Yes, we have declared this week Spoon Week.  But because Arcade Fire had the common sense to have Spoon open for them Tuesday night in San Diego, we will toss off our brief review of Arcade Fire’s show Monday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl.  What can we say about the near universally-loved Arcade Fire that hasn’t been said better before?  Practically zilch.  We are, however, gluttons for marginalia–so off we go.  Again.

Montreal’s Arcade Fire brought their big-top, confetti-cannoned, Barnum & Bailey production to the Santa Barbara Bowl Monday, and throughout there was joy in Sandville.  While we had caught them in 2010 on the Suburbs Tour, we had all waited, seemingly forever, for band and Bowl to stop flirting and finally hook-up.  At last it was unveiled that one of the great live bands would grace our hallowed Santa Barbara Bowl, and there was ecstasy amongst both the cognoscenti and throng.

Anticipation was high on Monday, and many gathered early for the show and were treated to talented and entertaining opening sets from Owen Pallet and Dan Deacon.  But finally it was showtime for the main attraction, and Arcade Fire and their bobbleheaded brigade hit the stage, opening with a curious cover of the Dead Kennedy’s California Uber Alles, the 1980 attack (of sorts) on then-governor Jerry Brown (replete with Win Butler’s Jerry Brown mask–see below).  What goes around comes around, eh?  At song’s end Win Butler properly taunted the half-seated audience to get up out of their seats, and the crowd obliged.  And the band proceeded to pound its way through a series of Reflektor songs, interspersed with confetti and ribbon, and Funeral’s riling Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) and Month of May.  All of the Reflektor songs of course reflect far better live (the Clash/Big Audio Dynamite homage Flashbulb Eyes in particular stood out), but the set really took off when the band downshifted to play the subtly-majestic sounds of the Suburbs.  And thereafter it was a mix of new and old, dominated by rockers (with the needed respite of Ocean of Noise) and capped-off with their much-sung anthems.  And more confetti.  It was a tour de force from a band that has achieved legendary status for their live performances (mention their April Coachella set to any who attended and they will immediately glaze-up in euphoria).  Though Win Butler was the focal point for much of the show, Régine Chassagne added immensely throughout the night with her smiling charm and magnetism, and all 90 members of the entourage performed admirably, each on multiple instruments.  The Bowl crowd ate up and sang back the chill-inducing anthems that set Arcade Fire apart, and especially the older anthems Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), No Cars Go and, of course, their standard night-ending, magnum-opus, Wake Up.  With the crowd singing along fervently and in unison, these Arcade anthems easily fulfilled all expectations and justified the love of the band.

Minor quibble: between the big production and total numbers of people on stage the show can come off as a bit impersonal (the “Arcade Fire Machine“) and perfunctory at times (of course they are at the tail end of their international tour, which never helps).  The band could perhaps connect better with the audience and evince more personality if they performed a song or two where only a few players participated and they focused more on their superb lyrics.  But this minor quibble aside, they are one of our best live bands extant.  Many loved the big production, stage design and artistry, so who are we to quibble?  Then again, that is what we do.

The setlist is at very bottom.

Photos courtesy of Greg Lawler (below unless marked “TW”) and Tad Wagner (above and below where indicated with “TW”).

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