Arcade Fire - Manchester Central - 11/12/10
Written by Ken Foster
The big dilemma facing Arcade Fire is not so much
coping with gargantuan impersonal venues (after all showmanship is part
of their trademark), it's not even mandatory encores, scores of security
staff, booming sound or rampant commercialism. No the big dilemma is
following Neon Bible. Contrary to other reviewers I find The Suburbs
patchy and pedestrian (Rococo, The Suburbs) and that's borne out by the
reaction of the crowd tonight. Don't get me wrong it's generally
ecstatic but the Funeral and especially Neon Bible material is the most
triumphant.
Don't get me wrong The Arcade Fire are pretty much the
creme de la creme, and perhaps that we expect so much, but I would
rather have seen a more adventurous album than The Suburbs and perhaps a
longer run of nights in a smaller venue than taking on the frankly
unpleasant cattle market style venues.
Where to go next is the big question. They could
retreat into quiet isolation but lets hope they have a KId A in them.
I'm sure they do and that this tour was a kind of thankyou before moving
on to the next stage of their career.
Rating 4/5
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|