The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

[bearman🐻]

A friend of mine who I was with has been having a really tough time as of late...hates his job, owed a ridiculous amount of money in taxes, etc. etc. etc. He didn't have a very good day yesterday, but by the time he walked out of that show he was on cloud 9. THey are so powerful. I was hoping for a good show, but was pleasantly surprised to get one that was fantastic. Bombay, what did you think of the show? Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye afterwards, I turned around and everyone was kicked out of the venue.

[wxdude]

I agree 100% with the above comments. I was a little dissapointed with Neon Bible, but played live they took it to a new level. And the songs from Funeral were fantastic! First time seeing them and hopefully not the last. I was very impressed with The National too, I may have to buy some of their CD's.

[Bombay Chutney]

I thought they were really, really good.  I don't know  Neon Bible at all, but they convinced me I need it.  The National rocked too.  By the end of their set they definitely had the crowd on their side.
 
 bearman - I'm glad your friend had a good time.  It was pretty obvious, the way he was jumping around.     I saw you right up at the stage.  Slightly jealous, but I can't complain about my seat.  Sorry I didn't hang around long after the show - It looked like you were going to be a while, so I left to hookup with some friends out front.
 
 Great night.

[Here's the thing]

What a show. On the way in, I wasn't quite as hyped-up as I was hoping to be. However, The National was really great. I didn't know anything, and they had me completely hooked and into the show by the middle of the set. I loved the way they won over the crowd, too. The applause grew after every song, and it almost felt like we might get an encore at the end. Really strong songs.
 I thought the Arcade Fire set was even stronger than the 9:30 show. I wasn't expecting that, mainly because of the venue. We had good seats, but they were made better when Wynn invited the crowd down. From that point on, the front of the floor felt like the club, and the energy was incredible. I am really starting to feel that these guys are something special.

[IMAmoose24]

The nationals were pretty good. Arcade Fire was amazing. First time I had ever seen them live. Hope they come back to DC soon.

[eros]

Originally posted by phillidan:
 the front of the floor felt like the club, and the energy was incredible

Exactly what I was thinking.  Win said (to paraphrase) "OK, I'm going to apologize to all the security people now, but everyone come on down to the front.  These people need to fucking dance!"
 
 My only criticism was that it seemed to take a few songs for the sound guys to get everything just right (though this seems to happen at almost every show).  Black Mirror sounded pretty muddy.

[Darth Ed]

Originally posted by eros:
 My only criticism was that it seemed to take a few songs for the sound guys to get everything just right (though this seems to happen at almost every show).  Black Mirror sounded pretty muddy.

Gotta agree there. The sound certainly wasn't flawless at the beginning, levels were way off, and there were several feedback incidents throughout the set. It was sounding pretty good by the end though.
 
 Great, great show though! Lots of great audience energy up front. I was really glad I had my row D seat. It really made a difference. Best DAR show ever (at least for me).
 
 I'm sad I missed the National, but I've seen them before and will see them again (soon even). DAR shows always start earlier than I'd like. I didn't leave work until 7pm. By the time, I got to DAR it was ~8:15. I spent the next half hour or so unsuccessfully trying to sell my extra ticket and missed the whole National set.  

[azaghal1981]

Damn it! I wish I'd looked at this thread sooner. I was thinking about going down and looking for an extra but thought my chances were slim. Hope you were able to get rid of yours.
 

Originally posted by sweetcell:
 
 FYI, Orch row B seat 121 will most probably remain empty tonight.  just sayin'.

[bigyellow100]

that was the most spiritual thing ive ever experienced.  and it was only the second time in my life where something surpassed my expectations.

[allmy$to930]

Originally posted by DarthEd:
 Gotta agree there. The sound certainly wasn't flawless at the beginning, levels were way off, and there were several feedback incidents throughout the set. It was sounding pretty good by the end though.
 
 Great, great show though! Lots of great audience energy up front. I was really glad I had my row D seat. It really made a difference. Best DAR show ever (at least for me).
 
 I'm sad I missed the National, but I've seen them before and will see them again (soon even). DAR shows always start earlier than I'd like. I didn't leave work until 7pm. By the time, I got to DAR it was ~8:15. I spent the next half hour or so unsuccessfully trying to sell my extra ticket and missed the whole National set.        

Ed, were you and a lady friend standing behind the drunk dude reclining on the seat?  
 
 What a brilliant show. I saw them once in a large venue in the UK and this far surpassed that show (not that the other show was bad by any means). The lights/video really added a lot to the experience.

[Staralfur25]

no cars go....live...is.....amazing.

[bearman🐻]

Looking at the setlist, I have to say that the run from "Windowstill" to "Keep the Car Running" was damn near flawless. "The Well and the Lighthouse" is fantastic, "Ocean of Noise" is just unreal. I know I'm in the minority, but I actually prefer Neon Bible to Funeral. It has finally sunk in after seeing them live. Not that Funeral isn't fantastic. But agreed, this band IS something special.

[yohansen5b]

this show fits easily into the top 3 shows i've ever seen.  i have never, ever seen a seated venue that into a rock show.  i was floored at how amazing they worked a room like that.  there was a ton of stuff going on but never once was it distracting.  this was one of the few shows that i consider an 'experience' rather than a concert.  amazing.

[vassego]

Just chiming in in agreement with the kick-ass-ness of that show.  I somehow scored Orch B, 109 after buying seats side stage.  I was really impressed by The National and will try to make it their 9:30 show next month.  The new album is killer.

[Arlette]

Originally posted by bigyellow100:
  that was the most spiritual thing ive ever experienced.  and it was only the second time in my life where something surpassed my expectations.

Exactly.  And I agree with all other posters about how unbelievably awesome this was.  I have friends who couldn't get tickets and I feel bad...I mean I really feel bad for them that they missed this.
 
 This show restored my faith in music.  Arcade Fire is the real deal.  And I was oh so skeptical/cynical of all the hype for the past few years that I robbed myself of seeing them sooner.
 
 I'm so glad to come back here and see so many people who felt the same way.
 
 And yes, I agree with whomever said No Cars Go was the song of the night.  I am still reeling from that.  Just Wow.