So, the biggest music event of the year rolls around, and I had no tickets. Who would have thought Arcade Fire would be playing Madison Square Garden, and who would've thought they'd actually play sold out shows? I had a chance to see them back in 2007 at Randall's Island. I bought the tickets because I specifically wanted to see LCD Soundsystem, so Arcade Fire was just a bonus. But still living in New Jersey at the time, the commute to the island was HORRENDOUS: there was NJ Transit to the subway to the bus to some walking to another shuttle until I finally arrived at Randall. At the end of the two-hour trip, I was left tired and paranoid that the trip home would be just as awful. So as soon as LCD was over, I high-tailed off the island before Arcade's headlining act. I never regretted that until yesterday.
Being a concert junkie in New York with little money is no easy feat, and as badly as I wanted to go, there is no practical way I can afford MSG ticket prices (and ticket fees too, Ticketbastard) these days. But in an incredible stroke of luck, the AMAZING people at Partners In Health awarded me a pair of tickets to see them. (Partners In Health work to help disadvantaged people around the world, but are right now focused on disaster relief in Haiti. Arcade Fire partnered with them to raise awareness and is also donating a percentage of their ticket sales to Haiti.)
I was beyond thrilled at having the opportunity to attend the show. I had already had the pleasure of having seen both Owen Pallett AND Spoon twice already this year. My boyfriend is a big Final Fantasy fan and I was eager to formally introduce to him the wonders of Spoon. (Seriously, Spoon's semi-secret show at Mercury Lounge is one of the best shows I've ever been to, and there have been many. I feel like nowadays there are so few shows that people can attend where you can drop your guard and gush about how much you love a band to complete strangers instead of trying so hard to seem detached and above it all. Also? Waiting on line for my ticket, I caught a glimpse of the band arriving via cab (BADASS!) and Britt walked so close past me he was within slapping distance. EEEEEEE!!!!)
The day of the Arcade Fire show arrives and I'm jittery with excitement. I'm also anxious because, although I was told my tickets would be held at will call, very often signals get crossed and somebody misses the memo and OOPS! Somebody's shit out of luck. I would've felt much better had the tickets been securely in my hands, but there was nothing I could do but wait. Since we had a bit of time to kill before the show, my boyfriend suggested we head down to MSG early to pick up the tickets and just hang out and read until the show started. Arriving a bit before 5, I head to the will call booth at Madison Square Garden only to be told my tickets were not yet available nor was my name even in the system and to check back in about an hour. An hour passes, still no tickets. I'm trying hard to stay calm, but these are ARCADE FIRE TICKETS hanging in the balance. I didn't know if the woman I had spoken to about the contest would be available, or, being in Boston, if there was anything she could do to help in case my tickets didn't come through. I keep checking at will call only to be rebuffed and told to come back. I was even recommended to speak to the folks at the Partners In Health booth, whom I was sure probably couldn't help me.
Finally, it's 7:55. Showtime's in five minutes. I head to the booth with a heavy heart, expecting the worst news. Against all my sense of pessimism, my tickets are FINALLY here! The cashier, handing over the goods, explains that we're general admission and we'll have to use a different entrance. I thanked him and walked away. Perusing the tickets, I realize that we've got floor tickets. FLOOR TICKETS. TO ARCADE FIRE. I honestly couldn't believe it. My first concert ever was Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden in 1988 and we were way up in the nosebleed seats. My life has never been this good. My boyfriend and I take off running to get to the general admission entrance outside and around the corner.
Just as we arrive, we heard plucks of Owen Pallett's violin. Unfortunately, his set was really short, and instead of his usual clever onstage banter, he just seemed really in awe of the experience. He humbly thanked the audience for coming early to see him, noting that "it's the quality of the fans, not the quantity." Some time later, Britt Daniel takes to the dark stage on his own with nothing but Christmas lights strung around him. Spoon's set starts off with Me and the Bean, then the rest of the band joins him for their cover of The Damned's Love Song. I'll accept that I'll probably never hear Finer Feelings, my favorite Spoon song, live, but I'm in disbelief they didn't even play Don't You Evah. I think Spoon is best suited for more intimate venues, but they knew they had to bring their A-game and put on a great, lively show.
I didn't know what to expect of Arcade Fire before they came on stage. I kind of thought they'd be all stoic and light on the crowd banter and just do a straightforward performance (kind of like Interpol at the Creator's Project: technically great but emotionally boring) because they come off as rather self-serious. Win Butler comes out on stage with a kind of hillbilly farmer haircut and Regine Chassagne wears a glittery dress and dances around like a precocious kid, kind of like those dead-eyed toddlers you see on reality shows about kiddie beauty pageants. But I knew it was serious business when right before (I believe) Neighborhood (Power Out) Win exclaims, "turn around and tell your neighbor to give you some personal space. This is a fucking rock show!" At that point, the audience went completely bonkers, especially in the general admission area, where the threat of a mosh pit is always eminent. My favorite moment of their set had to be Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) for the sheer whimsical quality with which Regine sings. She somehow never manages to be over the top, probably because she earns a lot of respect playing multiple instruments during the show and the song reminded me a bit of the theme song to Neverending Story, which always makes for great nostalgia. The show of the year definitely lived up to the hype, and to those who missed it? Sorry, suckers.
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