Last time arcade fire played Bowery Ballroom in 2004 when Funeral came out. Even then they were too big for the room, but these days the Montreal band plays in arenas, so when they went out to their Friday afternoon parties announcing that, surprisingly, they would be playing in the Bowery that night to benefit Ukraine , someone wondered. what show will it be?
With an eye like the cover of their just-announced sixth album WE looming over the crowd, Arcade Fire put on a spectacle in the 575-seat auditorium. There was a light show, which in this case came from Régine Chassant, who had LED pom poms and lasered gloves. Win, Régine and the rest of the band were mostly on top of each other on stage, but they ate intimacy. Their songs really did all the hard work, with their gigantic choruses and moments that had the whole room singing all night long.
Bowery’s set list was much the same as the surprise show they played in New Orleans on Monday, starting with a new song “Age of Anxiety I” and then kicking off some of their most famous and beloved songs: “Ready to Start , “Suburbs”, “District #1 (Tunnels)”, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” and more.
Their encore began with the new single “The Lightning I, II” followed by the twang of “Rebellion (Lies)” and the lengthy “Wake Up” that took the band off stage and into the audience. . From there they led the crowd, Second Line style, out into the street, then across Delancey Street and to the Bowery Underground Station, through which they passed and out again into the street just in front of the Bowery Ballroom.
Photos of the entire P Squared performance are in this post, and the video and setlist are below.
Before the show started, they had an old school pianist and bass player. As people entered, they were given a t-shirt that said “We” and there was another t-shirt at the trading table along with a special 7″ single “Lightning I, II”.
Wristbands for the show were available immediately, one per person and for a fee, after Arcade Fire announced the show on Friday afternoon. The proceeds went to the Ukraine Assistance Fund. They also let in a few people waiting outside on standby.
SET LIST
Age of Unrest I
Ready to start
Suburbs
District #1 (Tunnels)
Generation A
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond the Mountains)
Everything now
Haiti
afterlife
Reflector
Age of Unrest II (Rabbit Hole)
Creature Comfort
Keep your vehicle running
Bis:
Lightning I
Lightning 2
Rebellion (False)
get up