w. tUnE-yArDs & Kid Koala
Friday, 05/02/14
Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood
Atlanta, GA
6:30 doors open
7:30 tune yards
8:10 kid koala
8:45 Arcade Fire
We don't like to pump up a single show or album too much, because we understand music, as much as anything is very opinion driven. A song can be listened to many times, but when it is heard that one time in the right setting, at the right time, or with the right people it can click instantaneously. With only one of us having seen Arcade Fire, it was easy to believe in their talent, reputation, and work ethic to know this was a 'can't miss concert' in Atlanta.
To fully discuss this show the first thing that needs to be discussed is expectations and hype. Arcade Fire is largely regarded throughout the music scene as the best live act on the road today. Some of our group had been waiting nearly five years to see Arcade Fire due to various complications. You were always told how incredible they are live and it builds into something in your mind is larger than life. But there is that tiny doubt in the back of your head that whispers, “You love Arcade Fire, but can they really live up to these outlandish expectations that you have created?” The answer to that question was destroyed in the first 3 seconds on the show with a resounding “YES.” You can watch their live shows on TV or the internet, listen to countless audio recordings from shows, but nothing prepares you for what is to come.
From the onset of listening to sound check you can tell how much not only Win Butler, but the entire ensemble puts in to each second of each song. The times retaking and practicing a song from the beginning during at the end of a US tour was impressive. They also worked on their cover of 'Tequila' into 'Normal Person' numerous times. In the actual show they only played about 10 seconds of 'Tequila' (aka Zima) and Win seemed less than thrilled with it, just because it wasn't completely perfect. This wasn't a bad thing, just a snapshot of how much they care and want to make everything perfect for the audience. Very few artists of this caliber strive to not only give the fans a perfect show, but make each show a different memorable experience. Too many bands these days write up one setlist for a tour and it doesn’t change for the rest of the year.
The set up of the concert was perfect with the openers to make quick transitions and leave very little downtime between sets. We found it a little weird that Aaron's parking did not open until 5:30p, with gates opening at 6:30p. It might be that we're use to seeing people tailgating for hours at Lakewood and Verizon around shows like Phish, Widespread Panic, and Dave Matthews that all have their own following and the parking lot turns into it's own event.
tUnE-yArDs came on promptly at 7:30p, but to very little fanfare as it was a late arriving crowd. We're sure many people were coming from work or studying for exams and had to fight rush hour traffic along with a home Braves game, just two exits away. Tune-Yards is the music project of New England native Merrill Garbus. When performing live, Garbus creates drum loops on the spot, and layers these with ukulele, and vocals, in addition to electric bass played by Nate Brenner. She mentioned and thanked her new touring band with included two high energy wood drummers/dancers, a talented, percussionist Dani Markham who also added vocals. Merrill's setup and display is impressive, but her yodeling can easily be lost on the audience. The highlight of the set was probably the beginning when Arcade Fire’s own Sarah Neufield came on stage to play her violin along to the opening song. This was the last stop on her tour with Arcade Fire, as she mentioned multiple times how thankful she was for being asked to join them. Between having been on tour for some time, the impending release of her new album Nikki Nack (available this Tueday), and the seemingly small crowd you could tell she was exhausted, though she gave it her all.
The quick transition between tUnE-yArDs and Kid Koala was mere minutes as the Montreal native's DJ booth setup was off to one corner of the stage. This was a perfect setup as it allowed for the breakdown of Tune-yards and the production that is setting out the ten plus instrumental arrangements for the night's headliner. Kid Koala put on a great show as a throw back to the original DJs who spin multiple vinyls and even works without headphones and did so flawlessly. With mixes of our own Outkast and Roy Orbinson tributes for Mother's Day, he was on top of his game.
Check out what Arcade Fire did to bring the house down after the jump
