I can’t tell a lie: Thursday was strange. While we were eating our meal at Busaba, we saw the news that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away. What were we meant to do? What would happen now? It turns out that the band must play on and the Arcade Fire gig at the O2 would go ahead. It felt like a sad omen on an already blighted tour. Win Butler, the lead singer of Arcade Fire, has been the subject of extremely serious allegations of inappropriate behaviour and many were calling for the tour to be cancelled. It wasn’t. I made the decision to go for two reasons: to support Régine Chassagne and the rest of the band, and because Arcade Fire’s music is extremely important to me.
The evening started with the band on the second stage. They played a recording of Louis Armstrong’s “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” to commemorate the Queen’s passing. I thought it was a nice touch to acknowledge this and work with the heightened emotions in the crowd.
The band launched into "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" before moving onto the main stage with "Age of Anxiety I". By this stage, I was a little worried. I'd enjoyed the first two tracks but my husband said there was something wrong with the acoustics. I had to agree with him with "Age of Anxiety I" - it didn't sound right at all. I couldn't put my finger on it but it lay somewhere between the bad sound typical of The O2 and Win's vocals.
I was ready to forgive all with "Ready to Start" (which was spectacular) and "Deep Blue" but then "Afterlife" came on and it was virtually unrecognisable. The timing was all wrong and I was hoping against hope that my favourite tracks wouldn’t be ruined. Luckily, my fears were not realised. “Reflektor” was up yet and Régine’s vocals were sublime, as always.
The absolute pinnacle of the show was when Régine and Win moved to the small stage again and performed “My Body is a Cage”. This was a particularly heartfelt performance, all the more powerful for the mess in which Win finds himself at present. It was a very poignant moment and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.
This was a turning point in the show and things ran much more smoothly after that. “Creature Comfort”, “Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)”, “The Lightning I” and “The Lightning II” were up next with Win begging the crowd not to quit on him.
The third greatest moment in the show (for me) was when the band played “Rebellion (Lies)” followed by “The Suburbs” and “The Suburbs (Continued)”. I genuinely feel I’d still be working at the worst job on earth if “Rebellion (Lies)” hadn’t become my anthem and given me the strength to walk out.
The band took the tempo down after that with “WE” and “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”.
And then it was time for the second greatest moment of the night for me as “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” began playing. This song is the first Arcade Fire song my husband fell in love with and the reason he was there that night. Régine did not disappoint and we sang along to every single word. It was absolutely marvellous. “Everything Now” was up next in a seamless segue and the crowd went ballistic. It was a moment of huge release and catharsis leading to the encore where “End of the Empire I-III”, “End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*)”, a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” and the ultimate Arcade Fire anthem “Wake Up” were played.
After a shaky start, the band had given an incredible performance and delivered a night to remember.
Would I go see Arcade Fire again? I guess it remains to be seen how Win deals with this situation. I’d be heartbroken if the band did break up and I couldn’t see them live again but I don’t think the statements to date have been enough. Given their focus on charity, this could easily be a campaign and narrative against sexual harassment.
