Faraway, So Close
Favorite concert pecking order as of October 2011Tier 1
1) U2, GM Place, Vancouver, April 2005
2) Arcade Fire, PNE Forum, Vancouver, October 2005
3) Arcade Fire, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, September 2011
Tier 2
4) U2, Qwest Field, Seattle, June 2011
Tier 3
5) Coldplay, GM Place, Vancouver, January 2006
6) Tool, GM Place, Vancouver, August 2006
Tier 4
7) Foo Fighters, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, August 2005
8) Brandi Carlile, Wendy Williamson Auditorium, Anchorage, July 2011
Tier 5
Everything else
#1 got a big boost because it was my first concert and despite my mediocre seat (stage left, 1-2 sections from front, 22 rows up), it was still great. Memorable moments: confetti raining down for the opener (City of Blinding Lights), Bono's drum solo leading into "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and a great rendition of "One".
#2: Great position 10-15 feet from the center stage. I don't remember much about Bell Orchestre's set, but the crowd was definitely moving for Wolf Parade's set, which set the tone for the rest of the night. Until this concert, I never really realized how many "ohhhhhh", "mmmmmm" and "ooooooo" there were in the songs. 6 years later, I still get pumped thinking about the sea of bobbling heads humming along to "Headlights Look Like Diamonds". Incredible energy from the band: Richard smacking a cowbell (or was it a mic stand?) just because it was the only percussion object nearby and each member practically screaming the backing vocals. Some guy crashing the stage and stage diving onto the group right in front of me only added to the lore of this concert. Riding the bus back towards campus, I was super pumped up and ready to listen to more Arcade Fire.
#3: Terrible seat stage right, first section from the front and last row at the top. I managed to pick my way 5-6 rows forward, but still the view stunk as I couldn't see the stage screen nor stage right.
In retrospect, if I bought a scalped general admission ticket, this easily would've taken #1 for concerts.
When they momentarily cut the lights (especially during the end of Sprawl II's chorus), the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle and its lit torches was incredible. Although the songs were great, they lost a little bit of their impact because of the terrible seat. When I heard "Haiti" back in 2005 it seemed like a song that didn't translate well live, but here, it sounded much better. The song is notable for me as it was the song that got me to turn the corner on the Arcade Fire.
I planned on recording the Sprawl II on video and with each passing song, my anticipation built up to a fever pitch. Initially I was worried as I heard Sprawl II live once on youtube and I feared it was another song that didn't translate well live. I have never been more glad to be wrong; Sprawl II easily tied U2's One (2005) as my favorite concert moment.
Once again, I was super pumped up after the concert and started playing more Arcade Fire on the iPod as I strolled the streets of Edinburgh. Heck, I'm still listening to more Arcade Fire and still fondly re-watch upload videos from the concert.
posted by Edward @ 3:01 AM
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