Review: Arcade Fire at Hyde Park

Time to start getting through my recent business on my blog in chronological order. That starts with a look at the show I went to on June 30th - Arcade Fire at London's legendary Hyde Park! You know, the place that LiveAid was at and massive stars play at every single summer. One of those all-time places that state "you have REALLY made it" if you play a show there. So how as it? Let's look at the show as a whole bit-by-bit.

The Crowd

First off, I have to say the crowd was two things: energetic and massive. No confirmed reports ever came out, but somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 people came to this show (and I was at the front of all of them!). That is the biggest single show I've ever been to, and a far cry from the first show I went to in college (Andrew WK at Club Soda in Spokane with probably 200 or 300 people there).

They brought a ton of energy, and at some points it was really infectious. I for one am not a fan of Mumford & Sons for example, but holy crap, I was hopping up and down and smiling like an idiot the whole time probably because everyone was so into it.

But at the same time, they were a little up and down. Seemingly no one in the audience knew who the first opener was - Owen Pallett - even though he was an occasional member of the band they came for that night as well as the maker of a rather critically acclaimed record himself in 2010 with "Heartland." They were a little disrespectful of him, chatting the whole time and not being particularly groovy towards Beirut either (they were very Brit band centric outside of Arcade Fire).

The Venue

I have to say, for a legendary venue, Hyde Park's sound completely sucks. It was completely off during Owen Pallett's set. It only got slightly better with each progressive band, peaking during Mumford & Sons and kind of getting a little muted during Arcade Fire again. It was a real shame. I've been to tiny clubs that had significantly better sound than it did, but I suppose that's understandable given the size. That said, compared to a similar venue I was at in May (Parc del Forum in Barcelona), its sound was even more putrid.

Which is a shame, because it is a pretty well set up place besides that. Easy to navigate, tons of bathrooms, lots of food options and a generally welcoming place. Plus, it's cool to just be in this massive park sharing a musical experience with everyone. I wanted more from it though.

Owen Pallett

Poor Owen Pallett. I've seen him before (at Coachella 2010) and he is phenomenal live, but with a crowd that did not know who he was and a sound system that was not his friend, he was in a bad position from the start.

That said, he is so talented I was still enraptured by his set. It was just a 30 minute set rife with problems (they had to move all of his gear back because it was raining, so everything was a little off for him), but he still got to play personal favorites like Tryst with Mephistopheles, a song that I find incredibly infectious and impossible not to bop up and down to. Even if I was the only one who enjoyed it, I still really liked his set.

The Vaccines

The less said about these guys, the better. This was the exact opposite of the audience reaction to Owen Pallett. Everyone was going NUTS for these guys and singing along and bopping everywhere, while I was stoic and unimpressed. This is the prototypical "let's get into music so we can score chicks" band if I've ever seen it. Playing robotic 2 minute pop punk anthems designed to get people to move and sing along as if they were some sort of homeless man's version of The Ramones, this band was the first band I've ever not clapped for. They were draining in their boredom inducing. If I did not want to be at the front for Beirut and Arcade Fire, I would have went and sat down and stared at the sky instead.

Maybe the most boring set I have ever seen.

Beirut

Well, it's safe to say that I made an indelible impression on the music fans during this set. As you may or may not know about me, I am a little bit of a fan of Beirut. Part of the triumvirate that make up my favorite bands (along with Sigur Ros and Spoon), every single song Beirut did blew me away that day.

Ranging from tracks from his albums "The Gulag Orkestar" and "The Flying Club Cup" to ones off his EP's and even a slew of tracks from his upcoming release "The Rip Tide," Zach Condon and his merry men played an hour long set covering so many of the high points that make him (them) such a remarkable artist.

And the thing that left the indelible impression on everyone? I sang along to every song from front-to-back, even doing so in a weird impersonation of Condon's voice. I had a lot of people looking at me and smiling when I did it, but I didn't care. Being from Alaska, I don't get to see favorite artists very often, and when I do, you better believe I am going to bring my A game.

One note about Beirut: from what I've heard about "The Rip Tide" (which comes out on August 30th), Condon's influences are still readily apparent, but its like the band has come into their own and created a sound that is an amalgamation of everything they love but distilled into their own thing. When he played Santa Fe off that record, I couldn't help but think "this is the song that is going to make Beirut big." I think this is the year they break out, and man, I can't think of a more deserving group. Especially because they are probably the dorkiest looking band in the world (it's cool though - I can say that because I am dorky!).

Bonus points to Zach for saying that he was actually really scared and nervous for the first few songs. I doubt he's ever played for that many people before. Who could blame him?

Mumford & Sons

Fact: I think Mumford & Sons are painfully boring recorded, and I was dreading this part of the show a little bit because their set was over an hour long.

That said, I had heard a lot of really good buzz about how they are live beforehand, so I was hopeful.

Then they came out and I was like "these guys are ridiculous looking." Hope crushed a little bit.

But then they started playing...

Oh my god, they have absolutely no right being as fun as they are live. Where did that come from? As soon as they started, they had the entire audience singing along and dancing and hopping and just eating out of their hands. And I was one of them. It was that good.

Sometimes live bands can just completely control an audience. It's a gift that far too few artists have (The Flaming Lips are a great example), but Mumford & Sons definitely have that. While I didn't know the majority of what they played and while I still don't like their record (I tried), I can say this: this is a fantastic live band that seems to be filled with incredibly genuine and cool people. And talented.

Arcade Fire

First, the setlist!

Ready to Start
Wake Up
No Cars Go
Haïti
Intervention
Rococo
Speaking in Tongues
Crown of Love
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Month of May
Rebellion (Lies)
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
We Used to Wait
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

Encore:
Keep the Car Running
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

I think it is hard to dispute that Arcade Fire is the biggest rock band to come around in the past decade or so. Their progression from critically acclaimed art rock band to rock gods has been a really interesting thing to watch, but it's deserved. The band seems to be both ridiculously talented (watching them on stage as everyone switches instruments on every song is a sight to behold) and good people (regardless of their desire to take photos with fans), and it is good to see someone like that achieve commercial success in an era where commercial success is rarely tied to actual talent.

From the time they went on stage to the time they left, Arcade Fire carried themselves like they were the biggest rock stars in the world. And for that night, they absolutely were, tearing through tracks on all three of their albums and nailing each and every one of them. They even exhibited spontaneity, moving showstopper track Wake Up from the end of their set to the beginning on the fly simply because they wanted to see everyone in the crowd as they exploded with energy. And by god, we did. That was an all-time song for me, as I belted out all of the lyrics and pushed and hopped with the rest of the audience. Just incredible.

One thing I really love about the band though is just how wholly they carry themselves as true rock stars. They don't trash hotel rooms. They don't have drinking problems. But what they do is use their music to call out those who are wronging society, as Win Butler readily used his voice to bring attention to the businessmen who have been buying up property around Hyde Park and then pushing the government to create noise controls in the park (thus causing Arcade Fire to have to tone down their sound). A lot of rock stars simply become that just so they can fill their addiction of the month, but Arcade Fire actually stands up for the people and does good things (see their work in Haiti) instead of just resting on their laurels. It's refreshing to see that.

I have to give some props just to their energy on stage though. And by that I mean Will Butler. Will was maybe the most entertaining member of any band I've ever seen, running around like a wild man the whole set, zigging when everyone else in the band zags just because he feels the music so much. It was incredible to see him going completely wild up their, being as impassioned by the music as he was the first time I saw him on Conan O'Brien performing Laika with the band, using his mate's helmet as a percussion instrument.

That's the thing about these guys: they aren't just big names. They are incredible performers, talented, energetic and putting on a real show for everyone. Not everyone gives you that, but I can say wholeheartedly that Arcade Fire is someone that you won't need to fear being ripped off by.

And there is something simply wonderful about that.

Wake Up

"Why are you coming to the United Kingdom," the woman at passport control in Paris' Gare du Nord train station asked. I'm headed to London for the last stretch of my Europe trip on a Eurostar train.

In typical David fashion, I gave an overly explained answer that shared that I was visiting my friend's parents, I was on holiday, and that I was coming for a concert (amongst other things).

"Oh really? What concert?"

This part I had covered. "Arcade Fire!" I say with a boom and an upwards rising left fist, for no reason in particular.

"Hmm. Well, don't freak out but they came in right before you." she said, clearly expecting that I would in fact freak out.

"Oh my god, what really where?! Through here? Were they Canadian? Did they say they were Arcade Fire?!" I love living up to expectations.

She laughs. "I knew I shouldn't have mentioned this. Yes they were Canadian. Yes they said they were Arcade...whatever." She was clearly less impressed.

"Wow. Sorry, I have a weird idol worship thing with people I respect. And I REALLY like Arcade Fire." I say, hoping to come across as charming, not as a creepy weirdo.

"Clearly." she says with a laugh. "Well enjoy the concert, and hey, you'll see them there!" She stamps my passport and sends me off.

"It's not the same." Cue Charlie Brown sad walk, George Michael style.

Sigh...oh well. No meeting Arcade Fire and taking a picture with them for my world trip scrapbook. No big deal. I don't ca...OH MY GOD IT'S ARCADE FIRE!

There they are. Crafters of one of my all-time favorite albums (Funeral), creators of 2010's Grammy winner for Best Album (The Suburbs), and world renowned budding rock gods. And there they are!

Cue myself frantically digging my camera out and rapidly going through an internal debate as to whether or not I should go talk to them. I think "Wayne Coyne!" and go for it, even though I am crazy nervous (meeting someone mildly famous for me is like a crazy religious person meeting Jesus. And Arcade Fire is more than mildly famous).

"Hey, are you guys Arcade Fire?" I say to the group of 15 or so people who, amongst their number, are clearly Arcade Fire.

"Yeah man. I'm Will!" says the guy closest to me. Will Butler, multi-instrumentalist and lead singer Win Butler's brother.

I chat with Will for a bit. I mention my world trip, that I'm from Alaska and that the only part of my Europe trip I had planned was seeing their show in Hyde Park. I survive this, but I am probably acting like a person who is asking a girl on a first date.

"That's great. We're really excited for the show too."

"Hey, could I get a picture with you guys? I totally understand if you're not down, but I figured I would ask." I look around and see Regine, the other singer and multi-instrumentalist as well as Win Butler's wife. She looks extremely unenthusiastic, potentially attempting to use Superman-esque heat vision to decapitate me.

Their manager, or who I assume is their manager, informs me that they are on their morning routine so no pictures. While I am unsure as to what that is, I just say "Oh. Alright. I totally understand."

Will says "Yeah, we are just kind of relaxing. But hey, enjoy the show!"

Sigh...no picture for my world trip scrapbook. I say thanks and scatter nervously, standing in a line to buy a sandwich at a nearby shop while refocusing my chi. That's a bit of a bummer.

Then I think "hey! I had a conversation with a member of Arcade Fire! That's personal growth!" I smile to myself and hold myself high. 

This trip just keeps on getting better.

And that is how I met the band I am seeing with 80,000 other people tomorrow in Hyde Park.

Music of the day: Arcade Fire's "Funeral" (of course)

Le Cinema

It seems to me that the entirety of Europe is raining simultaneously.

Okay, that may be a little far fetched, but at the very least the whole of Holland is. Having spent the past four nights in Holland (split evenly between Amsterdam and Den Haag - aka The Hague), it has been raining for nearly the entirety of it.

That of course does not mean that I have been having a bad time at all. Amsterdam is a beautiful and remarkably interesting place. And I don't just mean that in a "holy crap, marijuana is legalized here AND you can window shop prostitutes?!" sort of way. I mean it is a place that is the home of Van Gogh, of canals that out-distance Venice's acclaimed offerings, of delicious South American fusion food, and of unique and surprising artistic offerings (from street art to architecture to music). It is an amazing place. Plus, it has awesome shops! I got a cool new t-shirt! Yeah!

Den Haag is maybe not as interesting on the surface, but it is a great place to lie low during the rain. Mostly because they have absurdly great movie theaters put on by Pathe! Pathe! is a diverse company, but I knew them as a film production outfit who put out a slew of movies that include Slumdog Millionaire and The Illusionist. They also apparently have made movie theaters in Holland, and they are phenomenal. Comfy seating, top class food, fantastic sound and screen, and a great blend of commercial and critical hits.

With the rain, I decided to do back-to-back nights and movies and to quote Eminem, it feels so good to be back. I missed movies.

Here is a good analogy for you about my return to movies that of course involves food. You know how if you do not eat for a long time and then have anything at all, even if it is Jack in the Box tacos, it tastes like gourmet cuisine? Well, going to the movie theater didn't feel like that, it felt like CINEMA!!! (note: cinema must be said loudly while wildly gesturing with one - and only one - arm)

The first night watching X-Men: First Class (a movie I am going to obviously enjoy given my hardcore X love) felt like I was watching The Goonies again for the first time. If someone came in and told me that Natalie Portman was outside waiting for me with a billion dollars and a ring to propose to me, I would calmly turn and shush them, as if to simply say "I am trying to get my cinema on here!" To say I enjoyed it is understating it entirely.

I watch a lot of movies at home, and I had only seen one first-run movie in theaters in the past 3.5 months of my trip (Thor in London when I was half asleep). At first I didn't want to, and then I pretty much couldn't. Very few places offer OV (original voice) showings, but The Netherlands are (is?) all about it (thank you Dutch folk for speaking a language minor enough that Hollywood doesn't offer dubs for you!!!). And I intended to take advantage of it with the rain.

Mission accomplished.

Note: the other movie I saw was Bad Teacher. Not a great movie by any means. Not even a good movie. But a passable one that still felt nice to sit in, and I will support anything with Jason Segel.

Music of the day: Royskopp's "Junior"

Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife

One month from today I begin my journey back to Anchorage from the similarly chilly land of Reykjavik, Iceland. If you know what is good for you, I highly suggest stockpiling on foods from Middle Way Cafe, Snow City Cafe and Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. Why?

Because I am going to eat EVERYTHING they have.

Note: comments seem to be working again.

Music of the day: Gregory Alan Isakov

My Kung Fu is Strong

One thing I have started to notice lately (and you may strongly disagree with) is that my mind has been firing on all cylinders and that it is coming out strongly in my writing.

Granted, I am not doing a ton of writing for my travel blog, but I have been throwing down some quality work for the comic blog I love to write for - Multiversity Comics.

I find that ideas are coming faster, coming together better, and that I am approaching things from a different and more fresh angle typically. There are a lot of different considerations that could factor into this occurring (or at least into causing me to believe it is), but I think the glaringly obvious one is that this trip has been really, really good for my state of mind.

I find that my mind has been sharper, that any stress or hindrances that have impacted me have melted away, and that overall I am in a really good place mentally.

I think another one of the interesting things that this trip has done for me along those lines has been positively impacting my speech patterns.

Before I left, I would have a tendency to want to get everything I wanted to say out in as quick of a fashion as possible, which would lead me to trip up on my words and sound like I have a speech impediment of sorts. One time, I even remember a rep from Bloomberg I happened to be driving around Anchorage for work had told me that I was like him and that I needed to learn how to "choke my motor" when I speak.

These days though, I believe my motor has been choked. Because I have spent so long working with people who do not speak English as their primary language, their ongoing requests for me to "speak slower" and "speak more clearly" have led me to a point where I have good rhythm and better enunciation in my speech.

I look back at Ryi in Tokyo as a very positive influence. She is the woman who guided me around Tokyo for an afternoon after we accidentally shared a lunch of sashimi, and having not spoken English in 20 years, she required training wheels of sort that could be provided by me altering how I speak.

Since then, I've continued that on throughout other countries to the benefit of myself.

This really came to mind when I was in Munich for a night. I was in my 6 bed dorm in my hostel for the night (the excellent Wombats City Hostel there), and I was surfing the web on my iPad and having a conversation with a woman from Manchester by way of Portugal (which is a lovely accent if you ever get the chance to hear it).

She informed me that I spoke in a very "posh" manner. Only knowing Posh Spice and not the definition of this very British colloquialism, I was a little taken aback. Some time later, I asked her what she meant by that.

"You speak in a very good measure and you enunciate every word as if they all matter to you. I say posh because typically only important people and royalty speak like that."

So that is a pretty cool class of people to be associated with. In that regard, I guess I don't mind being called posh.

Music of the day: The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme (excellent record)

Ich Bin Ein Berlin

Even though I spent only three nights there, I think I am safe to say that Berlin is one of my favorite cities in the world.

Really.

It is a vibrant city that never really seems to take plays out, always getting up early, staying up late, and going all in for every minute in between. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of Portland, my favorite American city, except you can replace all examples of irony with sincerity.

What I am speaking of there is both are similarly hip places with the hipsters that go with that, but, unlike Portland, you never get the feeling that this Berlin is doing it for the Pantomime Theater. People ride bikes, they have facial hair, they wear disgustingly hip clothes, they are squatters, they are artists, they use mass transit, they embrace music, but none of those things because they feel like it is a role they need to play. Rather, it is simply because it is what they do and who they are, and effortlessly so.

Note: I love Portland. Don't get me wrong. But a lot of people in Portland try WAY too hard.

I love the way you can look at rooftops and see things like the "1UP" tag, indicating that it is part of the street art enclave "One Unified Power" and that what they are doing is CRAZY dangerous and that a 1UP from Super Mario Bros. would be really nice right about then.

I love that when you walk around, you can see half finished pieces of art on walls, satellite dishes adorned with family photos, and cafes with interiors and exteriors brightened with beautiful art. In Berlin, an artist's canvas is wherever they are and wherever they want.

I love that the people are incredibly friendly, that they perform (juggling, magic, etc.) for people in traffic, that they are seemingly welcoming of every culture, and that they each have their own dreams that they work tirelessly to accomplish.

Some people may walk the streets and see graffiti and illustrations all over the walls and think "man, this place makes Compton look clean" but to me, I see this as a place that people can go and be themselves and feel as if they are part of a society that is accepting of who and what you are.

It is a remarkable place. It is a huge place. It is a inexpensive yet poor place. It is a place of great history.

It is pretty freaking awesome, all in all, and a fantastic addition to my ever growing list of "European cities I would love to call home."

I'm only sad that I had just three days to call it that.

Music of the day: Dubstep, whatever you've got

The Old Clippership Captain

I have to say, while traveling you meet people of all walks of life in hostels. Sometimes the incredibly interesting (the Iraqi gentleman who helped teach me cricket in a bar in Sydney), the immediately awesome (Ben + Alyssa in Siena, Sergio in Interlaken), the oddly anti-social (I am looking at you French guy in Christchurch), the freakishly smart (18 year old British girl in Paihia, New Zealand), the well traveled (Lance from Toronto), or even the people who just live in the hostel (the always missing Chinese man in Sydney).

There is a huge list of types I've met, but lately I've been running into more and more of one type.

Americans.

And not cool Americans like Ben, Alyssa and Sergio. Especially in Prague, it was filled with the worst of the worst in American stereotypes abroad. Running into Americans is typically a blast because you immediately have a connection and a sense of comfort even if they seem crazy and violent ("whoa...what's with the knife?! Oh, you're American? Cool...what part?"). Not that the sort of thing has happened to me, I'm just saying they are easier for me to connect to immediately.

But every once in a while you run into those cliches and stuffy jerk faces that you run into anywhere in the US, and it makes you just want to die. Mostly because what they say. Thankfully, I have been cataloguing quotes from them in my head, so I can share my misery with you!

- "That was a good story man. You're a good storyteller. Typically I walk into a room and I take over a room with my storytelling - because I'm a writer - but you aren't bad." ~ Ridiculous guy in his 30's from Seattle who constantly dropped F-bombs and clearly thought he was the bees knees - I can only assume that wasn't Facebook he was on but his manuscript for the next great American novel.

- "I'm an alcoholic, and proud to be. I went to AA once, but that place is gay and not for me." ~ 20 year old guy from San Francisco (he will return)

- "Traveling isn't hard for me, mostly because I've been homeless for the last four years." ~ Another WTF gem from San Fran

- "I make $125,000 a year selling medicinal marijuana. I got the license for it when I was 12 because my grandma had cancer. That was good for my growing business." ~ Perhaps the crown jewel of San Fran's list (and there could be many, many more)

- "I don't own a TV. Don't get me wrong, I love Arrested Development and things like that, but why should I own a TV? It's just wrong to own a TV." ~ From my Prague nemesis who was from Colorado (I am assuming by way of Portland). He also had a tattoo of lips on his neck, as if he is a white hipster Kenyon Martin.

- "If I didn't have to book hostels, I would never be on the internet." ~ Prague nemesis who happened to be wearing a Threadless shirt (no TV and no internet? Who are you kidding at this point?)

- "Breathing is bad for the environment because of my own CO2 emissions. I don't do it because it isn't green." ~ From the Prague nemesis (okay, that one was made up, but it made sense)

- "I travel for a living. It's just good for the soul." - Pranemesis, and I wish that one was made up. Note: he also had been traveling for three weeks and he only had a week left. So evidently he likes unemployment.

- "Traveling has been so awesome. So many good pub crawls, so many good nights out. I don't remember a lot of them, but man, I will never forget them." ~ Maybe Pranemesis' top one, but a sentiment echoed by a lot of travelers. I can only assume he was drunk when he said that...at breakfast.

- "I have no idea why so many people go to Paris or Berlin. You know what is great? Krakow. Great pub crawls." ~ Pranemesis, trying to kill me with his indie sentiments of traveling. Accusations of cities being too mainstream are mind benders to me.

Those are some of my favorites. People watching has become people listening, because even if I am not in a conversation I try to listen in because you never know who is going to drop the next ridiculous truth bomb (because the only person more nuts and frustrating than Pranemesis is probably Charlie Sheen).

Lately, some of these people have made me openly wonder about myself...is it possible that I am the weird one? Should I be, in the immortal words of Max Fischer, trying harder to get drunk and score chicks?

I like to think not. As his dad - Bert - says in response, he's just married to the sea.

I guess I've been out to sea for a long time now, and I don't understand how people on land work anymore.

Music of the day: The Faces - "Oo La La"