photo credit: 88 miles west

“Good evening, Woodlands. It’s good to be home.”

Okay, let’s stop right there. In the first words uttered by Win Butler, we had either breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that Arcade Fire, as begrudging as they can be toward their dusty Texan roots, were actually feeling pretty good about returning home (something they haven’t done since a headlining gig at Fat Cat’s – max capacity 130), or were directly lied to, by the straight-faced frontman of the band who took home the album of the year at this year’s Grammy’s.

Hit the jump for the recap.

– sunbear


photo credit: 88 miles west

Arcade Fire have made no secret of their loathing for their hometown, both in person and in song. Not since Springsteen (a common comparison) has a band wanted to pack it up and get the fuck outta dodge, however strong its small town gravity can be. Just two nights ago at the Dallas gig, Butler was all too eager to call Houston “depressing” – and Arcade Fire’s not one to stir up inner-state rivalries.

Yet, last night at The Woodlands’ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, there wasn’t a hint of reluctance or resistance by the band to bring Houston one of its greatest rock shows of recent memory. In fact, Butler had but one qualification: “Let’s make a deal: We play our asses off and you meet us halfway.” Oh, we more than did that, Mr. Butler.

Austin natives Explosions in the Sky made their return to Houston, last headlining a mesmerizing set at the inaugural Summerfest. As direct support slot for the Arcade Fire, the band didn’t have to live up to the crazy expectations of that performance, but rather, just do them: be damned incendiary all the time. Crafting landscapes of lush melancholia, the band’s hour-long set played out like an orchestral soundtrack to the setting sun in Houston. Performing songs off their latest album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care mixed in with some tried and true golden oldies, Explosions set the afternoon ablaze with sonic euphoria, even if the Houston crowd didn’t warm to them until halfway though their set.

photo credit: 88 miles west

The on-stage theatre marquee declaring “Coming Soon: Arcade Fire,” in no way prepared anyone for the theatrical multimedia contingent that would accompany the band’s live show. The stage’s movie screen flashed quick grindhouse trailers for The Warriors and Over The Edge before treating us to the night’s feature presentation. A few shadowy figures crossed the stage, took their respective positions, and in a few snaps of a snare, Arcade Fire detonated out of the gate with “Ready to Start.” Apropos, no?

What Arcade Fire’s record fail to capture is how damned noisy the eight-piece band can be. The band is a blistering blow of cacophony, giving real muscle to songs like “Neighborhood 2 (Laika)” or the Springsteen-esque (there I go again) “Intervention.” They also know how to play up the dynamics and intricacies of a down-tempo song like “Sprawl I (Flatland),” or “The Suburbs (continued),” the latter of which, had its final verse carried by the entire population of the attending Woodlands audience.

One of the night’s high points was the ferocity of the performance of “Month of May.” Amidst the dazzle of the multiple on-stage strobes, Arcade Fire turned both amps and energy to 11, exploding forth like a long-lost, great punk band.

photo credit: 88 miles west

Speaking of energy at 11, does Will Butler ever turn off? I’ve never seen anyone play a xylophone with such conviction, such panache, and even when not playing an instrument, he’s busy flailing his arms, conducting the masses or grabbing the nearest instrument to create his own sounds. The pulsing “Rebellion (Lies)” saw the younger Butler diving into the audience pit with floor tom in hand, ready to bring the Fire to people’s faces.

“As a lowly ticket-taker, it was my policy that I’d stop checking tickets at some point and just let people up front,” admitted Win Butler, former Pavilion staff. And as if commanded, a good portion of the Woodlands audience leaped from their seats and made b-lines straight for the pit. Those that weren’t lucky enough to hop the barricade, found themselves in the aisles of the venue, and all the better to dance to “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and “Rebellion (Lies).”

The evening’s final two songs were a textbook lesson in connecting with and evoking audience emotion; whether the deafening empowerment of the Woodlands singing along to that anthemic, royal rumpus “Wake Up,” to the elegance emanating from Regine Chassagne, as she gleefully sang and danced to “Sprawl II,” ribbons and streamers in tow. You could physically feel the joy and positivity coming off Chassagne as she closed out the show in a flurry of color and optimism.

Going into the show, most feared that Arcade Fire would simply phone in their performance, given what was assumingly an abhorrence for being back in the hometown whose “depressing” nature inspired a Grammy-winning album’s worth of material. But what the band proved this night was that bygones were bygones and that they, with personal vendettas aside, were here to bring a much-needed stadium sized indie-rock show to Houston, the likes of which haven’t been experienced just yet, from a hometown band, no less. Arcade Fire played with all of their spirit and vigor behind their award winning songs, deserving of every last accolade bestowed upon the band in their whirlwind rise to prominence.

[SETLIST]

Ready To Start
Keep The Car Running
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
City With No Children
Rococo
Sprawl 1 (Flatland)
Haiti
Intervention
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (continued)
Month Of May
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
No Cars Go
We Used To Wait
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)

ENCORE

Wake Up
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)