Night after night last week, Montreal’s musical groundbreakers the Arcade Fire ignited Judson Memorial Church with their subversive symphony – created by multi-instrumental members Win Butler, his wife Regine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler (Win’s younger brother), Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld, Jeremy Gara and Owen Pallett.
With its distant ceilings balanced by a close-knit crowd surrounding the stage, Judson Memorial Church was the perfect venue to see a band like Arcade Fire. The acoustics of the room gave their complex songs a crisp, ripened edge while the traditional interior contrasted their mercurial presence and complimented the title of their new album Neon Bible, which hits stores March 6th.
Arcade Fire’s persona is captivating in its uniqueness. Win Butler’s boy-next-door charm paired with his intense guitar and vocal delivery and Regine Chassagne’s quirky, borderline goth fashion coupled with her dreamy voice and adorable dance moves stole my attention from the moment their first song filled the church. The other members were an irreplaceable added bonus, as each one had such an expressive, significant affect on the band’s large, collective stage presence.
The show kicked off with the ominous indie hoedown “Keep The Car Running” from Neon Bible, and led to more familiar favorites such as the ooh-ooh dance ballad “Power Out.” Win Butler also debuted some new down-tempo songs. At this point in their set, like an emotional sponge, the audience absorbed each and every poignant lyric as it left Butler’s lips.
The aspect of the Arcade Fire’s live performance that shined above all was how in sync each member of the large group was with one another. The musician-to-musician dynamic seemed to go beyond a professional bond, as the entire show was few in its flaws. The shift from angelic-meets-grungy grooves to signature upbeat builds and abrupt tempo changes was characteristically Arcade Fire and each member maintained genuine smiles and released sporadic laughs throughout the set.
An unparalleled good time was had by the audience as well as the band.
Arcade Fire ended their streak of five sold out NYC performances at Judson Memorial Church over the weekend with a final show on Saturday, February 17.
