Arcade Fire at Radio City Music Hall

Last night could not have been a better night for me. After arriving at Radio City Music Hall to hear the Highline Festival's very first act, The National, I was granted a gift: a move from my seat in the 3rd mezzanine, second to last row, up to the front row (thanks Tim! I owe you. Hope you aced that Calculus exam). What took place the rest of the evening completely blew my mind.

I was pretty excited about The National - they're garnering a lot of acclaim right now, and sold out their five night residency at Bowery Ballroom at the end of this month quite quickly. Their 2007 release, Boxer, is one of my favorite upcoming releases (May 22), so I was excited to hear they would be opening. I must say, it was a bit of a disappointment. The venue is much, much to large for these guys - the sound and energy just got swallowed up in the abyss. I'm a big fan of Matt Berninger's deep baritone voice, and he brought the intensity as much as he could, but the crowd just never got into it. The highlights for me included "Fake Empire," and "Mr. November." I can't wait for the day I get to see them in a smaller house.

Then came Arcade Fire in all their glory. The 10 members took the stage and I've never felt more energy surrounding me. Every single member of the ensemble was involved in the music. One of the coolest things was the four or five circular screens around the stage which had projections of band member on them - the cameras were located throughout the stage, on mic stands and megaphones. The lighting, the crowd, the band, everything made for an incredible experience. "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" was a definite highlight - Richard Reed Parry and Will Butler spent some time drumming on pretty much anything they could, including motorcycle helmets, and Will's run through the audience brought almost as much excitement as Win's later in the program.

Régine Chassagne probably left the biggest impression on me - while Win and Will were intense, Régine brought a playfulness to the stage. She was easily the most theatrical musician I have seen in quite awhile, and her quirkiness and interaction with the audience brought a smile to my face more than anything else the entire night.

I will say, the only real disappointment on the night was the lack of Bowie. Though I saw him in the wings, he didn't take the stage the way almost everybody expected. I wonder if he was worried about the crowd reaction - Tuesday night at United Palace saw about 150 people rush the stage for the encore, and security was definitely a concern last night. Several people got kicked out after pushing their way to the front (despite Win's encouragement to dance in the aisles and pass security ("What are they gonna do?"). He later apologized, saying "I'm a bad, bad boy."), and if he had come on stage, I thought I might have gotten trampled. Hopefully he'll show up tonight at Air.

Other highlights on the night included "My Body is a Cage," "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)," and "Wake Up," among others.

The Arcade Fire Setlist:
Keep the Car Running
No Cars Go
Haiti
Black Mirror
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
In The Backseat
My Body is a Cage
The Well And The Lighthouse
Ocean of Noise
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)

Intervention
Wake Up

[mp3] The National - "Green Gloves" (Boxer) | Pre-Order

[mp3] Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" (Funeral) | iTunes

[mp3] Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go" (Neon Bible) | iTunes