Saw the Arcade Fire and discovered an equally good band in the process!

We went to see Arcade Fire in Asheville. They had a really interesting and kinda psychedelic stage show, with weird lighting and television effects. They were very high engery, exchanging instruments nearly every song! And, they seemed to be very full of themselves. Their sound people had them turned up too loud, which pissed off the main singer/leader of the band. Likewise, they only played "the hits," and didn't do anything either new or innovative like they had been described as doing at other concerts.

Indeed, the opening band, The National, actually gave a much better performance. Their music just grabbed ahold of your soul from the get-go and didn't let up until they finished their set, each song possessing a multitude of flavors and layers that washed over you like an ocean wave, only to suddenly cease right as it seemed that a tidal wave was about to descend on you. Or something like that. The big lesson here, especially relevant to the GSHA band, was: DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY THAT YOU CAN'T EFFECTIVELY SCREAM AND WAIL AND DRUNKENLY DANCE ALL OVER THE STAGE WHILE YOUR BACKING BAND LAYS THE VOODOO DOWN!