Is it possible to walk into a crowd of 20,000 people and feel completely isolated? Conductors of crowd studies would probably say yes, although I don't think it takes very long for mob mentality to overrun our circuit protectors and bring us flush up against our brothers and sisters in the heat of the moment. In this case, the moment being one where LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire perform at the oft-disregarded, impersonal amphitheater in the Silicon Valley, and bring everyone into the here and now. Maybe that's less mob mentality and more mass conversion. Whatever happened, I entered into the Arcade Fire show as a casual fan, and left as a devout believer.
LCD Soundsystem are a really tight band and they knock out their grimy disco punk to perfection when they perform live. They also got the best introduction of all time when a thunder cloud struck and a boom louder than all the speakers in the trunks in Miami woke everybody up. Settling into a little rain, they play a flawless set that makes everyone get a bit freaky. It's hard not to get into (and the self-deprecating sentiment within) a song like "North American Scum." And when the Arcade Fire's Win and William Butler join in for the chorus, it gives you a little bit of the warm fuzzies, because you know, they like, care about the opening band and stuff. But James Murphy exists in his own little world anyway, and you can't help but be happy that this guy is fronting this band. He's a record geek in front of group of uber-hipsters and all eyes are pretty much on him. If there was an LCD Soundsystem movie, it would be directed by Judd Apatow.
So, they wrap it up and everyone breaks to go get nachos and churros and $4 bottles of water and $8 beers. You can sit in the onsite bar and watch the show on TV, or you can mosey up to the grass seats and get the extreme view on the jumbo-tron. At this point, it becomes one of those moments that you realize just how special this band is to people. The mass diversity of people on display is pretty striking. Ask me now to define the Arcade Fire fan and I don't know what to say. Um…young and old-ish. Parents. Very hip. Middle-aged. Yuppies. Drunken teens. Drunken drunks. A guy in a wheelchair. A couple of hippies. And several thousand more. The combined roar of which all combine when the band set into "Black Mirror." And they are off and running.
They are standing at least 10 strong, jangling and preening, and laughing and dancing around like silly drama school kids.They are serious and yet not without the expense of fun. The band switch instruments a million times. Regíne Chassagne spins around like a dangerous Natalie Merchant, William Butler runs around so much you wonder if he's going to need his own stage at one point—maybe just a pen to run circles in until he gets tired. As for Win Butler, he's like a 1940s cinema star, all clean jaw lines and tailored finery. The crowd seems to have rehearsed every cue in the music and know in advance when to pump their fists in the air to "Rebellion (Lies)" and when to shout out the vocals. They sound huge and massive and completely and totally important, but they accomplish this without any grandstanding. Although they are teetering on U2/Coldplay territory, they do so without any sweeping gestures or footage of dying Iraqi babies. There is nothing particularly challenging about what the Arcade Fire do, but that's okay, it is still different. It is fascinating. They are a grand folly without the foolishness.
What begins for myself and those around me as a display of pursed lips and nodding heads has, by the encore, turned into a shouting match of "woo-hoos" and hip-swinging. I have seen the power of music enter my body and change my chemical makeup and turn my cynicism into positivity. At this moment, I love everything about the mainstream indie rock explosion and even the godamned "blogosphere" gets a little love from where I'm sitting. Thank you, Mr. Internet. You've finally made a believer out of me.
More on Arcade Fire: www.arcadefire.com
More on LCD Soundsystem: www.lcdsoundsystem.com
