ARCADE FIRE/DAVID BYRNE

[MicheBel]

DAVID BYRNE/ARCADE FIRE

Si*Se
ARCADE FIRE
David Byrne
Extra Action Marching Band
HOLLYWOOD BOWL
KCRW's World Festival
********************************

Going into this concert, I really wasn't expecting much. I groove to David Byrne since the Talking Heads days, so I knew it would be somewhat interesting. I had no idea we'd end up with (LA people on their feet dancing wildly)--not for David Byrne; and a choreographed gangbang--FOR DAVID BYRNE. But I digress. Let's begin at the beguine.

Wondrous KCRW music director Nic Harcourt, nattily dressed, introduces the first band as there is still light around the Hollywood Bowl. Si*Se fits in with the "world beat" concept of the festival. I'd heard them on KCRW, they were good music to file in to.

Only once Arcade Fire came on, did things really get rocking. Now, mind you, I'm pretty sick of "Neighborhood #1" which Indie played to death. They are currently playing "Rebellion (Lies)" to death, but I still like that one. So I didn't really have high hopes for Arcade Fire. They were the path to David Byrne, the headliner. Yet, I'd heard they were "one of the highlights" of Coachella, so...?

MY GOD was my blase opinion changed. Pretty much from the time they entered the stage, and the percussion section started beating on each other. They had cameras on various parts of the stage, and it was obvious from the first song that they were completely inadequate. There was FAR too much going on to capture it in a couple cameras.

In addition to Arcade Fire, the Tosca Strings (soon to play with David Byrne) were playing. All told, there were at least a dozen people on stage. What you could tell immediately were that these were musicians, who really cared about music. But musicians with a lot of life in them, too. Various members jumped around to different instruments: guitar for one song, then drums, then accordion, then vocals.

By about the third song in, I saw something I don't really see much at an LA concert: people wildly dancing in the aisle. This whole middle section was a party of dancing fiends. A woman in front of me moved back and asked me if she could dance next to me. It was just a great vibe.

And when Neighborhood #1 came up, it was GREAT. I loved it. I danced to it. They closed with Rebellion (Lies) and I just didn't want them to go. It had been raucous dancing, people were really jazzed up. It was quite amazing.

Everyone cooled down and got back into that "I'm in LA, and I don't give a fuck" vibe while they were tearing down for David Byrne's set.

Which, truth to tell, was a bit of a letdown. Through most of his set, I kept wishing that Arcade Fire were back on. (And thankfully, he did bring them out for a stunning version of "Home".)

Here's the thing about David Byrne, at least from this concert. His art school roots show. He struts out in a PINK SUIT, I kid you not. With saddle shoes. But he has always been effete and separate from the rest of us, and after the complete inclusion that Arcade Fire presented, it was jarring. A good example was in how he kept himself separate from the audience, throughout. Most performers, if they have an audience who knows their songs, they incorporate that into the show.

David Byrne's Talking Heads songs went over FAR better than his other stuff. And probably the most famous Talking Heads song, the one that every single person in that audience knew the words to was "Psycho Killer".

Does he acknowledge this fact? Bring the audience in? Let them sing along? No, he sings it differently, so it can still be HIS. To me, that felt very distancing. And OOOH, suddenly the stage goes blood red in the middle. Isn't that a cool effect? Well, no, not really. The energy level was dropping, people were still in their seats again.

Then he brought out Arcade Fire, and everyone was dancing. Not as raucously as before, but our energy level was up. Sadly, they only participated in one song.

But Byrne must've known that he doesn't really do a concert like a house afire. So, for the last couple numbers, he brings out a MARCHING BAND. As they were filing through the audience (how hokey!), I mentioned to my friend that Fleetwood Mac had done this first, and better. Well, I was half right.

As the band gets closer, you can see on the monitors that they are preceded by a flag-waving contingent of girls. Beautiful blondes. As they climb onstage, you can see they have very short shorts on. Butt-cheek baring short shorts. Hm. Ok.

They exit, and David and the Marching Band do a Cole Porter song. Reasonably entertaining.

The blondes (girls and guys) return with pom-poms. Black and white pom-poms. They are wearing SKIMPY silver bathing suits. The guys are topless. The girls have mesh, barely covering them. They dance to "Burning Down the House" (perhaps the other most well-known Talking Heads song). They are making a lot of stripper moves suddenly (well, this is LA). And then, they launch into that Beyonce song, "Crazy for You" or whatever it's called. Crazy in Love? The one where she's shaking her booty. David Byrne is covering this.

But by this time, we are so not watching David Byrne in his pink suit. All eyes are on the silver strippers, who are now center stage, rubbing and gyrating. First alone, then together, several girls at once. Then a guy or two joins them. By the end of the song, all the bodies are gyrating on top of each other. All you can see is a huge heap of silver and skin, butts gyrating in the air. Plenty of folk left with their mouths agape after that one.

But it is still Arcade Fire which will linger on in the morning.

[obiwankobe]

Finally getting some respect for my KCRW guys, who light up Dickie's sorry ass show everyday! Nic is far and away the best DJ around here.

[MicheBel]

I absolutely have a lot of respect for Nic Harcourt, and I've heard many a song on his show before on anyone else's. (Course, I only stop listening to Dicky when there are COMMERCIALS on...)

--Miche