Career Spanning Set - Arcade Fire Brings Magic to Lolla

“There’s so much fucking poison in the air. We need love and peace, and we need it now,” Win Butler said as the band began the classic song. “We fucking love you so much, thank you for supporting the band.” The performance that followed was a picture-perfect distillation of the Beatles’ legendary call for clarity, love, and consideration — but with a twist. As the song drew to a close, the band interpolated pieces of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” and David Bowie’s “Oh You Pretty Things” (the latter of whom Win mourned, noting that “we’re all here because of David Bowie”), before returning to a snippet of their own “Wake Up”. It was an exhilarating moment, tying everything up together in a cathartic bow.

By the time I boarded the train to get back home, my head was still lifted somewhere over the park, the song ringing in my ears — but wait, that was just the half-dozen strangers who decided on an impromptu whistling rendition of the song. Tonight, Arcade Fire marveled aloud whether the enchantment of their decades-long magic works without the marketing campaigns, the costumes and paper-mâché heads, and the constant goodwill for new material. The answer: It does.

Setlist: Everything Now Rebellion (Lies) Here Comes the Night Time Signs of Life Electric Blue No Cars Go Keep the Car Running The Suburbs Ready to Start Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Reflektor Afterlife Creature Comfort Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) Encore: Wake Up Mind Games (John Lennon cover)