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Arcade Fire at Festival Pier

Post Author: Christopher Sikich

On July 19, Arcade Fire took Philadelphia on a rock journey of the soul. Playing behind their unfairly underrated Everything Now, they showed why they are one of the premier music acts.

They wasted no time in energizing the crowd with an awesome opening with “Wake Up.” Playing rarities like “Cars and Telophones” and “Headlights Look Like Diamonds” right next to the familiar of “The Suburbs” and “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” showed that they are willing to break the setlist mold and trust the audience to be engaged.

The crowd was pulled in from note one and never let go. And the band brought their usual high-octane energy, especially Will Butler, ravaging drums and jumping near the crowd. Win Butler and Regine Chassigne were their usual radiant selves as well, using the energy of the night and the power of the songs to connect until the final notes of “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”

Hamilton Leithauser opened with a strong set of rock that channeled Bob Dylan and Neil Young.