Saturday night at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Arcade Fire rocked it so hard the place nearly spontaneously combusted and half of Regina was there to witness it. I wish I was kidding.
About halfway through their current tour, the band burst through their set looking alive and with little chit chat. They played a great mix of songs, hitting a few old favourites through a set dominated by tracks from their latest record The Suburbs. Starting with the bitchen rock guitar driven anthem “Wake Up” through to the encore of Neon Bible’s “Keep the Car Running” and “Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)” this band had the entire crowd on their feet for almost 2 hours.
The Credit Union Centre surprised me. Normally the impossible to shake hockey rink feel of shows at the venue is the bane of my existence as a fan. This show however, the band played concert bowl style where only half the stadium was used. The concert bowl shape provided a more intimate feeling to the show.
Opening band, Calexico, rounded the perfect night out, with their horn section appearing with Arcade Fire for “Ocean of Noise”.
This show had it all, from stunning sound, to the high energy performance, it was what one has come to expect from a band like Arcade Fire. They brought a very East Berlin feel to the show and the crowd was right into it. If a chance arises, see this band live. Their performance will take you places their records simply can’t.
Photos by Kim Jay.
