Admit One: Arcade Fire at Maurice Richard Arena - 05/13/07

The Arcade Fire have a serious problem. They never seem to be able to not sell out every show they play within minutes of tickets going on sale. Even playing two nights in a row at an arena, every ticket for both shows was spoken for just as fast as when they played at the 300 person-sized Ukrainian Federation a few months back.

I know what you're thinking snobby reader, "They're playing in a 4,500 person venue?! I remember seeing them play in some guy's kitchen! (insert more pretentious anecdotes here)...they're too big now, I hate them". Well...you would be right in noticing that they've gotten more popular. I think it may have had something to do with putting out a very decent new lp and a deluge of exposure in the mainstream (you guys watch SNL, right?).

The band's growth aside, the question that was running through my mind was if the Arcade Fire would be able to bring some level of intimacy to the huge space. Short answer: they pulled it off.
Sure, it was obviously less intimate then seeing them play in a church, or an old theatre (or any of the other various small venues they've played) but throughout the show the band's energy really showed. While they've calmed down some for Neon Bible, it's still the same group of amazingly talented musicians. They definitely added some gloss to their normal show - using neon bars on the front of the stage, video projectors, and a real organ. But even with all the extras Win was still sweating through his shirt, Richard and Will were still running around hitting each other with drum sticks and throwing drums in the air, and Regine was as manic as ever. In fact, after seeing them a handful of times, I can say that this seemed to be the most confident performance I've ever seen them give.

Overall, even with all the douchebaggery that arena shows entail (old people looking grumpy in the audience, people bringing signs in or holding up lighters) it ended up being a lot closer in intimacy to their past shows then I'm sure most people would like to admit.

Photos by Pamela Willis