were true...
Yes, yes, the rumors are true. The Arcade Fire indeed are
all that!
I've been in love with their album for close to a year now and though I've heard some rumblings from individuals I highly respect in terms of music related opinions, I'd never decided to catch them live. How lame was I..
A last second decision to attend the first US vresion (originally a UK concept) of the Download Festival, I had the opportunity to catch four bands of interest: The Doves, The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and The Killers. While the others did not leave me with much of an impression, The Arcade Fire surprised me to the point that I could not stop gushing about how unbelievably so full of energy they were! They stole the show (judging by the crowd from my angle)! Imagine Nickel Creek live with eight members instead of three hopping on and off stage, so entirely into the music! Taking a term from my recent classes, their music and performance was like chaos. Chaos theory. Chaos that is so dissonant but yet somehow it just works and is a massive payoff. I don't know how to describe it. Go see them. Just go see them. Fine. Just
check this performance they did on Letterman last month. (right click, save-as; it's 60+ megs) And this is someone who watched them from the lawn section of an amphitheater. They were here at tiny Warfield theater just two weeks ago and I'm kicking myself. Don't make my mistake, check them out! Any band that uses a xylephone and a glockenspiel is kickass in my book
Here's a snippet of Brad Kava, local rocker critic extrodinaire, with a quote:
The best may have been Montreal’s eight-piece band, Arcade Fire, where operatic harmonies and songs that built tension but never released it were backed by an accordion, violin and French horn.
It shouldn’t have worked in these days of pop punk and flash cool, but the often goofy band, which switched instruments and vocalists with each new song, had the entire bowl on its feet and drew some of the most thunderous applause of the day. The band covered much of its album, “Funeral” and Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 song, “State Trooper.”
The rest of the article can be found here.
His review was spot-on- The Doves were a bit too mellow, though their latest album is a good listen - Modest Mouse really just did not fit the bill, I can see their show working much better in a smaller venue, but just didn't project to a crowd this size. I was really disappointed, especially with their last two albums being what drew me into them. The Killers.. Brad said it all. They were "clean". Nothing deviant, nothing totally out of place, they played it safe. It reminds me of Keane. But, happily, they were much better than when I caught them on SNL. It was nice to hear their hits live, but close your eyes and you would think you were just spinning their cd.
Thanks Heather and Lan for the uplifting comments
I did not set out to write a plea-ing type of post, but judging by how good it felt to get those words from you, I guess I did, subconsciously. I'm already feeling better and making sure I work in Johnny time. Heather, I will definitely visit sometime in the next month! We have someone in our cohort who lives in Santa Cruz and wants to invite us over on a Saturday; when I find out, I'll let you know
I was just about to end here, but I totally neglected to mention the fact that I caught the opener of the SJSU play adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel & Dimed, one of the most inspiring books read in recent memory concerning issues of the poor/working class and how social stratification is reinforced. It was amazing! I know the conventions of plays and this did an interesting job of having a very interactive set and interweaving Barb's commentary within the "story" into the play. I PLEAD anyone who lives in the area to watch it. It's a seriously informative commentary on people that we see everyday in our lives yet ignore. Here is the email I sent out to my cohort and professors (because I'm lazy to retype) concerning all the information you need:
--
Hi All, As part of the San Jose State University's first year implementation of a "Campus Reading Program", the chosen book, Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, will be brought to life as a play this week and next week (Oct. 7,8,14,15,16) at the University Theatre. This book, and subsequent play, brings up many issues relevant to our 208 class such as the reinforcement of social stratification and social inequality, of which directly relates towards education. The author experiences what life is like for low wage and working class individuals all across America and develops insights that provide implications on numerous perspectives, including education. More information for anyone interested can be found at the following links: http://www2.sjsu.edu/ugs/reading/ http://sjsu.edu/events/event_detail.jsp?id=2044 Tickets are $10 for students/faculty/staff and $15 for general. For students, however, there are a set amount of complimentary tickets available at the General Services Center found at the ground level of the Student Union. Just bring your student ID and VTA sticker for a complimentary ticket. Thanks for reading - Let me know if you are interested. Johnny
--
Have a good week! Hope to write again soon
It keeps me sane.
