Music: The Farcade Fire Show
LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire blow minds in ... Lehi?
By Dominique LaJeunesseI didn’t move to
Admittedly, everyone was baffled by LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire’s decision to perform at Thanksgiving Point, a venue typically associated with weddings and Halloween activities. Either they wanted something nontraditional or someone didn’t know what they were doing. Or did they? Were we just clueless about the Point’s appeal?
If you haven’t lived there, gotten lost there, or have some sort of aberrant fascination with dinosaurs, you’d have no clue where
We kicked off the night with a tailgate party, something I assumed many others would participate in, but looking around the T-Giving Point parking lot, it seemed we were the only ones drinking our beverages out of reality TV show cups—scarlet red flags of alcoholism. But while no one joined us, no one narced us out either. We quickly accepted the fact that yes, we are the old people rearing to hear some music that most of the 15-year-olds in attendance would be embarrassed to see me dancing to.
Later, after one short pat-down by security (yes, they search thoroughly and no, alcohol is not served inside. Get clever or get over it), we were in the show. LCD Soundsystem almost immediately took the stage, ready to move Bruce Springsteen out of the way because they were the new Boss in town. I’ve heard all of their albums (the few that there are) and was blown away watching their commanding presence onstage. I don’t care how shitty of a dancer I am, I was participating the whole time. I had to take advantage of the fact that they may never set their sights on Salt Lake City again—although James Murphy repeatedly commented on the awesome mountains which, “We don’t get to see in New York City.” I hope they return. Murphy’s unique voice and electro-pop-rock is downright irresistible.
LCD is a hard act to follow, no doubt, but Arcade Fire is a force to be reckoned with—and clearly the group 99.8 percent of the audience came to see. Everyone gathered around in anticipation. I shimmied my way through to find friends with only a few sardonic “What the hell do you think you are doing” or “No, you aren’t sorry” comments.
Arcade Fire boldly announced their presence onstage with more gusto and bandmates than a whorehouse in
The young crowd went wild as a 6-foot-plus Win Butler broke into song with a lush, deep voice that earns him comparisons to
After a unique demand for an encore—the crowd spontaneously started humming a refrain from one Arcade Fire song in unison until the band returned—they launched into “Old Flame,” an old number released prior to their name-making Funeral. They finished up with “Wake Up,” a cathartic song that satiated the now-sweaty and exhilarated audience. I’m guessing everyone was smiling, but since I’d succumbed to a nasty case of hiccups, so I listened to the remaining anthems in a sprawling parking lot. Amazingly , the sound was just as awesome outside the venue as it was within.
Turns out Lehi is alright. It was nice to wave goodbye to summer with this concert, but something tells me there won’t be many similar experiences in the near future. I do, however, look forward to many haystack rides in a hundred-acre fantasyland should I ever again choose a Thanksgiving Point adventure.
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