Not much has filtered from this ultra-secret Arcade Fire mini concert in Montreal, just a few tweets that have now disappeared. I just found this review from a person who was there, but it’s in French,… it happened in Montreal after all.
So what do we learn? First of all, it was really a secret show as nobody knew they were invited to attend an Arcade Fire concert when entering the Breakglass studio. The band started the show in disguise, wearing Pussy-Riot-style masks and apparently people weren’t recognizing the true identity of ‘les Identiks’… what a joke! People were even invited to wear fake mustaches and sunglasses?? But the musicians finally revealed their identity, making the crowd really happy. Everyone was truly joyous, and eager to have fun.
Then there were a few surprises: two Haitian percussionists joined the band and added lots of rhythms to the music, then there was a real influence from Jamaica, where Arcade Fire has composed the new songs, and to finish there was an important 80s vibe in these new songs!
However, the person doesn’t say much more than this, no titles, nothing about the lyrics, nothing about the variety of the songs or their tempo, just this magic equation: Haitian percussion + Jamaica + 80s = the new album. Also the ambiance was that of a carnival, and just after the show, the place turned into a disco-club with the band dancing among the crowd. Who were all these people who were allowed to dance with Win Butler and Regine Chassagne? And nobody was able to take a picture of this? What a shame!