Chicagoist: Divinity and Humanity

David Buckna

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:38:32 -0600

Arcade Fire: A Neon Bible Study By David Buckna (www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030103.htm)

David Buckna

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:37:24 -0600

Arcade Fire: A Neon Bible Study By David Buckna (www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030103.htm)

Lisa

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:13:17 -0600

Last night's show was absolutely amazing. absofuckinglutely amazing.

Yorkie

Mon, 21 May 2007 17:59:49 -0600

Radiohead not do anything for the last 3 years? Didn't they play a couple of shows at The Auditorium last summer as well as Bonnaroo?

Mr. Smith

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:47:17 -0600

That is a blatant falsehood. He's usually in the shower.

thundercougarfalconbird

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:00:28 -0600

Dude, I like Arcade Fire too, but this review makes it sound like you put "Funeral" on repeat and pleasure yourself in the bathtub for hours. Calm down...

Bill V

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:25:28 -0600

Loved the show on Sunday, it had just about everything. If not the best live act, certainly way, way up there.

tankboy

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:23:47 -0600

Steve, the review applies to Friday's show, I'm sorry partons Saturday night took away from your enjoyment of the band. Racahel, yes, I'm serious. Willie P, right on! Jim, thanks.

alskfdjkl

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:02:48 -0600

oh hey also, 4th paragraph, "sting players" should read "string players," i'm guessing. No, actually they had Pato Margetic, Rudy Glenn, and Karl Heinz-Granitza dressed in drag. It was sweet!

tankboy

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:57:24 -0600

radiohead. all the intensity and craftsmanship of an arcade fire show without the gooey self-righteous residue. Were Radiohead touring today, or if they'd even been publicly active in the last three years I might be inclined to agree with you ... but in my opinion they're not in the running until they start touring again.

Jim

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:45:22 -0600

Divinity and Humanity, indeed! Bravo my well-versed blogger. You've truly captured how one indie band can change the course of a human life. Even Carlo Collodi would have appreciated your reference to show the life the Arcade Fire infuses into all of us. Keep on blogging for the sake of all of us!

erin

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:35:10 -0600

radiohead. all the intensity and craftsmanship of an arcade fire show without the gooey self-righteous residue.

Rachael

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:31:08 -0600

"No other band brings together such a disparate crowd with their tales of religious abandon and human sadness that, inexplicably, end up being incredibly moving statements that attest to the affirmation of the struggle of getting through life on this planet." "...even then we'd be willing to bet our souls that Arcade Fire's live show would breathe life into even the most stubborn Pinocchio." WTF??? I can handle the occasional pitchfork review, but are you serious?

Steve

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:28:56 -0600

Dear Chicagoist, You have proven again why I can no longer count on you for anything of substance. I was at Saturday's show, but I thought the performance was just expectedly entertaining. Perhaps, it's because I've seen them twice before. Maybe because I finally realized how popular the band has grown. While Saturday evening I was only graced with one encore, I got to enjoy at least twenty trixies crying because they did not play their beloved "Wake Up." And though I am happy for the band's success, I can't help but wonder if these fans will eventually fade away. Perfect example being Pearl Jam's debut. Will Chicagoist still be listening to Arcade Fire eight albums down the line? I should be glad you had a religious experience with the divine, but your review reads too much like a trip to the emotional thesaurus for me to even care.

Willie P

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:10:53 -0600

Outstanding show. I too noticed the absence of "Wake Up" on Friday night and I was wondering if they would pop up in the lobby and play. Glad that didn't happen as I would have regretted not hanging around. There was a number of people who left our row in the balcony at the end of the first encore, only to return for the second. The cretins.... My only criticism of the show is I would have gladly hung around for another hour if they kept playing. Beautifully intense performance by a talented band.

martin

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:56:17 -0600

I must disagree. Simply put, (in my opinion) Sigur Ros is "the best live band touring today." If you saw them on their Takk tour you'd know my point of reference. That's not to say the Arcade Fire are not one of the best - as you began to say before correcting yourself. They have all the elements - with their layers of composition and the lead singers amazing voice, and on stage their percussionists werestling each other to the ground while banging on anything that makes a sound - but some of their songs are a bit lackluster (say some of Neon Bible, ahem) providing their set with too many drawn out slow moments really lacking in energy. I want to be captivated from start to finish and Arcade Fire don't quite do that yet. But even at the $40 price tag, they're still worth the price of admission.

Jeff

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:50:38 -0600

Since we seem to be on a copy-editing kick today, it should read "through more than 90 minutes."

tankboy

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:23:39 -0600

nate, thanks for catching those boo-boos. doppler, they had a big ol' organ on the stage, howwever the tones from the organ apparently didn't mesh well with being micced, because that tune was the only time I personally noticed any sound problems. quack, HAHAHAHAHA! Stephanie, they opened with "Wake Up!"? Dang! I knew I should have gone Sunday too! monkey, don;t blame our copy editor for not catching my boo-boos so early on a Monday ... but thanks for pointing them out!

monkey

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:18:37 -0600

there were only two encores. you've got it right below but not above. sheesh. you kids copyedit around the chicagoist offices or what?

Stephanie

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:07:04 -0600

I was slightly disappointed, because I saw them two years ago and they had done so much more in terms of stage theatrics back then. That is not to say I wasn't completely blown away by Friday's performance, so much so that I ended up getting a last-minute ticket to Sunday night as well (definitely worth it... they opened with Wake Up!). Friday night I was sitting next to a father and son. The son had to have been maybe 12 or 13 years old, and both father and son knew every word to every song. The entire experience was incredible.

nate

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:57:28 -0600

oh hey also, 4th paragraph, "sting players" should read "string players," i'm guessing.

quack

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:37:23 -0600

sissy

doppler

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:35:33 -0600

How was Intervention live? How'd they replicate that organ? That song blows me away every time...

nate

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:13:51 -0600

Second paragraph: the "F" in Fire needs to be capitalized.