Arcade Fire played at the Calgary Saddledome this summer and I was lucky enough to snag floor tickets nearly a year in advance for a front row experience. I knew they are a large band but I was shocked to see 12 people on stage playing so many different instruments from bongos to accordion. The band kicked off the show strong with 'Normal Person' from their latest album Reflector. They didn't waste any time before getting into their older stuff and played 'Rebellion Lies' next. I nearly cried. Rebellion Lies was one of those songs from my youth (junior high to be exact) that first showed me how good music could be. I loved the message to not blindly accept the world but to take action and to not believe people who tell you that you can't do something. This song was the highlight of the show for me. The energy was high throughout the whole show and the songs were a good mix from all of their albums and included a cover of Calgary's Feist's 'I feel it all'. 'Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains)' really stood out to me as one of their best live songs. The band closed with an epic performance of 'Wake Up' dedicated to Robin Williams complete with confetti. Although I am not normally a fan of arena concerts, and the Saddledome's acoustics are far from great, Arcade Fire took advantage of the space and theatrics while staying true to the music resulting in an outstanding performance.
"I need the darkness,
someone please cut the lights."
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