[Live Review] ARCADE FIRE

Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney
Tuesday January 28, 2014 :

Photographer: David Youdell
Reviewer: Shelby Houghton

It’s been six years, two albums and a swag of Grammy awards since Arcade Fire have toured Australia. But fans finally got what they were waiting for as the Canadians returned for a massive Big Day Out sideshow in Sydney. Between confetti cannons, giant bobble heads and front man Win Butler reaching into the crowd to take selfies on random cameras, Arcade Fire proved they have what it takes to win over an arena full of people.

American DJ Diplo warmed the crowd with a mix of heavy bass dance tracks and frenzied light shows on stage. Although it got the floor punters swaying, the support seemed an odd choice – especially with half the crowd in the seated section. But it set the scene for the eclectic mix of songs to come, with new tracks off Reflektor really honing in on the dance vibe.

And so the set kicked off- but not in the usual way. While everyone was waiting for the curtain to rise, a sudden spotlight revealed Régine Chassagne and Will Butler were in the middle of the crowd on a small stage on the side. Win Butler, rocking a shiny gold jacket, started a short version of ‘My Body is a Cage’ before weaving his way through the crowd to the main stage to launch into title track from their new album Reflektor. The curtain dropped and revealed a 10-piece band, including two Haitian bongo players (wearing AUSTRALIA jumpers over their Hawaiian shirts) that made the whole night feel like some Caribbean fiesta.

The performance as a whole really felt like a celebration, a band coming to find themselves after launching in a new, dance-inspired direction with their most recent release. Band members often swapped instruments, and Régine Chassagne looked the part as she danced on stage with streamers during ‘Sprawl II’ and joined the feverish bongo dance in ‘Normal Person’. The first five songs had rolling interludes that made it feel as if a song never ended, with sustained synth notes and guitar chords building anticipation for the next. But it wasn’t until they launched into ‘The Suburbs’ with Win Butler on piano that the crowd really seemed to connect- Win’s haunting lines “sometimes I can’t believe it, I’m moving past the feeling” were echoed by the crowd even after the song had faded out.

From that point on something seemed to shift, and Arcade Fire were commanding the audience. The anthemic ‘No Cars Go’ was full of power, with two drum kits, two violinists and the audience calling ‘HEY!’ in tune, and was followed on by another track off their second album (‘Keep the Car Running’) that showed they were trying to keep old and new fans alike pleased. The bobble heads made famous in their new Reflektor video clip also made an appearance- first in a rendition of ‘Devil Inside’ from INXS that was a treat for their Australian audience, and again in Rebellion (Lies).

A huge cannon firing confetti signalled the end of the set during ‘Here Comes the Night Time’, and the audience exploded into dance as confetti rained down. After a wait of barely a minute or two, they were back on stage for a two-song encore that ended with the euphoric ‘Wake Up’. The whole crowd were pouring their arms toward the stage and chanting along in what only can be described as the biggest connection I’ve ever felt between a band and the audience.

SETLIST:
My Body is a Cage (Partial)
Reflektor
Flashbulb Eyes
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Joan of Arc
The Suburbs
Ocean of Noise
It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
Afterlife
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
No Cars Go
Keep the Car Running
Normal Person Rebellion (Lies)
Devil Inside (INXS Cover)
Here Comes the Night Time
Encore:
Ready to Start
Wake Up