Arcade Fire- Live At The First Avenue, Minneapolis 2005

 The First Avenue club in Minneapolis has played host to many great shows through the years and in 2012, City Pages (entertainment newspaper/website in the Twin Cities) listed their Best 20 concerts from the First Avenue. As expected there are many concerts from well known bands and musicians both local and international that may have been playing down to the "smaller" venue (see Prince #2) or well on their way to bigger successes. One band in particular that was definitely on it's way up to bigger things that impressed their growing allegiance of fans, critics of indie music and caught the attention of mainstream media was Arcade Fire, who made number 20 for their show in 2005.  

20. Arcade Fire/ Wolf Parade/ Bell Orchestre, First Avenue, 9/29/05 
Arcade Fire were well on their way to indie-rock success story when they rolled into this sold-out Mainroom show, but even the local skeptics became full-blown believers. The band played nearly all of their utterly brilliant debut LP, Funeral, as well as three tracks from their self-titled EP, but it was their stellar cover of David Bowie's "Five Years" -- the band had just performed it with him earlier that month at a Fashion Rocks event -- that truly made this show magical. By the time openers Wolf Parade came out to join the band for a euphoric version of "Wake Up" that closed out the show, the Canadian collective had alerted each and every one of us that a new day was indeed dawning in rock 'n' roll. --Erik Thompson

The following night, Arcade Fire performed in Winnipeg and it was the first time I saw the band live. Up to that point I didn't know a lot about the band, though I did have a copy of their debut full length album, Funeral and I enjoyed their full orchestral sound. This did not prepare me for what I saw, on September 30 at the Burton Cummings Theatre. Even though, Funeral made many critics top album lists for 2004 and the 2000's, it still does not do justice to their live show that blew me away with the stunning visuals and sonic power of their stunning live performance. This was unlike any concert I had been to with the constant movement of the performers that were packed on stage with the fury and intensity of a confident band. I was physically drained just from watching the concert I can only imagine the feeling of exhaustion on the stage. We had in my opinion perfect seats, first row, dead centre in the first balcony with an excellent view of the stage in a classic old theatre that was the ideal ambience for this concert. The setlist for this show was similar to the night before in Minneapolis, heavy on Funeral material, of course, but they switched up some covers for the Winnipeg show. Their dedication to Bowie was shown by playing a different Bowie cover (Queen Bitch) than at the First Avenue as well as a Springsteen cover (State Trooper).

The live recording from the First Avenue has amazing sound as it was recorded for broadcast on 89.3 The Current. Fair warning, if you are listening to the concert loudly (especially with headphones), beware for DJ interruptions throughout the show and though I love Mary Lucia, her voice comes on a little loudly compared to the sound level of the concert. I chose to post this show instead of the Winnipeg concert mainly because of the better sound quality. Though the Winnipeg recording is solid (maybe I'll post later?), you can't compete with soundboard radio broadcast quality. An incredible performance and a monumental live show from Arcade Fire at the First Avenue!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
Please share!


ARCADE FIRE
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
September 29, 2005

Source: Soundboard> FM
Transfer: FM> PC> CDWave> wav> FLAC> rar
Complete concert recorded by KCMP 89.3 FM
The Current- St. Paul, MN
Broadcast on 12/4/05
DJ- Mary Lucia

01. DJ
02. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
03. Crown of Love
04. DJ
05. Headlights Look Like Diamonds
06. No Cars Go
07. DJ
08. Haiti
09. intro> Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
10. DJ
11. I'm Sleeping In A Submarine
12. Five Years [David Bowie]
13. DJ
14. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
15. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
16. Rebellion (Lies)
17. DJ
18. Wake Up
19. DJ

ARCADE FIRE- 2005-09-29 First Avenue, Mpls, MN FLAC. rar

Arcade Fire- Live In Winnipeg 2014

I wasn't even planning to attend the Arcade Fire concert, we bought tickets back in December 2013 as Christmas presents for my daughter and my bro in-law and at the time didn't really have a great interest in going. I had seen them two previous times (both outstanding shows!!), but I wasn't crazy about their new album and I didn't think I needed to see them again. As faith would have it my daughter went to Europe for most of the summer and would miss the show, so I made sure the tickets didn't go to waste and I'm sure glad I did!

The tickets were in the 300 level which in price terms are the cheap seats, but they were first row and nicely in line with the stage that promised a clear, unobstructed view of the stage. I almost didn't bring my recording gear because I figured the sound would suck being up so high as the sound would get lost in the upper reaches of the sketchy acoustics of the MTS Centre ceiling. When we arrived at the arena, the 300 level was closed off and we were informed all the 300 level seats were being "up-graded" to lower sections. In one hand being lower is an upgrade, but our fear, being older and less energetic we would have to stand during the show. We were reassigned to seats in the second row of the 200 level directly below our original tickets. What this means is that sales apart from the floor and the main lower bowl (100 level) were very low considering the 200 level seats were only occupied about 4-5 rows up in most of the sections in the arena. The good news was a much closer view and better sound. I have to admit I'm impressed by how decent the sound for concerts is at the MTS Centre. The volume is loud and the clarity despite a band like Arcade Fire that boasts 12-13 band members on stage isn't muddled. It wasn't the case with the opening band, Tune-Yards which sounded like a rumble of noise that might have translated better in a smaller venue.

Everytime I have seen Arcade Fire they impressed me beyond my expectations. When I saw them in 2005, I was vaguely familiar with the band and was blown away by their energy and how they played every song like it was their last. At the time I confessed to someone, this was one of the most amazing concerts I had seen! My seats were first row balcony and they offered a perfect straight on view of the band and the sights and sounds of the band kept me focused all night. Their show at the MTS Centre for their Suburbs tour further impressed me. Situated on the floor it was a totally different experience moving shoulder to shoulder with the crowd, the visuals were even better and the music quality upped it's ante, as Arcade Fire was now more than an indie band.

This year's concert was a continued assault of sight and sound. The stage visuals, the state of art light show and creativity and artistry of their presentation has surpassed anything I've seen live (to be fair I usually skip the BIG name shows at the arena or stadium). The "tin-foil" man dancing on the b-stage, the large bobble-head characters during the opening processional march through the crowd to the stage and during the encore break "performing", These Eyes, the crowd dressed formally or in costume were just some of the visual highlights of the show. The music was good too, even the newer stuff sounded better live, but is there a need for 5 percussion players for some of the songs? The two full drum kits not enough? Overall, I was impressed and at times wondered how do you top this. It may be a while until I see something so original and mind-blowing as Arcade Fire and I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't until they come back to town during their next tour.

Note: The recording was pretty good despite not being in an ideal position in front of the stage, but the sound is loud and clear enough and less audience chatter/noise than if I was on the floor. Sorry if the track separation isn't perfect, it's hard to distinguish the end and start of songs because they like to segue to the next song without a break.
Enjoy!

Reviews and photos from the show-
 Winnipeg Free Press
Metro
Consequence Of Sound

ARCADE FIRE
MTS Centre
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
August 14, 2014
AUD Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> USB> 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar file

01. Here Comes The Night Time
02. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
03. Flashbulb Eyes
04. Reflektor
05. Joan of Arc
06. Month of May
07. The Suburbs
08. Ready to Start
09. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
11. We Exist
11. No Cars Go
12. Haiti
13. Afterlife
14. It's Never Over (Regine on B-stage)
15. Sprawl II

ENCORE
16. These Eyes (fake band on B-stage)
17. Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown (Neil Young cover)
18. Normal Person
19. Rebellion (Lies)
20. Wake Up

ARCADE FIRE- 2014-08-14 MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master part 1. rar
ARCADE FIRE- 2014-08-14 MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master part 2. rar