Arcade Fire w/ Calexico
The MTS Centre
Winnipeg, MB
September 23, 2010
Calexico
Arcade Fire
For the second time in three days, our city was the place to be for transcendent live music. Take that, rest of the world.
Now I must admit after Tuesday’s eye-popping, jaw-dropping, synapse-frying Flaming Lips experience, my expectations were low heading into last night’s
Arcade Fire show. No way, I thought, Arcade Fire come close to that.
Should’ve known better.
Arcade Fire are easily deserving of the all the hyperbolic ballyhoo that blazes behind them like a comet’s tail. Critical praise? Deserved! Billboard #1? Deserved! The only band to play the Daily Show in, what, two years? Deserved! And, most importantly, they deserve their incipient reputation as a killer, must-see, top live entity, with last night epitomizing everything an arena concert should be: engrossing, rocking, moving, rocking, inspiring, ear-splitting, energizing, rocking and, well, just amazing.
Part of the magic behind the evening was the over-caffeinated energy and assured presence all eight members of the band brought to the stage (and sometimes into the crowd). Part stemmed from the carefully considered set list (
Funeral tracks were interspersed throughout and consistently triggered minor explosions of delight). But, most importantly, part sprung from the collective good time everyone seemed to be having.
And as someone naturally reserved about singing and dancing along, even I couldn’t resist joining the raging party.
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