Hype!

pic via BrooklynVegan

There are gonna be tons of reviews for this show up this morning, so I'm gonna keep this quick. The two biggest hyped shows for me this year were Muse in Ireland, and The Arcade Fire last night. And it's hard to live up to the hype. It's Hard Work, as the President says. But with both gigs, they unequivocally exceeded all expectations I had going in. They were probably the two best shows I've seen all year.

So what is there else to say? These guys are a knockout band. Complete silence between songs at a 600 person venue (which I should add, was more crowded last night than ANY sold out show I've seen at Bowery) should be taken as the ultimate courtesy. The kids couldn't wait to hear what was gonna come next. Every song was better than the last, and by the end, nobody wanted to see them stop. Absolutely incredible. It says something that these guys could get the likes of Davie Bowie, David Byrne, and Eric Clapton out of their highfalutin penthouses and down to the Ballroom. They're that good. Or at least the hype was that big, and it's safe to say they didn't let anybody down.

Afterwards, my friend Julia and I went over to The Delancey cause she's in love with Paul Banks, and wanted to get a chance to gawk. Gawked we did as the band milled in and out and around the bar, with throngs of ladies (and gents) following their every step up to the VIP door. Quite a scene...never pegged these guys to be the balls-out rockstars they've become. Gonna see them tonight at Hammerstein, with Calla opening. Can't wait.

Anyway, after a few drinks we left, and walked back up past Bowery, where the band was loading all their instruments into a U-Haul. I spoke to Win Butler for a minute and he told me once they are done touring out west (Steve, find a way to go!) they'll be back in town around February. I predict they'll fill two shows at Irving. For all you slackers out there who missed out this time, pay better attention and get your tickets early!