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When Arcade Fire released their album Reflektor last October, I had (yet another) obsessive listening binge for their music. The following November, I had set an alarm and purchased concert tickets as soon as they went on sale (I had hoped for floor tickets, but lower level seats would suffice).
Nine months – 265 days – later I was finally about to see one of my favorite bands play live. I put on my dress and disco ball mask, met up with some friends, and – at long last – walked through the doors of the United Center to see Arcade Fire perform live.
We took our seats. We were still a decent distance away from the stage, but after waiting 9 whole months for this show, I was not about to miss out by being so far back. . . But I had a plan.
So, with lots of contemplation and just a bit of determination, I snuck my way into GA, my friends not far behind me.
Soon enough I found myself about six people back and before I knew it, The Arcade Fire was parading on the outskirts of the crowd and onto the stage, breaking out into ‘Here Come The Night Time.’
I was so excited I could hardly breathe, that is, until I had to belt out all the words with everyone else around me.
One of my all-time favorite moments happened only a couple songs after the opening. When the band started performing ‘Joan of Arc,’ there were technical difficulties with the monitors, and lead singer Win Butler broke out into an impromptu a Capella version of ‘My Body Is A Cage.’ I loved it especially because it was so raw and beautiful as Butler sang a higher pitch than the recorded version.
Soon enough I jammed out to ‘The Suburbs’ immediately followed by ‘The Suburbs (continued)’, singing along to “sometimes I can’t believe it/ I’m moving past the feeling again.”
Toward the end, the band performed ‘Oh Orpheus (It’s Never Over)’ while Régine Chassange stood atop a stage in the center of the audience, surrounded by eerily-dancing skeletons. This was one another of my favorite performances because it largely paid tribute to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Chassange once again proved how amazing she is as she quickly made her way back to the main stage to perform the fans’ favorite ‘Sprawl II’ and I fought back tears knowing how long I waited for this concert that meant so much to me. (Okay, enough with the cheesyness, Sonia).
The band closed with a final last hurrah, performing ‘Wake Up,’ singing “with my lightning bolts a glowing/ I can see where I am going” and I never felt so much love for a band from a crowd before.
This concert was truly an experience I will always remember, and I can’t wait until the next time I can break out my disco ball mask for another Arcade Fire concert in the future. The best is yet to come.
So did anyone else go see the show? Did you want to but couldn’t make it? Let me know your experience in the comments!
-Sonia
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