Ever since they burst onto the scene with “Funeral”, Arcade Fire has been one of my favorite bands.  They hold so many compelling things in tension:  darkness and beauty, quirk and accessibility, dense music and hooks, melancholy and hope, spirituality and gritty cynicism, indie-cred and mainstream attention, mourning and celebrating,….  If I could be in one band, it would be Arcade Fire.  And last night, in the suffocating heat of a Chicago summer night, I got to see their triumphant closing set at Lollapalooza 2010.  Here’s a short video of a few songs that I took and edited on my phone (thanks Steve Jobs)…

The show was fantastic.  They were as compelling and awkward and powerful and strange and uplifting as I hoped they’d be.  “Wake Up” (their sing-a-long encore) was truly transcendent.  And even though I skip some of her songs on CD, I loved the energy and vibe that Régine brought.  She’s super cool!  My only complaints were (1) The sound was pretty terrible.  I know it’s outdoor, but much of their dense, sonic interest got swallowed up in the mush. (2) They lost a ton of energy in the space between each song.  However, this was because they all switched instruments nearly every song – which is SO fun!  Hopefully, down the road, they’ll find a way to bring a little more cohesion. (3) The sweatly, shirtless, drunk guy leaning up against me the whole time.  I have never been hotter.  But hey, it’s a festival!

To see more of this tour, check out their recent Madison Square Garden show here on YouTube.