Today’s Guardian music blog questions whether concert guest-lists have grown out of control, using a recent Arcade Fire concert at Brixton Academy as an example:
…even Arcade Fire, bastions of creative integrity, have become victims of a success they cannot control. First off, it didn’t bode well that the queue for the complimentary tickets and guest list at the gig almost equalled that for standard tickets. A large number of complimentary tickets usually means a great deal of handouts from sponsors to, dare I say it, people who are only there for a free night out, as opposed to the thousands of people who tried desperately to pay for tickets only to be left disappointed when the band’s UK shows sold out in a matter of minutes. Sure enough, on entering the stalls, I realised I was surrounded by people who didn’t really care very much about being there, certainly not half as much as they cared about getting the next round in and fiddling constantly with their mobile phones.
It’s a notable week on the charts, thanks to the combination of Christian rockers, a dead rapper, and the greatest band of all time in all history of mankind and earth. Biggest Debuts: Where to begin? More »
A few months ago, the Arcade Fire set up a hotline to promote their recent Neon Bible album. Now, R. Kelly has established a number of his own, which he will use to not only shill his record, but also to hand out to the lesser-fly honeys who try to get his digits. We were lucky enough to set up some time for the two artists to speak via their respective phone lines.
According to the often-disputed industry tip sheet HITS, there’s a three-way fight brewing for the No. 1 spot on this week’s album chart between Christian rockers Relient K, late New York hip-hop legend Notorious B.I.G., and the most important band in the universe. More »
The Arcade Fire? So yesterday, we know. But we couldn’t resist a final item about the band and its just-released Neon Bible album, as the record’s chart success will no doubt be analyzed to death by admirers and detractors alike. More »
And here we thought we were making a big deal out of the Arcade Fire. music [Google News] More »
A note to our readers joining us so early in the morning: Good morning! And also: Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know what day it is? No? More »
The clock is slowly ticking on our day of Arcade Fire fandom. And as the world spins and springs on the group’s collective whim–anxiously awaiting its next move–we’re checking in to see how the band members are biding their time: Win – Attending overalls-fitting session.Regine – Watching the… More »
– By going on tour! [NME] – By comparing the record-making process to the filmmaking process! [Chicago Tribune] – By burning! [Asu Web Devil] – By fizzling! [The Diamondback] – By quoting Dylan! [Edmonton Journal] – By being immortalized in very, very long opening paragraphs! More »
– “Arcade Fire mines classic U2 and Bruce Springsteen far better than the Killers recently did. And Arcade Fire didn’t lose its own voice in an attempt to sound bigger and grander. There are still plenty of its trademark noisy crescendos and old-fashioned accents like harp and hurdy-gurdy.” More »