Arcade Fire gave us Everything Now and more at Manchester’s Arena

Jess Watts | 9th April 2018

Canadian eight-piece Arcade Fire returned to Manchester’s arena ready for a total knock-out. Quite literally.

 

With a stage themed as a boxing ring in the middle of the arena, fans could only wonder what Win Butler and co had in store for them. With a boxing style announcement introducing the band, all eight members waltzed through the crowd greeting their fans before clambering onto the stage.

 

As the first few piano notes of Everything Now were struck, the crowd erupted into a euphoric dance. From the offset the crowd were united as the band bounced around the stage to this joyful anthem.

 

With a discography as wide and extensive as Arcade Fire’s, anything is on the cards. Despite the lukewarm reviews from their latest record, Everything Now, the band still incorporated some of the main tracks such as Electric Blue and Put Your Money on Me. Proving that they were still here to defend their title.

 

Taking to the piano on a revolving centre piece, Win Butler stopped the crowd to take a minute to think about all the children in Florida who have fallen victim to the recent gun crime. “This song’s for them, we’re all in this together” Win explained, before introducing The Suburbs. Various members of the crowd took to their feet and wrapped their arms around one another for this ballad.

 

As the song ended the arena echoed with the chorus lines “Sometimes I can’t believe it, I’m moving past the feeling” from each and every audience member. The band stopped and watched the crowd as they swayed in time singing back to the band. A reminder that Arcade Fire truly bring everyone together.

 

The attention turned to Régine Chassagne during Sprawl II. Adorned in a floor length sequin jacket, Régine twirled around the stage as the bright lights reflected off her. The disco beats on this track counteract the heart-breaking lyrics “These days my life, I feel it has no purpose. But late at night the feelings swim to the surface”. Mixing sad and upbeat is something that the band do effortlessly well.

Finishing with Power Out, a loud raucous track from their 2004 debut album Funeral. The band smashed against their instruments as a final push. The end of the track morphed into I Give You Power, a single that the band released early last year. The track appeared to be a continuation of the Neighbourhood family that was seen on the debut album.

 

The band jumped off of the stage amidst a frenzy of spiralling instrumental noises, but the crowd was not ready for their goodbye. The crowd cheered and chanted as the band made their way back onto the stage. But not lead vocalist Win Butler.

 

As the introduction to We Don’t Deserve Love played, Win Butler ventured through the crowd in search for the stage. The longing and searching encompassed in the song reflected Win’s struggle to get to the stage, almost as though his actions were a metaphor for the song.

Thanking the crowd for an amazing night, the band introduced their final song. The infamous guitar riff and drum beat of Wake Up exploded as the audience’s arms flew up into the air. Each member of the crowd shouted back the lyrics as the band poured their last bit of energy into a climatic finish.

 

An explosion of emotion is the only way to describe Arcade Fire. The band took the audience on a journey and their ability to put on a show like no other is always apparent. We might not see them for a while. But we will certainly remember this show.