They fooled no one by announcing secret shows in the industrial part of Bushwick as “the Reflektors,” but on Saturday night (the second of the two consecutive dates), Arcade Fire were determined to keep the charade up.
“We started about three years ago,” said singer Win Butler early on, faking a wet-behind-the-ears lead singer routine. “We heard you guys were standoffish but this is great.” The 3,000 fans who packed into this giant loft space on Meserole Street were all in on the act too. They’d been instructed in advance to dress up for the night, as is often the way for secret Arcade Fire shows. Most of the crowd rocked formal attire, but there were plenty of Great Gatsby extras, a few sketchy Santas, and at least one nine-month old baby dressed as Cookie Monster.
It’s all in the name of reinvention. Over the last ten years, Arcade Fire have slowly established themselves as one of the world’s best rock bands. They have the critical adoration, the No. 1 albums and the Grammy gongs to prove it. But their earnestness has often weighed them down and for all their musical ambition, it’s always been a stretch to call them “fun.”
Although there were prizes for the best costumes, there were no prizes for realizing that Arcade Fire are tired of being thought of as Debbie Downers and Gloomy Gusses.
The forthcoming album “Reflektor” (out Oct. 29 and co-produced by LCD Soundsytem’s James Murphy) is packed full of danceable beats and exotic rhythms, which the Canadians reveled in revealing. Almost all of the set was made up of new songs. And almost all of those were brilliant.
Current single “Reflektor” kicked off the night and underlined its status as the unlikely disco anthem of the year, the cold funk of “We Exist” And “It’s Never Over” had a tinge of vintage Bowie, while “Normal Person” glowed with the spirit of trashy ’70s glam rock, but crucially, still had the power to make you move.
“This is a cover song of a Merge (Records) band called Arcade Fire,” continued Butler, continuing his character before playing “Sprawl II” on which his wife and co-vocalist Regine Chassagne took the lead elegantly. A blistering run through of “The Power Out” also found its way into proceedings, but both these oldies seemed specifically picked to fit the party atmosphere.
The previous night, the band had caused irritation by failing to do an encore and so for the second night, Butler lead the band back on stage – tail slightly between his legs – to start the comedown with “Haiti.” “I think we cracked you New York,” was his final farewell, still insisting on the new band pretense.
They suck as actors but as a band, there are few who can match Arcade Fire’s new-found grooves. The nightclubs of the world should get ready. Now.