Being Nikhil for a few hours.

The title of this post probably makes no sense to you, but I would like to thank Nikhil for letting me be him for a night.

Okay, I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about Arcade Fire. Even when not on tour, they're mentioned regularly in blogs and the like. But you know what? It's all deserved.

Last night I was able to catch the band in Cleveland at the Obama rally and I can say that it was the single best concert I've ever seen. Even minus two members and most of those who tour with them, this band was able to put on the greatest show I've seen. I honestly don't care if I sound like a giddy fanboy, but there's no band that I've seen that even compares to them live.

The one thing I can't get over about the show was the setting. Maybe not everyone was aware of this (though I think most were), but Arcade Fire doesn't typically play at small intimate venues like the Beachland Ballroom anymore. I have no idea what the capacity of the venue is, but it has to be around 400 (and that's probably an overestimate). This is a band that is able to sell 25,000 tickets to a show (with the help of a few other bands). Simply said, they're too big for that venue. Which might be why the band played two shows that night.

Okay, I've written and deleted about four different tries at a paragraph now. I feel a good review should actually enhance your experience if you were there, or at least give you the ability to relate to the event. But I don't think that there is a way to sum up the feelings of a crowd all singing "Wake Up" or give someone a sense of the energy you feel as they transition from "Power Out" to "Rebellion." Even while leaving the venue there's that energy. Everywhere you see smiling faces, or people talking about a specific moment during the show. Everyone in the venue experienced the same thing and were subsequently moved by it. You realize that it wasn't just some fluke that you enjoyed the show, everyone else did too. And this only adds to your experience, knowing that every person not only got to see something that good, but were able to take part.


Obviously, not everyone enjoyed this show. I'm sure there was some soulless, sad being hating every minute of it. But we're not worried about one person, are we? They probably aren't reading this, while the people who got back in line to see the second show are.

Arcade Fire - In the Backseat