By Kevin Quandt //
Arcade Fire performing as “The Reflektors” //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
October 31st, 2013 //
“My Grandfather played here. I can feel his spirit,” Win Butler announced to the packed house as the costumed and formal-dressed band took to the Hollywood Palladium stage to continue their ascension as the most buzzed band in the world.
It was not your typical night in the famed LA venue as the Reflektors would stir up a packed crowd on this night. Though this band normally plays under the moniker of Arcade Fire, the baroque pop was shelved to make way for a world-infused dance party that rivaled the most banging discotheque.
A massive line wrapped comically through a parking lot of stanchions filled with a vast array of costumed and formally dressed revelers, all patiently waiting to get in on the night’s festivities. Dressing up for the night was requested by the band, and the vast majority obliged, which Win would later comment on. In the meantime, the party was underway as soon as the doors opened — the lights stayed down as a mix of the Isley Brothers, James Brown and P-Funk got the crowd lubed up for the ensuing onslaught.
“Reflektor” would open the ruckus evening as the expanded group were revealed behind a large curtain. Win wore a tiger-esque mask for the first song before unmasking. Somewhat surprisingly, they launched into Funeral track, “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)”, which got a great response from the devoted attendees. This was not a show for casual fans, as the tickets were much harder to procure than imagined with such short notice, among other mitigating factors. The next section of songs would be a grand-suite of Reflektor tracks which started with “Flashbulb Eyes” then “Joan of Arc”. It was pretty evident this room had heard the new album more than one or two times in the past week. “We Exist” was another new highlight, as this track is a sublime mix of an infectious dance beat coupled with a slightly more psychedelic take on the already famous Arcade Fire indie-rock sound many have come to love. At this point, the room was boiling as face paint smeared and costume layers were shed and abandoned.
The second half of the show held even more surprises for the moist crowd as “Headlights Look Like Diamonds” was opened with a nod to Lou Reed via a tease of Velvet’s “Beginning to See the Light”. “Normal Person” showed off blazing guitar notes that led to a decent pogo section in the crowd. The temperature rose. Though most in the venue were not alive when the next song was released, Devo’s “Uncontrollable Urge” got a rapturous reply as Win enthusiastically hollered the word ‘yeah’ over and over. A few more degrees were added to the thermometer. Somehow Win caught his breath before telling the crowd that THIS was the time to go crazy, and subsequently launched into dance opus “Here Comes the Night Time”. Conga lines spontaneously sprouted and snaked through the pulsating fans lost in the thick rhythms, and yes, it got even warmer in the Palladium.
An encore, which spotlighted Régine Chassagne, would close out the evening, starting with “Haïti” and then “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”. It did seem a bit odd to end the show with Win stuck in the back of the stage, but it was great to see his lovely bride dance to her heart’s content as we all caught our breath. This would be the end of the live music section, but not the end of the show as the band stuck around for more dancing festivities.
Setlist:
Reflektor
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Flashbulb Eyes
Joan of Arc
You Already Know
We Exist
It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
Afterlife (with The Velvet Underground’s “Beginning to See the Light” outro)
Headlights Look Like Diamonds
Normal Person
Uncontrollable Urge (Devo cover)
Here Comes the Night Time
Encore:
Haïti
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
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