Arcade Fire.

I begin with an apology, this entry might run a little long :)

I had the good fortune of attending the Arcade Fire show at the Shrine Auditorium last night. I remember Jeff buying one of their cd's a while ago, and I was kind of indifferent about it. The real reason for me going was because I got to volunteer with Partners in Health, helping spread the word to fans of Arcade Fire, and trying to raise some funds. I thought it was a bonus to get to hear that band. Holy guacamole.

They're amazing. They reminded me of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: there's just soo many people on stage, playing all sorts of instruments, and they're all genuinely excited and passionate about what they're doing. It shows and it's contagious. Anyhow, they played a song last night that I really liked, but since I've never really heard much of their stuff, I don't know what song it is. I tried to find it on youtube so I could post it here, but I didn't have any luck. Instead I found about six other videos that are uber amazing (I lowered the final count...).

Ok, this first one is "Wake Up" and it's actually from the show I was at. It was their closing song, however, so I actually had to miss it because I was getting ready to annoy more people with donation requests :)



This next one is "Ready to Start." I love the song, but I also love this video because it shows how talented and passionate all of these guys are.



This one's just freakin cool:



This last one is called "Haiti." One of the lead singers is actually from Haiti, so it puts the song in perspective a little bit. I'm actually gonna post the lyrics, because they're a little difficult to understand, but the whole point of this song is the power of the lyrics:



Hait, mon pays,
wounded mother I'll never see.
Ma famille set me free
Throw my ashes into the sea.

Mes cousins jamais nes
hantent les nuits de Duvalier
Rien n'arrete nos espirits.
Guns can't kill what soldiers can't see.

In the forest we are hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldires angry yelling,
in the river we will go.

Tous les morts-nes forment una armee,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.

Haiti, never free,
n'aie pas peur de sonner l'alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
in those days their blood was still warm.