Scenestar

ARTICLE BY JOY SHI
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MOLINA

DECEMBER 8 | LOS ANGELES—Night two of KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas topped off the annual holiday showcase tonight, ushering 2013’s rising indie-rock acts and world-class supergroups across Shrine Auditorium’s stage, along with an alluring bundle of surprises.

Anticipation for the weekend’s heavyweight headliners, Arcade Fire and Phoenix, permeated the entire evening. But it was well-tempered by a dose of surprise guest performers, including Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith, who was brought out for Portugal. The Man’s near-perfect performance of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” Rapper-personality Riff Raff also took the stage—no questions asked—for a brief two-verse stint during The Neighbourhood’s performance of “Sweater Weather.”

The night was kicked into full-throttle with enticing, energy-filled performances by Atlas Genius and Bastille, whose impressive group-drumming rivaled that of Arcade Fire’s lively bongo outfit. Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums kept the crowd’s spirits high with her upbeat, unbroken shimmying. Capital Cities lived up to their reputation with a jazz-inspired medley, including a cover of Weezer’s “Sweater Song,” a wink at the evening’s unofficial ugly Christmas sweater dress code.

A hush fell over the crowd as this year’s famous mane of brunette curls took the stage. The unparalleled curtain of hair twitched and swayed like one of a sorceress as 17-year-old powerhouse Lorde alternately lulled and pierced the air with her unique voice, performing hits off her debut album Pure Heroine and pulling off a pressurized Kanye West cover of Yeezus’s “Hold My Liquor.” “If you want this last song, you have to pretend like it’s an encore,” Lorde taunted with bemused confidence, before performing “400 Lux.”

Fresh off their European tour, Phoenix coolly ingratiated themselves to L.A. once again, as amiable Thomas Mars swung his crimson-corded mic and punched the air with his knees, tastefully elegant in a testifying rock-affair with the room. With career-affirming fourth studio album Bankrupt! released this year, the French rockers took a leisurely stroll through their history, touching on hits both recent and classic, from “1901” and “Lisztomania” to Bankrupt! singles “Entertainment” and “Chloroform.”

Arcade Fire’s delayed arrival, due to safety-related stage issues, was followed by a parody opening, as a fake band wearing the group’s signature bobblehead masks performed the beginning chords of Funeral’s “Rebellion.”

Then Win Butler’s disembodied voice is heard. “We’re really sorry about that. We’re Arcade Fire. It’s really nice to meet you,” he says as he kicks Arcade Faux off the stage. Butler made every effort to meet with the people, kneeling down to shake hands with audience members during “Normal People.” Régine Chassagne, sporting shimmering red bracelets and flanked by the band’s superhuman bongo players, waved multicolored streamers from behind. As jeweled lights flecked and sparred off the stage, the band alternated between self-deprecating—as the intensely hyped band everyone loved to scrutinize—and their mortally affected, plaintively earnest selves.

Rearranging their instruments and themselves between songs, the focus was never lost on Butler’s literal dramatics, from his sitting, anguished praying man in “Afterlife” to him grooming his bobblehead mask and placing it endearingly on its stand during “Here Comes The Night Time.” Older tracks “Sprawl II,” “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out),” and “My Body Is a Cage” were also performed during the set, and as confetti fell from the ceiling during finale “Wake Up,” Butler called out, “Keep listening to good music; shit’s important!”

Shortly after, as Butler helmed a live DJ set several miles away at Hollywood’s Dirty Laundry, he quelled any hint of satire in his parting words. As a live bongo player accompanied Butler’s iPod selections (including Outkast, Old Dirty Bastard, Beyoncé, and The Jackson 5), guests including Lorde, Crystal Castles, The Naked and Famous, and Fitz and the Tantrums showed up to pay their respects. But it was when Thomas Mars leaned over the DJ booth to extend his sentiments that Butler gave it away. Listening through the sound, he nodded and smiled before lifting Mars’s hand to his lips and kissing it, expressing a look of gratitude that said it all.