Thoughts on the Arcade Fire show last night at Bowery Ballroom

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I was underwhelmed. Anybody else there? Thoughts?

― cdwill, Friday, 12 November 2004 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Second time I've seen em in 6 weeks (last in Montreal before an enraptured fanbase), actually liked this show better, possibly cuz I hadn't heard the album in September. They're good but possibly a little too "emo" for me.

The Andy Dick-lookalike guitarist and the Bjorkist gal -- I'm glad they're in the band, but they annoy me some.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 12 November 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

God, I would KILL to hear their version of "This Must be the Place," which is my favorite Talking Heads song and which I understand they played, with David Byrne in the house.

― Nostalgia for the Old Cineramadome (Ben Boyer), Friday, 12 November 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, "This Must Be The Place" was easily the best song of the night.
"No Cars Go" was also great.

I thought the vocals were extremely strained throughout the whole set.
Everyone seemed to need a lozenge.

Anybody know the name of the Leonard Cohen cover they played?

― cdwill, Friday, 12 November 2004 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"I would KILL to hear their version of "This Must be the Place," which is my favorite Talking Heads song"

Me too man...

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 12 November 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"This Must be the Place" would probably be the best song in anyone's set.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Friday, 12 November 2004 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

" 'This Must be the Place,' which is my favorite Talking Heads song."

This seems a really common reaction. And a really, in a sense, weird one, it being such an inverse Talking Heads song, such a not-Talking-Heads-like Talking Heads song. If "This Must Be the Place" is your favourite Talking Heads song, maybe you hate Talking Heads? I go all meta about this here:

http://www.zoilus.com/documents/the_writ/2004/000270.shtml

― carl w (carl w), Friday, 12 November 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I just saw them in Boston and it was amazing.

― mrjosh (mrjosh), Saturday, 13 November 2004 07:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw David Byrne play a couple years ago, and "This Must Be The Place" was most certainly not the best song in the set because he also played "Once In A Lifetime," "U B Jesus," "Marching Through The Wilderness," "The Great Intoxication," "And She Was," and "Life During Wartime" that night.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Saturday, 13 November 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

"If "This Must Be the Place" is your favourite Talking Heads song, maybe you hate Talking Heads?"

Look I love the Talking Heads, but that song even transcends the band. It would about any band's best song if they had written it and recorded it first. Just because it's atypical of the band's core work doesn't make it any less powerful.

― hector savage, Saturday, 13 November 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I think that song is fairly typical of late period Talking Heads.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Saturday, 13 November 2004 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

leonard cohen cover??

― Elliot (Elliot), Sunday, 14 November 2004 04:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I know Cohen fairly well and didn't recognize one.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

WHAT'S HE REALLY LIKE

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

The song right before "This Must Be The Place" was a Leonard Cohen cover. The singer from the Arcade Fire (can't remember his name) announced it as such, but I don't know the name...

― cdwill, Monday, 15 November 2004 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I love the Talking Heads -- all their albums, really - and "This Must Be The Place" is my favorite song of theirs. (And maybe my favorite song of all time). And I'm comfortable living in this mind-boggling paradox.

Anyway, I haven't heard it yet, but www.stereogum.com has an MP3 of the Arcade Fire's cover up today.

― Nostalgia for the Old Cineramadome (Ben Boyer), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

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