Music

Arcade Fire take Toronto's Olympic Island in force

by Michael Joffe

Delivering an unrelenting 90 minute show which began with The Suburbs’ “Ready to Start”, Arcade Fire took their foot off the gas just long enough to thank the elated Toronto audience for their continued support. This has been the summer of Arcade Fire, whether you’re paying attention or not. Being crowned with the number one album on Billboard’s top 100 only cemented many fan’s already held belief that Arcade Fire are the biggest indie band in the world and over the course of the next one and a half hours, they would prove themselves as the best live band playing today. While the track “Month of May” feels somewhat out of place on the lengthy 60 minute album, it’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting new songs to hear live.

The set was heavy with Suburbs and Funeral, occasionally diving in to Neon Bible’s darker favourites like Intervention. Sixteen songs took us into an encore which saw the Toronto audience noticeably more subdued than their Montreal counter-parts when it was time to call the band back for more. Some began to hum along to Rebellion (Lies), but something was lacking, perhaps it was the looming sense of dread as many knew what was waiting for them – a queue to the ferry as long as the performance itself.

Photos by Carrie Musgrave, AUX TV