ARTICLE BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MTV IGGY
OCTOBER 29 | HOLLYWOOD—After an incredibly low-key announcement on Twitter regarding the band’s new album, Arcade Fire created quite a spectacle tonight in Hollywood to celebrate the release of Reflektor. Held in conjunction with MTV Iggy and Intel’s Music Experiment 2.0, tonight’s show was free, but fans had to win admittance by participating in social media challenges, such as creating Reflektor-inspired art pieces. In addition, attendees were encouraged to wear Reflektor-themed ensembles, many of which featured shattered CD pieces. As for the venue itself, a stage 30-feet high with shiny silver streamers was erected right in front of the Capitol Records building. The stage could be seen from blocks away, permitting those unable to win the contest the chance to still enjoy the concert.
Before the show began, the large Arcade Fire heads featured in the “Reflektor” music video were seen at the top of the Capitol Records building, waving to the audience. Shortly thereafter, Arcade Fire took the stage, opening with first single “Reflektor.” Although still fairly new, the song was familiar to many in the audience, who danced and sang along. The influence of producer James Murphy can be heard in the song’s disco-laced dance beats, and the charming vocal pairing of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne adds to its catchiness.
As expected, most of the set list featured songs from the new album—the band even adopted the name of the album for this promotional push. “We’re called The Reflektors, but you can call us Arcade Fire,” Win Butler said. He then joked, “I hope you didn’t have to jump through too many hoops to get here. We have all your personal information now.”
Before performing “Afterlife,” Win somberly said, “I’d like to dedicate this song to Lou Reed,” in reference to the musician’s death days earlier. The night before, the band had covered Lou Reed songs “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love” at a private KCRW concert.
As the night started to wind down, the band performed Funeral track “Haiti.”
“We wouldn’t have been able to make this album without the country of Haiti,” explained Win. Haiti, the birthplace of Régine’s parents, was cited as the inspiration for Reflektor, and funds from this Arcade Fire tour will go toward Partners in Health in its efforts to rebuild the country. “Haiti” then segued to new song “Here Comes the Night Time.” It was a fitting transition, because “Here Comes the Night Time” was inspired by the time the band spent in Haiti during their last tour. When the song reached its instrumental crescendo, a flurry of silver confetti was blown into the air, blanketing the sky and the crowd. It was an amazing visual effect, particularly against the backdrop of the iconic Capitol Records building, which was aglow in various colors.
Before ending the set with Funeral classic “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out),” Win marveled, “I woke up and I was on top of a building in Los Angeles!” He then said with heartfelt sincerity, “Thank you so much for supporting our band. It has been a memorable night.” The audience responded with enthusiastic cheers. Clearly, it was memorable for everyone involved.
Arcade Fire will perform at the Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 31 as “The Reflektors.”
Set List
Reflektor
Flashbulb Eyes
Afterlife
It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus)
We Exist
You Already Know
Normal Person
Haiti
Here Comes the Night Time
Encore
Supersymmetry
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
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