Arcade Fire headline two sold-out Garden shows this week, one of which you can watch for free on YouTube
Madison Square Garden
31st to 33rd Sts. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Wednesday, August 4, and Thursday, August 5, $49.50, 8:00
www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
www.thegarden.com
The average music fan often wonders how you can officially say when a band has reached the big time. For Arcade Fire, on Wednesday and Thursday their “big time” is two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. But it seems like Arcade Fire has always been inching to become an MSG band. After their first full-length album, FUNERAL (2005), received massive critical acclaim, with such stellar songs as “Neighborhood #2 (Laika),” the beautiful, melodic “Haiti,” and the tear-jerking, fist-pumping, spine-tingling super-single “Wake Up,” their music seemed to scream arena worthy. Following FUNERAL, the group released the highly regarded NEON BIBLE (2007), a subtle, strong, sound-expanding sophomore album containing wonderfully bombastic lyrics like “The lions and the lambs ain’t sleepin’ yet” and “There’s a great black wave in the middle of the sea.” Now, with their third release due on Tuesday, THE SUBURBS (Merge, August 3, 2010), Win Butler & co. have plenty of new music to play (including “Ready to Start,” “Empty Room,” and “Wasted Hours”) as they begin their triumphant two-day run at the grandest arena in North America. Although there are no tickets available as of right now (blocks are often released a day or two before the show date, so keep checking), you can catch a live broadcast of the August 5 concert, directed by the great Terry Gilliam, on YouTube at 10:00. Spoon (a large band in their own right) and Owen Pallet open things up.