anyone have set times?

The National was already onstage when I arrived at about 8:05. I can't recall the exact time they went off, but it seemed close enough to the top-of-the -hour.

Arcade Fire hit the stage at approximately 9:17, and played until about 10:45, or an hour-&-a-half set.

Monday Setlist:

Black Mirror
No Cars Go
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Haiti
Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
Neon Bible
Windowsill
The Well & the Lighthouse
Ocean of Noise
Keep the Car Running
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
--Encore--
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Intervention

And it was pretty damn excellent in my humble opinion. The energy coming from the stage was quite something - just when you felt it was hitting something of a lull they ramped it up again, drum's flying, violinists jumping around.

Though I do feel very spoilt, Bjork, Beirut and Arcade Fire - all in the same weekend.

And was I imagining things or did I spot Sufjan Stevens sitting in the middle near the front??

can somebody tell them to change the order of the setlist? this is awful!

"And was I imagining things or did I spot Sufjan Stevens sitting in the middle near the front??"

Nope, you weren't imagining, it was him.

I also spotted Martha Plimpton (of Goonies fame) and the kids from Blonde Redhead too!

P.S. - Did anyone spot Charlotte Gainsbourg with Michel Gondry at the Bjork show on Saturday?

blonde redhead may have a funny name but they are hardly kids anymore...

Change up the setlist? For a band that has maybe 20-25 songs in its entire catalog, what else are you hoping for? Maybe something "older?" Off "their first EP?"

The show was amazing. I actually really liked the setlist order. As you can see, they played every song off the new album except My Body is a Cage. The transistion from Neighborhood 3 to Rebellion was amazing.....The only song I was left wanting to hear was Wake Up...Maybe tonight

Thanks for the set times.

Any word on how long the will call line was? Can't wait for the show tonight!!!!!!!!

Anyone know what the last song that the national played was? I'll admit to only having alligator and boxer, if its an older song..

will call line was never that long and moved pretty quick. it's separate lines for will call and "first 15 rows" will call.

anyone know what letter the first 15 rows go up to I know there are a few AA BB etc up front

It was an excellent, excellent show. Regine rules!! I was very sad to miss most of the National's set because - gasp - this venue starts shows on time! So be there at 8:00 to see the National.

hey, setlist detractors (who weren't there!) while we all have our prefs, it - the pacing, tempo, the mining and working of the band's and crowd's musicality and emotionality, was, in my opinion brilliantly executed. and it's not easy to make what's planned come off as spontaneous, much less combustible.

also, the stageset and effects enhance, but never detract, from what is primary: the band.

fwiw, i was also expecting WAKE UP, but it'll either pop tonight, or maybe it's being saved up for the much anticipated (key word is anticipated, and not confirmed, to be on the safe side) guest at RCMH.

although, i'd imagine the band wouldn't wish for any of their songs to be defined as being "owned" by another artist: no matter the mutual respect.

we shall see.

I think first 15 rows are all the double letter rows but I could be wrong. But they were the ones that were limited to 2 per person and will call only.

One thing for will call is you need credit card and photo id (I know most places say this and then only ask for credit card but this place is serious) and then they will also check what address the tickets were ordered for - this caught out the person in front of me who had their friend's card and id but didn't know what their address was. And the guy on the desk was very strict, I couldn't even get him to smile by doing a little dance when I got my address right.

I actually thought it was really well organised last night, especially considering they've only done half a dozen or so gigs at this place.

First 15 rows from front to back, as follows: Row AA-thru-A.

I thought the show was absolutely amazing. I was way in the back and I was surprised that no one up there was dancing or clapping. I know, the same old sob-story about NYC crowds, no offense to anyone!

I'm pretty upset that the venue fills the seats from the back to front. I was among the first to buy tickets, so I get the worst seats? How does that make sense? And I think it's unfair that I paid $50, same as the people in the front. But whatever, AF is worth every penny.

umm Anon 9:58am-How do you know you were one of the first to buy tickets??? and no the place does not fill back to front. I got in right as they went on sale and i got 5th row so i think you just did not have luck that day. Sorry but as you said you enjoyed the show anyway.

"see you tomorrow, same time, same place = isnt that what you all do? go on ebay and spend $1000 for your ticket?"

does af hate nyc shows?

BV,
You so rock by going to see Type O Negative. First concert I ever went to (some warehouse in Albuquerque!!!) I heart Peter Steele.

did padma newsome (violin/keys) play with The National last night? and maybe the last song they played was "Murder Me Rachael"? i wasn't there but it's a potential closer. or the bside from Alligator "Driver Surprise Me" would be fitting.

Anyone have any info on the "VIP" rows at UPT? I have one of these tickets for tonight, and am not sure how it works down there. Is it a free-for-all right up by the stage, or are there individual seats/standing areas?

Thanks for any info.

final National song was About Today, from their Cherry Tree ep. A great show all around!

Perry: I believe they closed with About Today off of the Cherry Tree EP.

Great show by both bands...

The VIP is the front row, the Security keep you at your seats for the first three songs while the cameras do their thing and then we were told to move up to the stage. They get the VIP row in place there and then bring down the next rows. Great show.

Anon 10:04,
I went online at 9:57 to buy tickets, and so did a bunch of my friends, and we all got crappy seats. Same thing happened to a friend of mine when he bought tickets to the Iggy Pop show at UP a couple of weeks ago. The one person I know who went on a few minutes later got much better seats. So I don't know for a FACT that they fill the venue back-to-front, but it would be a pretty big coincidence if that was just random. Or my friends and I have terrible ticket karma! :)

But the important part is: I could see the stage, the sound was fine up there (didn't need earplugs, which I hate wearing), and I was happy/lucky to be there at all!

I wish I could go again tonight, but I'm going to Beirut.

And to Anon 10:07, I had the same reaction! I felt like that was a snarky comment. (But kind of true?) At the Sat night Judson show in February, Win said that NYC is "weird" because the crowds are so reserved.

Cheers!

i thought the soundmix on the vocals for the national were not good, but it makes me more excited to see them at bowery at the end of the month.

arcade fire -- amazing!

Anyone have any restaurant/ bar recommendations in the United Palace Theatre area?

Funny how Bad Brains and Buju Banton get pilloried over here on BV , but the Type O guy, who has a long history of outright racist statements, gets a pass.

Double standards, anyone?

i hung out at a cuban diner at 177th and broadway while the madness to the train station calmed down. the beer is cheap and the people working there were nice.

to be honest, i thought the show was good - and at times it reached great (Haiti, KTCR, Hood #3 > Lies). however, the sound was way off the whole show, with the band only coming through clear on the softer numbers. the crowd was pretty weak through the first half of the show, at least where i was standing. all that being said, i still had a lot of fun.

Coogan's at 168th

what's this about back-to-front seating?

are people actually in their seats for the show or is it like the asheville show (and i assume some others) where everyone just goes up to the stage despite the seats?

so looking forwards to tonight's show!

What was the deal with the GA tickets? Some people say they were put in the back of the balcony behind a wall, other that they were standing right up in front of the stage. Trying to figure out what actually happened. And what to do tonight to avoid that first scenario.

Show was good, I think some tweaking of the setlist would work wonders.. definitely picked up in the second half. I was in the upper loge...

Rebellion was incredible.

General admission is the aisle on the floor all the way to the right. standing only.

it's first come first served so get earlier if you want to be closer.

anyone have complete set list info for what the national played? how many songs did the national play?
im going wed to the RCMH show. can't wait!

>"see you tomorrow, same time, same place = isnt that what you all do? go on ebay and spend $1000 for your ticket?"

I thought Winn’s comment was totally patronizing… I paid close to $45 (face + fees). The band makes a nice sum on a show like that (3,500 seats * $15/20 for the band)... As a matter of fact, I all for getting paid… but the comment was unnecessary. If you want to do something about scalping, do it…don’t insult YOUR fans.

For me, the shine came off this band. The show was just ok. And, Winn needs to stop his rock star thing.

anon 10:07---I totally thought the same thing. Win hates us and think all we do is go to rock shows every night (truth be damned). But then my BFF thought it through and she thought he was just commenting on the ridiculousness of people actually spending 1000 dollars for just a rock show, cause god knows we all dont have money to afford that constantly. So MAYBE that's what he meant, but I got a weird vibe too. Whatever I still heart Win!

ALSO . . . I totally had row X in the orchestra but I decided that I was going to sit waaaay up in the front and see if anyone bothered me. NOPE no one did, everyone stands for the show anyway! So I encourage all ya'lls for tonight to just go stand in higher, closer rows :)

ALSO . . . I totally sat RIGHT behind Sufjan, trying to figure out if he was gay or not (through what methods who knows) all through the national set, but then he peaced right before AF! He's a hater!!! Nah I kid I kid. Wow longest pretty girl post ever.

hi BV!!!

"I thought Winn’s comment was totally patronizing" - to be honest I thought it was just a bad joke, that didn't really come out as he'd meant it. If that one comment was all it took to ruin your evening then you can't have been having a very good time in the first place. Cheer up. Or stop spending your money on gigs. One or the other.

wtf the crowd was fine last nite?
I was about 8th row and trying to take pictures and the people in front and all around me were jumping around so much it was hard to get shots.
No one was sitting either. By the way I thought this was a good thing photos are always a second choice to good music and good crowd.

I liked the setlist big deal no wake up you know its coming tonight or at RCMH.

yeah, nevermind the fact that nobody paid a grand on ebay, and that most of the audience was legitimately gouged by ticketmaster.

i saw them a couple years ago in vancouver, and i didn't think the crowd was any more energetic than here. also, at the time winn made a comment, "yeah, we're a canadian band. whatever that means. for some people it means more." (paraphrasing) and at the time i thought the comment was snarky. maybe he has a snarky sense of humor?

aside from the vancouver show, i've only really seen bands in nyc. are we really that bad of a crowd??

I spotted The Magic Numbers in the crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmrz0n6Ed5k

Full video of Beirut with members of AF... my crappy camera video synced withmy not so crappy bootleg.

The show last night was really not bad... nothing beat seeing them back in 2004 though. The venue was much larger than I thought it would be and something got lost in the space possibly.

Win's comment was meant as a dig at the people SELLING the tickets, at least that's what *I* took out of it.

Going back tonight with floor Row T... gonna try to get up front. Wish me luck. hehe.

Jason

Sufjan has a serious longterm girlfriend. Not like I know him personally or anything, but that's what I've heard through the Brooklyn grapevine.

I think people were more baffled than offended by Win's comment. I mean alot of us DO go to shows every night and are seeing AF multiple times this week. But I don't think anyone's actually paying a grand for tickets... are they? Yesterday on craiglist, most people were selling their tickets for face value.

I think the energy level of the crowd depended on where you were... in the upper balcony it was like a graveyard. When I looked down below, people were going wild. I think if no one around you is dancing, you start to feel awkward about being the only one jumping around.

Hear hear to whoever made the comment about being gauged by Ticketmaster!

last night was fun. i def. thought winn was fucking around with that comment.

i sat in front of martha plimpton and she definitely wanted to be seen.

i saw one of the dudes from clap your hands, and i think maybe Dwight Shrute. was that him?

yeah, clap your hands was there. the keyboardist/laptopist.

i think the crowd was baffled. as we know, it was a trial and a half to get the tickets, and it wasn't through ebay! most newyorkers, at least those of us on this site, if we buy "scalped" tickets, go through craigslist and pay pretty close to face value. it's not like we're going to shows at the garden.

"aside from the vancouver show, i've only really seen bands in nyc. are we really that bad of a crowd??"

Having spent years going to gigs in London I'd say that NY is pretty much the same - some gigs are dead some aren't. I thought the crowd last night and for Bjork was pretty great considering it was a seated venue. But I've been to plenty of gigs here where I can't really hear the band because of people in the audience talking all the way through - PB&J was like that last week.

Last time I saw AF was in London and the crowd was absolutely dead, mainly full of industry types congratulating themselves on being quite so hip. So that's one thing that London can do just as well as NY.

"Last time I saw AF was in London and the crowd was absolutely dead, mainly full of industry types congratulating themselves on being quite so hip."

Why is that? I have noticed that at a couple of shows and I find it odd. Is it because they are burnt out on going to shows all the time and can't get excited about them? If so, can I have their job?

I had GA tickets, got there early and just sat down in a seat near the front. Once the Arcade Fire actually started, the staff went all around to move people out of the aisles and I got thrown out of the seat, so I went over to an aisle behind some chairs stage right, which was still pretty close. The official word on what GAs were supposed to do was go stand up behind the last row of seats, but if you're sneaky, you can get a good position.

Row A or B starts right under the overhang, it goes rows AA-OO then row A, I should know I was in Row E seat 6 last night, right behind some sound/stage board they put in. Wasn't bad they sat down the whole night. Great show, the person who said the transition into Rebellion Lies was great was right on the last 4 songs were full of energy with lots of clapping and jumping in place (I guess that's the best the crowd can do). Haiti was also great with a bono-esque Regine asking the crowd to sing along the woo-woo part. Lots of singing along in Lies. Bad Vibrations and The Well were also right on.
Great setlist if you ask me!
The theatre is big, with a large slope so the sightlines aren't bad in the orchestra but it is wide, I couldn't see up into the balcony but it also looks large. Enjoy the next two nights if you have thousands of dollars and like going to see a rock show every night.

The sound was not asleep last night and moved under my feet!

I can't wait for RCMH wednesday.

oh, shit. that's tomorrow. sweet.

They were just magical.

It seemed like Winn's voice konked out by the end of the night .. did he really have surgery recently to fix what ailed him? anyone know what the surgery was for? was it his throat?

Malecon is a chicken and rice/beans place, very good and cheap it is right across the street from the theatre. It gets crowded with locals eating dinner.
BBQ is on 166th and B'way near the hospital.
Da Vinci's is a good Italian place run by Dominincan's but don't be put off going inside it's good and it's on 165th and St. Nicholas.
There is a good Indian (Tawaa) take out place some seats on 168th and B'way near Coogan's. Coogan's is so so for food, below average bar food.
Many of the other restaurants going north are not that great.

He had sinus surgery.

He should just use a neti pot.

Get a cubano at the restaurant by the parking garage

ticketmaster has some GA tix for tonight available now.

i pulled a good center single for radio city from ticketmaster about an hour ago.

I saw Arcade Fire in Philly. I've always liked their music but had never seen them live.. now I am obsessed.

Also, I have fallen in love with Richard. Seriously, he stole my heart. I was far away and haven't seen many pictures and when I realized he could have been Jon Heder's stand-in, my love prevailed.

There is this great old school irish bar on 180th and bway, right on the corner...blanking out on the name now, but you can't miss it...wash heights back in the day used to be all irish...place and people full of character...anyone going to up shows should check it out.

"There is this great old school irish bar on 180th and bway, right on the corner...blanking out on the name now, but you can't miss it...wash heights back in the day used to be all irish...place and people full of character...anyone going to up shows should check it out."

Reynolds, iirc.

too bad piper's kilt (207th) isn't closer to venue.

excellent burgers, but the sister-bar-restaurant in the West 230s, if it's still around, is much better.

It definitely was a bad joke that got a little away from him, he sort of finished it off with an "...ahhh...ok see you tomorrow".

The sound was extremely loud for the first couple of songs (I was in the orch). Way too much bass/kick drum and the vocals were a little drowned out. It got better or maybe I adjusted later on in the show.
But the place has sort of a tin can feel to it(not too bad, but it's there) especially in between songs when the crowd roars. Bring earplugs if you need to, I could've used them last night. Plus maybe they don't have the sound geared or equipped for theatre shows.

>"see you tomorrow, same time, same place = isnt that what you all do? go on ebay and spend $1000 for your ticket?"

I thought Winn’s comment was totally patronizing… I paid close to $45 (face + fees). The band makes a nice sum on a show like that (3,500 seats * $15/20 for the band)... As a matter of fact, I all for getting paid… but the comment was unnecessary. If you want to do something about scalping, do it…don’t insult YOUR fans.

For me, the shine came off this band. The show was just ok. And, Winn needs to stop his rock star thing.

Posted by Anonymous | May 8, 2007 11:39 AM

Ah, I've attended many-a-gig, where, if the band or artist is playing multi-nights, will comment along similar lines... e.g. "see you tomorrow"; "so, we have two more nights in NYC"; "I believe this is the 43rd time we've played MSG, and tomorrow will be...."

I don't see the big deal. Sure, most bands take turns getting all fat in the ego, but who cares? The guy may be in disbelief that his indie band is actually (still) this popular.

Also, from what I can hear and have observed, Winn has a sort of shy, almost flat-affect when he speaks, and couple that with prep school (EXETER) humour, and there's the answer to your equation.

no harm, no foul, imo.

Show was great. Arcade Fire brought the rawk, but the sound was terrible throughout. United Palace is an awful venue, both accoustically and, well, in every regard, actually. I'm done going there. I hope I don't buy tickets to a Webster show only to have those a$$holes move it up there when it sells out. The UPT absolutely sucks and Bowery Presents can kiss my a$$.

National was good. I think. I was in balcony and could barely hear them above everbody talking. :[

does anyone have the scoop on Win's voice? He wasn't even trying to hit many of the high notes. And it wasnt only at the end of the show. I thought it was throughout the whole show. Is this a result of the surgery?

hm, my friend and I stayed home from school to get tickets, got row DD, paid 45 dollars (and not 1000), went to school, went into the city afterschool, came home late and went to school the next day. its a hassle to do this for more than one night a week. it's not just something we "did", it was an ordeal. obviously it was worth it....the show was great, but when he made that joke we were just like, "asshole!" no hard feelings, of course. but i assume a lot of the people in the audience did the same sort of thing. i wish i could just blow all my money and time seeing the arcade fire...

i wish i had seen sufjan but i didn't catch him, although i was scouring the crowd for "people"

i had GA standing which worked out alright- only mild feelings of being a second-class citizen. we had pretty much anywhere we wanted on the left side to stand/dance/watch... for some reason it seemed most of the GA people were funneled to the right wall which seem packed. avoid that. once the show started there were a ton of empty seats which the ushers said we were free to grab. would have been no trouble for one to go right up front as the staff did not pay much attention other than to vehemently toss someone who lit up.

i thought win's generalizing about the crowd buying @1000 tickets off ebay was off the mark and soured the encore for me. i work full-time, have my own business, and spent hours on ticketmaster.com from the morning tix went on sale all the way up until yesterday afternoon when i was finally fortunate to pay $50 for "wall space".

i had GA standing which worked out alright- only mild feelings of being a second-class citizen. we had pretty much anywhere we wanted on the left side to stand/dance/watch... for some reason it seemed most of the GA people were funneled to the right wall which seem packed. avoid that. once the show started there were a ton of empty seats which the ushers said we were free to grab. would have been no trouble for one to go right up front as the staff did not pay much attention other than to vehemently toss someone who lit up.

i thought win's foot-in-the-mouth generalizing about the crowd buying @1000 tickets off ebay was off the mark and soured the encore for me. i work full-time, have my own business, and spent hours on ticketmaster.com from the morning tix went on sale all the way up until yesterday afternoon when i was finally fortunate to pay $50 for "wall space".

Seriously it was a one - off comment and no big deal. He was only commenting on how people are scalping at really high prices was wrong. Stop complaining and be happy your seeing a band that will be seen as legendary on the tour of a great album!!!! See you tonight!!! PLAY WAKE UP

The National's setlist is below, if anyone is interested. They appear to be playing the same songs each night.

"Start a War"
"Mistaken for Strangers"
"Slow Show"
"Secret Meeting"
"Abel"
"Squalor Victoria"
"Apartment Story"
"Fake Empire"
"Mr. November"
"About Today"

I agree that Win's comment was patronizing. Why excoriate the people who supposedly paid extra money to see you? It took me a moment to absorb.

Although, frankly, you are an asshat to pay $1,000 for an hour-and-a-half of music. The off-color joke aside, I thought the setlist was well-executed and the venue (contrary to some comments) was quite nice. My complaint isn't about the sound but rather that they keep the lights so high around the perimeter (the "GA" section). Being that my seats were to the far left of the stage, I had the bright house lights in my face the entire evening, which dampened an otherwise unimpeded view - the sightlines are great, IMO.

I did wonder if Win's voice wasn't a bit strained, but to be honest, everyone else was so spot-on vocally that I didn't really notice it. In a band like that, I think the number of musical actors is a real boon to the live act, and this was no exception.

OMG the show was SOOOO awesome i saw so many indie rock celebrities...LOLZ it was great!!!

Not to beat a dead horse, but I thought his joke was directed more towards people who try to go and see every show in the city on every night (they are playing 3 nights with a similar set list themselves), that 'of course you have thousands of dollars to do this', go on ebay get the tix and go to every show every night. "that's what you guys do right" was how he phrased the beginning. Because the whole thing was all preceded "by see you tomorrow, same place, same time...."

so he cracked on people obsessed with music...I'm a former (still a) deadhead, yes that's what we do ;-)

thank you for mentioning the side lights being left on the whole show. i don't relish complaining aboust shows but jesus, talk about an atmosphere killer. many people asked them to be shut off but no dice. i'm guessing the same lighting genius decided to turn Off the lights that lit the statues on either side above the stage.

wouldn't a former deadhead get bored by the lack of variation in arcade shows each night? AF are not exactly exploring their songs in the live setting. i found them surprisingly unexperimental.
i expect them to follow u2's (to me - depressing) career path in many ways.

They closed with Wake Up tonight, after inviting the audience to join them on stage. Fantastic show.

Very nice show. I though that guy was going to kill Regina when he threw the tambourine to the air.

Wow just came back. Thanks for all the heads ups about yesterdays show and the fact that security was lettin people up. We had row kk but we stood down on the side and right when the lights came up we got directly at the stage right in the middle. Awesome and of course double amazing as Win came up to us and pulled us up on stage for Wake Up. Totally unexpected and incredible. Sound was spot on. Crowd energy in the front was great. Security was totally pissed off at the end as expected. I dont think they knew that was coming like for The Stooges. Guitar tech ran out in a panic and pulled the guitar pedals up before anyone could snatch them. Regine hung out for a few mins after and talked to us while people were leaving the stage. Enjoy RCMH whoever is going tomorrow but i would not expect the crowd being on the stage at that show.

What? The National played Fake Empire???

so, yeah, last night's Arcade Fire show was fantastic.

although i should always know better, i'm getting pumped up for tonight.

SOMEONE JUST UPLOAD THEIR VIDEOS OF 'WAKE UP' ALREADY. ITS ALREADY 8:30AM HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE TO WAIT!

WORD OF WARNING: If you've got orchestra seats in the first 15 rows or so, get there before they turn the lights out and the set begins. Everyone rushes towards the stage and people will take your seats if you don't get there first. Security has no idea what the seat numbers are and will not be able to help you. We had to kick two people out from our seats during the first song while the crowd was going crazy. The sound was so loud and it was impossible to talk to the people in our row who were possibly in our seats. It was a terrible start to an otherwise great show. In sum, at this venue, get there before the set starts. Phew.

Amazing show last night. Anyone have a set list (for 5/8)?

jg,

exactly I only went one night and I have never seen them before so I liked the show. They definitely stick closely to the album and I actually said that during the show, some people like that. The comparison to U2 is dead on (pun intended), but U2 still puts on a helluva show!

Arcade Fire Setlist for May 8th 2007:

1. Keep the Car Running
2. No Cars Go
3. Haiti
4. Black Mirror
5. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
6. In the Backseat
7. My Body Is A Cage
8. The Well & The Lighthouse
9. Ocean of Noise
10. Antichrist Television Blues
11. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
12. Rebellion (Lies)
.....ENCORE.....
13. Intervention
(Stage Storming...Absolute Madness)
14. Wake Up

one of, if not, the greatest show i have ever been to.

Seriously.... still waiting for video or photo posts from Wake Up last night. Anybody?

anyone have an extra for Radio city tonight?

"We had to kick two people out from our seats during the first song while the crowd was going crazy. "

WORD OF WARNING:Carl, if you can't seem to make it to your front row seat by the beginning of the show maybe you should give your ticket to someone else. Oh, and the opening band The National, yeah they were good as well so you could always get your moneys worth and see the first band.

there's a video or wake up in the "Arcade Fire Night 2" thread on the main page

there's a video for wake up in the "Arcade Fire Night 2" thread on the main page