Arcade Fire celebrates 20 years of “Funeral” on the ‘Rocks
By DaveThePhotoGuy | Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 09/16/2023
Hey, look! Another 20+ anniversary tour! Except…this one was so different for so many reasons. Outside of a half-handful of festival shows, Arcade Fire has largely been absent from US stages for the last couple of years. With less than 24 hours until doors opened, this gem fell in my lap due to a scheduling hiccup at our publication. (Oh, the perks of living less than 3 miles from live music’s holy grail.) As a (previously) casual listener of Arcade Fire, I stumbled my way into this show, this funeral, this religious experience that just became one of my top-5 ALL TIME shows at Red Rocks. I’m writing this 36 hours later and I still have goosebumps from my ears to my ankles.
As usual, I showed up early to cover the opener: “Mass Meditation”. My oh my, I mis-read the show schedule in my rush to accept the opportunity. I heard someone mention ‘no opener today, eh’, to which I responded I thought there was. Then he asked why they were only playing for 15 minutes. Yeah, so…it turns out Mass Meditation was not the opener, it was the beginning of an experience. For those familiar with Arcade Fire shows, they knew what was up.
Upon arriving at the Funeral, it made sense to complete a visitation to the stage, where I was met by an army of cameras and production equipment.
No doubt this show was special, this was being recorded by as many camera rigs as I’d ever seen at a Red Rocks show. This wasn’t simply a nod to the album Funeral, it was a celebration of life for the album, the band, and will supposedly be available to watch in virtual reality via AmazeVR (Meta Quest) soon. It’s all making sense. Many of the fans “got it” and came to the funeral in the requested black-tie attire. After centering the sold-out, mindful crowd of 9500+, Neighborhood #1 filled the senses at 8:30, sharp.
The sound directly at the front of the stage was incredibly warm and full. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely turned up to 11. Balancing acoustics and power better than 99% of shows I’ve attended, their production team made it sound like they’ve prepared for this show for years. It was akin to listening to a hi-fi vinyl recording at a live show. Except for a few minor mic feedback moments here and there, it was flawless. Given the sheer amount of mics and instruments, and moving people and parts on, and off stage, there is NO blame/shame deserved. Hard to count exactly, but I think they had as many as 12 performers, with the string quartet being the only stationary musicians.
Later, from my review spot directly in front of the stage right speaker tower, a place I strongly suggest avoiding at all costs for sound quality, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. I can’t get over how perfectly balanced and captivating the sound design was. Certainly deserves a live-music award for execution.
I can’t begin to count how many times Win Butler whisked his way into the audience.
He managed to move from stage to row 30 repeatedly and so smoothly, it was remarkable. His genuine connection with the crowd is endearing. One such occurrence happened right behind me in row 10 when he gestured at the boom camera. He pulled the rig out of the sky to sing directly into the camera, working with impunity. Butler was born for this and it’s such a pleasure to watch him in his element.
By the time song #7 hit, the crowd proved why Wake Up was written to be performed at Red Rocks. I’ve heard a lot of chorus’ belted out from the 70 towering rows, but this one took the cake. Absolutely moving. As if they needed it, this had to be 100% total validation for the band just as much as it was for the listeners. Singing so loud and not being able to hear your voice over the melodic roar of Oh’s, this moment of unity and passion will ring in my head for a very long time. (Extra credit homework, go to YouTube and search for Josh Valentine‘s Wake Up/Haïti video. I haven’t reached out to him for permission to post the actual video, but, he did a fantastic job capturing the energy)
As Funeral drew to a close, the fans were starting to realize how much of the show was still ahead of them.
At about 9:30, my friendly neighbors in row 7 were exclaiming “we’re only half-way through the show!” to which I responded, “correction, you’re only 1/3 through the show!”. During a brief intermission, I felt like I could’ve left right then and would’ve been completely satisfied with what had been delivered. During most shows, even by many of my favorite artists, this is about the time I start to feel my body’s age and my desire to leave increases to embarrassing levels. Not tonight. I was floating. Never even thought about it once, my body and mind were finally on the same team.
Butler spoke briefly while introducing Intervention, reminding fans that it was written during a time of uncertainty when George W. Bush was just re-elected president and, here we are nearly 20 years later, living in fear not knowing just how much darker can it get. The line that resonated with me clearly resonates with a lot of fans: “working for the church while your family dies”…damn. The delivery was poignant and powerful.
Through all of the confetti, (complete with Denver Arts & Venues‘ mandatory $10,000 environmental clean-up fee), the amazing disco ball, the top-tier video production, stage set-up, and impeccable sound, the artists themselves delivered a powerful and emotional show that really took the cake. I felt the music, the pain, the lyrics, the joy, the creativity.
Through this incredible experience, I understand Arcade Fire better than any time I’d ever listened at home; a testament to the power of live music performance they’ve mastered.
Ending the show on the acoustic melody of Wake Up’s chorus wafting from the crowd in the upper rows, Arcade Fire playfully closed on Stand By Me. Artists and crowd were completely spent after a lengthy 2.5 hour marathon performance. Floating back to reality is never welcome after a show. Now, “I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights”.
Setlist:
Intro:
Vampire/Forest Fire (instrumental version played by string quartet)
Funeral:
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Une Annee Sans Lumiere
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
Crown of Love
Wake Up
Haiti
Rebellion (Lies)
In the Backseat
Encore:
Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)
Reflektor
Afterlife (With “Love Will Tear Us Apart” outro)
My Body Is a Cage
Intervention
No Cars Go
Headlights Look Like Diamonds
Ready to Start
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Everything Now
Wake Up Chorus (Stand By Me teaser)
