Arcade Fire brings hard rocking dance party to Bridgestone Arena

The biggest indie band of their day just keeps growing. The best way to summarize what Arcade Fire aims to do live is to discuss their sense of unpredictability. No doubt, the band's first arena tour is a momentous occasion in their history. It is wholly unexpected in itself considering few would have predicted a band from the mid-2000s indie circuit would have ever reached the level of stadium headliner. But throughout their numerous performances and television appearances since the release of their latest album Reflektor in October, Arcade Fire have showcased a penchant for outside the box stage configurations and a strong sense of creative direction.

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler puts on a spectacle for his fans.

A boisterous world music dance party from opening act Tune Yards segued flawlessly into a DJ set from Deltron 3030's Kid Koala, who, as he put it, was invited by Arcade Fire to "play records incorrectly for you guys." It's clear a great deal of thought has been put into this tour. Oftentimes it's little touches, such as Arcade Fire leading lady Régine Chassagne dancing around with streamers during the closing coda of "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," or holding up mirrors to reflect rays of light during "Reflektor." It's small details that showcase personality and elevate the performance from just being a band on stage playing songs to something more special. Throw in some elaborate costuming, Mexican wrestler masks, and blasts of confetti everywhere and you have a legitimate spectacle of a show. But it is so much more.

From the get-go it became clear the band's intent was to craft ringing stadium anthems, and that's just what they did. Their debut, Funeral, brought a left of center vibe with imagery bringing to mind a snowy French Canadian neighborhood.  If Scott Pilgrim grew up passing by the frosty front doors of Montreal, it's not hard to imagine him making something like this. "Neighborhood #3" pulls off this vibe exceptionally well with its frigid, yet still hopeful demeanor, while cuts like the heartfelt "Crown of Love," "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Wake Up" delivered enough vigor to warm the entire arena.. Elsewhere, "Month of May" and "Normal Person" provided the perfect moments to rock out, the latter being preceded by a parody of Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop."

Régine Chassagne gets hands on with shiny mirrors during Reflektor.

The Reflektor material is every bit as brilliant. As the main curtain fell, frontman Win Butler climbed onto stage at just in time to kick off "Here Comes the Night Time," complete with thundering calypso drums. The Greek mythology inspired "It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)" dazzlingly showcased a duet between Butler and Chassagne while facing one another on opposite stages. Also fabulous was the heavy handed dance beat of "We Exist," a song that Win Butler described as a young man having a conversation with his father about being gay. "Every generation they try to pick on somebody," he spat. He also poked fun at those who criticized the band for their dress up request. "We're so pretentious," he declared sarcastically. But he showed a solid sense of humor as well. Near the end of the set he got distracted by a guy dressed up as Jesus in the crowd and everybody got a good chuckle out of it, Butler included.

 Merrill Garbus of Tune Yards is a queen of propulsive rhythms.

Throughout the tour, they've also made a habit of doing location specific covers dedicated to the city they perform in. Following the night's sole Neon Bible cut, "Intervention," Butler declared that that was "enough Devil music for one night," before launching  into a cover of the Louvin Brothers' "Broadminded." The vocal twang of the old timey harmonies, delivered by Arcade Fire axemen Richard Reed Parry and Tim Kingsbury, sounded right at home amidst the honky tonks of Broadway. It proved to be a great night due to incredible energy flowing throughout the crowd, powered by well beloved songs played by one of today's most daring and stimulating bands. They may not be radio staples, but are becoming well ingrained in our musical culture regardless.

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Related posts:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs review 
Arcade Fire - Reflektor review

Tune Yards release new single "Water Fountain"

The new Tune Yards single, "Water Fountain," just hit the interwebs, and it's every bit as wild, eclectic, and awesome as we all hoped it would be. The lead single from Merill Garbus's indie/world music based band pursues many silly (in a good way) themes lyrically and sonically, but wins because it just sounds like a good old time from start to finish. She speaks of bear killing, blood soaked dollars, and massive chicken dinners, while decking in all out in delicious tribal rhythms.

And if you needed any more good news, Garbus also revealed a series of tour dates the same day that have her making a trip to Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to open for all the rage indie rockers Arcade Fire on May 1. This promises to be one of the best twinbills Nashville will see all year, so if you needed any more motivation to make the trip, do it!

Reunited Nine Inch Nails rip Nashville with explosive dance rock

Something curious occurred while waiting for Nine Inch Nails to go on last night: a giant curtain went up to obscure the view of the set being built. For a tour where anticipations were already sky high, having the set building process be totally secret just fueled the fire even more so.

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is one of rock's most passionate frontmen.

The buildup proved to be worth it. Trent Reznor and crew muscled his way through a dynamic, sweat soaked performance when Nine Inch Nails's Tension 2013 tour made its stop at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Thrashing guitars merged seamlessly with cutting edge dance beats to create an explosive layer of energy that rippled through the building. Yet almost as intriguing was the stage setup crews had worked so busily on behind that curtain. The overhead lighting rig had nine sets of lights with nine bulbs arranged in rows of three apiece. These could be adjusted into various positions around the stage. Sometimes they might be directly over Trent's head, sometimes in a semi-circle position around the back of the stage.

This made possible for plenty of dynamic effects. When Trent wanted to be super illuminated it was possible, when he wanted himself and the rest of the band to be shaded in darker hues that could happen, and when he wanted only himself to be visible this could happen too. But that was only half of it. A metal grate would come down over the front of the stage, directly in front of the band, and onto this grate they would project lights and images. They did this for a series of Hesitation Marks songs, and it worked to great effect.

However, there is much more to being a great live band than pretty lights. You need great energy and fan hallowed songs, and NiN brought it. Their opening five song run, which included recent material such as "Copy of A" and "1,000,000," as well as old school tunes such as "Piggy" and "Terrible Lie" had the crowd raging and screaming along  Meanwhile, "Even Deeper" and "Somewhat Damaged" from The Fragile show off their capability to be a great rock band without a plethora of electronics involved. Even if you don't know the words, it's hard not to get carried away by the undertow.

Joshua Eustis injects some brass sound into the mix.

The material from the new album, Hesitation Marks strikes a dramatic change of pace from the band's well known hits. At times the juxtaposition seems strange, especially when surveying the more subdued Hesitation Marks material against their older, higher energy songs. So it's no surprise that many of those songs are cloistered into their own part of the setlist, taking place during the middle part of the show. To make up for the lack of energy, Reznor and art director Rob Sheridan coordinated a good chunk of the more intricate light shows to coincide with Hesitation Marks material. Its most effective pieces were "Copy of A," which sounded right at home in the opening set of songs, and "Disappointed," which featured Robin Finck going apeshit on a violin while being bathed in dreamy, psychedelic red and blue lights. It's the type of setup that George Harrison could totally respect.

They closed the main set with a devastating run of three high energy songs: "Wish," from their high octane Broken EP, "The Hand that Feeds," and finally "Head Like a Hole," on which Trent just let the crowd sing the chorus all by themselves. That run was the most sweat soaked I have been at a show in a long time. After a ravishing finish to the main set, the band returned with "The Day the World Went Away," the perfect low energy song to recuperate after what came before, but still anthemic and rare enough to be encore worthy. The drug fueled, mellow na na nas at the end come across like the anti-Hey Jude.

Later on during the encore, a dreary forest was projected onto the back screen. The deep blue and green shades set a subdued tone, while backup singers Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson got a chance to show off their own pipes a bit. It all ended with Finck strumming an acoustic guitar while the band closed it out with defining statement piece "Hurt." Projections similar to what had been seen by Godspeed You! Black Emperor flashed across the screen, but the fancy light and technology shows were done for the evening. In closing, Nine Inch Nails demonstrated what all great bands must: the power to captivate you with nothing more than the power of their imagination.

Large scale projections were a big part of NiN's repertoire.

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Related posts:

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks review 
How to Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion review 

Iron Maiden's goulish presence lights Bridgestone Arena ablaze

Dave Murray, Steve Harris, and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden unleash a torrent of heavy metal at Bridgestone Arena.

There are no shortage of bands who try to turn their live show into a visual spectacle, but some know how to do it better than others. Realizing that pretty imagery can only go so far, British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden employ a laser like focus upon every aspect of their show, from the stage setup and pyro straight down to the setlist and onstage acrobatics. They pay homage to the rich history of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene from which they sprung, idolizing the street smart back alleyway British punk clad in black leather.  This is a stunning live event the likes of which only Maiden could pull off, designed to dazzle your senses on every level.

The theme for the Maiden England tour, which hit Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Thursday night, is based on their 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, a synth laden futuristic fantasy concept album touching on themes of evil, magic, and superstition. The back half of the stage was filled with platforms designed to look like icy glaciers, resembling the ones seen on the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album cover. The scene was complete with a ghoulish Eddie zombie peering down from the back wall.

Frontman Bruce Dickinson burst onto the glaciers clad in his long, flowing coattails for set opener "Moonchild," looking like the tour guide for a historic British battleground. The entire band put on a acrobatic and high energy performance, never lacking a sense of great showmanship. Guitarist Janick Gers kept throwing his leg up on the balustrade beside him while playing, while Dickinson dashed around atop the glaciers and twirled his mic stand into the air with a great sense of precision. He addressed the crowd early on, who was clearly hungry for their Maiden. The band hit Municipal Auditorium a handful of times on their 1980s tours, but their last Nashville area date took place at Starwood Amphitheater in 1991. He also stoked their anticipation for events to come later in the night. "Hopefully the building can survive," he kidded. "Nevermind. Could use a new roof anyway."

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson tells it like it is.

Maiden gave fans plenty of reasons to bring the rafters down with the sheer power of their musicianship alone. The setlist was packed with plenty of short punchy jabs designed to get your body rocking. Turbo charged protest anthem "2 Minutes to Midnight" burst loud and clear from the amplifiers, while the slick and synth laden rocker "Can I Play with Madness" tells the story of a young man's encounter with a devious prophet. They delved deeper into their back catalog for "The Prisoner," a defiant and triumphant tune that was preceded by a clip from the television series of the same name.

However, the band's most impressive performances came on the longer numbers. Guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Gers showed off their stunning ability to syncopate their timing and actions around one another when they launched into the complex, gyrating rhythms of old school standard "Phantom of the Opera," while the closing coda of "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" featured dueling guitar harmony godly enough to make Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana snap their guitar strings in envy. Dickinson's vocals were powerful, booming, and almost always on point. Some of the high notes in "The Trooper" seemed to escape him, and some general wear was evident in his voice as the night wore on, but otherwise he was nothing short of stellar. His most impressive moment came when he let loose a low, ringing, haunting howl on heartfelt ballad "Fear of the Dark."

There was no lack of great visual moments either. Whether it was giant ghoulish sphinxes, demonic beasts in the background, or crazed zombie air pilots, there was always something to delight the eyes and ears. It was Dickinson himself, however, who delivered the most iconic moments of the night, triumphantly waving the U.K. flag during "The Trooper," and donning an aviator's helmet during the soaring power metal anthem "Aces High."

Bay Area thrash metal heroes Megadeth warmed the seat for Maiden, and put on a ravaging performance of their own. Dave Mustaine and crew brought plenty of headbanging and ripping solos, interspersed with video clips of Wayne's World characters referencing the band. They tore through a brisk nine song setlist in less than an hour, pausing only for Mustaine to briefly address the crowd before the final song, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due." Always a politically charged songwriter, he took time to espouse his opposition to U.S. involvement in the Syrian situation. It was hard to hear what he said after that because some guy the row down from us started loudly bellowing about how Obama sucks penis. He also reached out to the home crowd by mentioning that he had briefly lived in Nashville.

The real show stealer, however, was guitarist Chris Broderick. He incinerated the airspace with jaw dropping solos on "Symphony of Destruction" and most notably on "Tornado of Souls," an ardent fan favorite just based on its guitar solo alone. The short set made it hard to feel like fans were getting the full Megadeth experience, but they made the best of the time they had. 

Chris Broderick and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth shred the night away.

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Related posts:

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier review
Megadeth - Th1rt3en review

Trans-Siberian Orchestra will have you ready to deck the halls

It seems everyone has a list of traditions they usually carry out during the holiday season.

Most people either Xmas shopping, baking gingerbread cookies, putting up decorations, or just doing their best to avoid it all.

But there's something else that should be on your list. Something that you need to do at least once. If seeing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra isn't on your list, shame on you.

The spectacle of lights, fireworks, neo-classical rock, and Christmas themed energy is something that everyone needs to witness at least once. And the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought it to Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Dec. 12 in grand style.

Prepare to be amazed by the TSO light show.

Their first and most famous album, Christmas Eve and other Stories, is a rock opera that tells the story of a man on a search to find the meaning of Christmas. The first half of the show consists of a musical narrative of this story. You have a narrator who tells the story and sets the stage for each song. This part of the show will definitely get you pumped up and in the Christmas spirit.

The band lineup consists of three tuxedo clad guitarists, a drummer, a keyboard/piano player, and a elastic female violinist who looks like she could jump kick you in the face. I can't really name people by name becase I coldn't keep up.

And then there is the singer. Guy is truly an epic hard rock vocalist.

Members of TSO play off each other very well.

He has great range, emotion and feeling and really understands the concepts behind showmanship. His vocal pyrotechnics during "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" lit up the stadium just as effectively as any of the myriad fireworks or light displays the band utilizes.

The guitar playing is truly phenomenal. During "O Holy Night" they unleashed a flurry of sweeps and scales so fast that even Joe Satriani would be swelling with pride.

And the light show ensures there are always unique and elaborate backgrounds for every song. There are a lot of cool colors, a lot of purples and blues that help set the mood but every now and then the stage will be washed in a majestic gold light.

The narrator, Phillip Brandon, is a big guy that reminds me of Seal, or James Earl Jones. Personally I didn't know the story coming in, and I feel like you lose something without knowing that. The narrator does a fine job, he's all deep voiced and bombastic and everything, but after a while he started to get tedious. And having him come in between every song is a little much.

The second half of the show saw the band break out into a little more diversity. There was a mash up of the Beatles "Help!" with some other song I didn't recognize the name of. There was also a soprano falsetto vocalist who sang and danced on a stage opposite the main stage on the other side of the arena.

There were also a couple of Beethoven tracks, along with long catwalks extending out over the seating area that the guitar players walked out on.

Virtually everyone that I know who's been to a TSO concert has been blown away at their experience. Is it overwrought and over the top? Sure, but you can't help but admire it. It takes incredible effort to coordinate the lights, fireworks, choreography, and music.

I would have liked it if they did more covers; the Help! half-cover they did was pretty lame. And I would have liked a little more Beethoven. I'm also pretty sure there were a couple of songs they played more than once.

Overall I thought it was a good show, but I think the fact that over half the concert was spent storytelling turned out to be an issue. I had a problem making out what the narrator was saying, and after a while I didn't care. I think it would have worked better in a smaller, more intimate venue.

But that aside, seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra is still a great show to see. Are they over the top? Sure. Do they reek a little of 80s metal? At times, but for your dollar there's no better way to get yourself into the Christmasy mood.

Paul McCartney rocks the Bridgestone like none other

The legendary Sir Paul McCartney.

This was the best show I’ve ever seen. No seriously. Paul McCartney stepped onto the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena decked out in his black suit and Hofner bass. Though he’d never performed in Nashville, he had spent a few weeks on a ranch just outside Nashville in 1974 during a songwriting session for Wings. I managed to catch the show from his Up and Coming Tour on July 26, and I think it’s safe to say that it ranks up there with one of the best shows Nashville’s seen in a long time.

When he first came on, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that much noise from a crowd anywhere. The show lasted about three hours, but it’s the kind of show you don’t want to end. McCartney’s humor, top notch lighting and pyrotechnics, combined with some of the most iconic songs of the 20^th century make this show a night you won’t ever forget.

Going into the show, I was interested in the quality of the sound. I’d only seen one other show at the Bridgestone Arena – Metallica, Lamb of God, and Gojira – and the sound wasn’t the great, particularly the guitar. I was pleased to see Mr. McCartney had no such issues. Everything sounded crisp, clear, and rockin’. 

Vocally, McCartney sounded great. He still has a great rock voice, evidenced by the high octane performance he delivered on Got to Get You into My Life. The first half of the show spotlighted Paul’s non-Beatle work. I’m not very well versed on McCartney’s solo career, so I didn’t recognize very many of those songs. 

The second half of the show featured more of the legendary material: Eleanor Rigby, Hey Jude, Let It Be, etc. Some of the highlights included McCartney’s tribute to former bandmate George Harrison, who died of lung cancer in 2001. He tells the crowd that Harrison was an accomplished ukele player as he brings his own ukele on stage. He begins playing Something, a song on which Harrison originally sang lead vocal. McCartney’s version is in a slightly faster tempo. The full band joins in during the guitar solo and plays the rest of the song in regular time. Meanwhile, a slide show of Harrison photos is playing in the background. It was a very moving tribute to a McCartney’s friend and former Beatle. 

He also paid tribute to John Lennon by performing Here Today. Another highlight was when McCartney broke out Blackbird, a pretty acoustic number from The White Album. To hear this was a pleasant surprise; I’d hoped to hear this song, but I wasn’t expecting it since it’s buried pretty deep in the Beatles’ back catalog. The crowd had a great reaction to this one as well. 

The crowd really got into the show. There was a lot of dancing in the aisles, and it was a neat experience to see the lighters (or cellphones) in the air for Hey Jude. But what was even cooler than that was seeing a couple of the audience members actually getting to join Paul on stage. McCartney saw a boy in the audience holding a poster that said he wanted to get on stage and play a song. Paul invited him onstage and let him dance while the band played Get Back. Another fan got to come on stage to get an autograph from McCartney.

Paul also showed off his talent as a great frontman; he usually provided an interesting tidbit or a little humor between songs. After playing Back in the USSR, he talked about playing in Red Square and how many Russian fans had learned a little English through Beatles songs. The rest of his band was great as well. He had a guitar player who looks like an older version of Gerard Way, the other guitarist resembles a younger version of Tom Petty. They also had a big drummer who broke out some neat dance moves, then came out from behind the set to lay down some impressive backing vocals on Eleanor Rigby.

Seeing Paul McCartney was easily the greatest concert experience I’ve ever had. It’s hard to top rocking out to Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Helter Skelter, Sgt. Peppers, and The End, and knowing that everyone around you is as into it as you are. And it’s cool how he has such a multi-generational impact. Fans of all ages turned out, from twenty-somethings all the way up to the long time fans who grew up with The Beatles. Admittedly I’m a big Beatle fan so that probably made it better, but McCartney concerts have that intangible quality that could entertain just about anyone. If you ever get a chance to go, I can’t recommend it enough.