September 21, 2007 20:11

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem storm Hollywood Bowl

They draw a star-studded crowd

Photo Gallery: Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem drew a massive, star-studded crowd to their show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last night (September 20).

Playing for a 13,000-strong audience that included Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, James Spader, Marisa Tomei, Giovanni Ribisi, Rod Stewart and KT Tunstall, both bands delivered characteristically strong performances.

LCD Soundsystem kicked things off with the slow-burner 'Us v Them' before launching into the crowd-pleasing 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House'. The crowd cheered, but very few people put down their picnic dinners to stand up and dance.

James Murphy and company continued their dance-rock assault for just over an hour, concluding with their only downtempo number, 'New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down'.

Arcade Fire took the stage just after 9pm and fought through sound troubles during their first two songs 'Black Mirror' and 'Keep The Car Running'. By the time they launched into their third song 'Neighborhood #2 (Laika)', however, they were in full swing and had the crowd up on their feet.

Surveying the massive audience, frontman Win Butler said: "We were playing fucking [300 capacity] Spaceland like yesterday, so this is pretty overwhelming."

Butler wore a dark suit with neon stripes across it, while Regine Chassagne wore a demure ruffled black and red dress.

"Did you all bring a coat? This is as close to winter as you poor bastards get," Butler said on the unusually chilly LA evening.

The 10-piece band swapped instruments throughout the night, and the exuberant brass and percussion sections often playfully hit one another.

The band focused on their most recent album 'Neon Bible' during the first half of their 90-minute set, but it was material from 2004's 'Funeral', such as 'Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)' and 'Wake Up', that got the biggest cheers from the audience and prompted mass sing-alongs.

Before wrapping up the night, Butler thanked everyone for coming out and announced that $1 from each ticket would go toward Partners In Health, a non-profit organisation that provides health care in impoverished countries.

Arcade Fire played:

'Black Mirror'
'Keep The Car Running'
'Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)'
'No Cars Go'
'Haiti'
'Intervention'
'(Antichrist Television Blues)'
'My Body Is A Cage'
'Windowsill'
'Ocean Of Noise'
'Neighbourhood #2 (Tunnels)'
'Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)'
'Rebellion (Lies)'
'The Well And The Lighthouse'
'Wake Up'

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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