Arcade Fire surprised Fans with the new single “Everything Now” at a not announced gig at Primavera Sound Festival 2017. Here is how it all happened:
When Arcade Fire comes as a big surprise at Primavera Sound 2017.
Suddenly, Win Butler stands right next to us and has the same concern as us. He would like to go to Steve Mackeys and Jarvis Cockers “Dancefloor Meditation”, which takes place on the first evening of the Primavera Sound Festival at the Heineken Secret Stage. For this special stage, which has a separate entrance within the festival grounds, one needs one of the golden wristbands that are given in a limited quantity every day at the little Heineken tend on First Come First Serve basis. Or you have to be on the guest list. The guy at the entrance asks if the tall man with hat and white jacket is on that very special list. Yes, he his he is, and tells him his name. There he goes, the frontman of our favourite band Arcade Fire.
Oh boy, we were so much looking forward to seeing Arcade Fire live once more on Saturday evening. We didn’t know at this time that we should expect a lot of amazing surprises. The unintended encounter with Win Butler sets a promising starting point.
On the next day, a photo will appear on Twitter. On the festival site which just opened its gates, fans spotted brand new Arcade Fire T-Shirts at the Merch Stand. But not only that: the new single as limited edition 12” with orange vinyl appeared as well. “Everything Now” is the name. So much is already clear, at the latest on Saturday we will witness the first live performance of the new, long awaited, single. As we head towards the festival, a video appears on YouTube. Someone plays “Everything Now” in a record store. One only hears fragments, since there is constant chattering in between. What you can hear is, however, glorious and leaves us with a big grin. What’s this? ABBA?
A lot of disco? A pan flute? The internet seems to explode with enthusiastic comments on a song that you can really only hear under difficult conditions. A fan who got hold of a record and whom we get to know personally, laments on Twitter what a terrible moment it is to be in possession of the new Arcade Fire Single but not to be near a record player.
JUST BOUGHT THIS IM FREAKIN OUT https://t.co/DkEG6N9Czt
— Ian McQueen-Mason (@ianMM) May 31, 2017
Is there a secret Arcade Fire Show at Primavera Sound?
But before we reach the festival ground, everything is gone. The T-shirts were taken down, the records disappeared. Has anyone made a mistake and put out everything too early? Or is it all part of a big plan? The latter we believe more and more every hour. Somehow, it’s all too crazy to just be a random chain of coincidences. For days, the rumour has it that Arcade Fire would play a secret show as part of the Primavera Sound. The report of a fan, allegedly on the most secret arcade fire show of all time, is circulating on Thursday. Supposedly only 50 fans, who were chauffeured by bus to a Gaudi castle outside Barcelona were able to attend an intimate concert by candlelight. Well – is there actually a Gaudi castle an hour outside of Barcelona? And does this report not read like a persiflage of the strangest arcade fire show you’ve ever heard of? And most of all – did’t we see Win Butler at the time? Someone plays their jokes with us!
Bam, the next day – the next photo on Twitter, this time from a Japanese account. Supposedly someone has sighted a stage on the festival grounds, in which the characteristic Arcade Fire instruments are clearly visible. Is the band rumbling around with us again? But it does not that we dind’t care about it, so that we – armed with the picture- began to search the site. And indeed, there it is, the mysterious stage! A handful of fans are already around the barriers. Half past nine something is supposed to happen here. What exactly it is, no one wants to tell, but at the time we already did the math.Wait a minute … half nine, that’s exactly when Broken Social Scene plays next door on the Ray Ban Stage! This can’t be just another joke. There remains only something that we really only do in e xtreme emergencies: divide us. But we can’t miss the live premiere of the new single “Everything Now” on a small 360-degree stage with a Spanish sunset in the background. Broken Social Scene must wait a little bit.
Arcade Fire to play their new single “Everything Now”
And what a live premiere! The energy of Arcade Fire, the unrestrained urge of the band to finally play live again, can be felt in every little inch of their moves. There is a fiddling, wriggling, drumming and singing with all what the soul has to offer. The whole band in their black bomber jackets with the “Everything Now” world globe symbol on their backs, look so absolutely cool. Regine Chassagne is just so full of charm, Win Butler steps down with his long legs to the audience and performs well-dosed rockstar gestures. Will Butler is no one who is willing to use well-dosed. He gives everything, as one knows it, simply everything, with full body use. During “Rebellion” he even climbs on the edge of the stage up to the headlights. Just like Richard Reed Parry, who workes on his various instruments as if there was no tomorrow. Even drummer Jeremy Gara can’t get the grin out of his face. The Warm Up Gig lasts more than an hour. A complete Arcade Fire concert with two new singles and lots of old acquaintances. All Killer, No Filler.
With all this happening, and last but not least with their official headline gig at the Mango Stage on Saturday evening, Arcade Fire prove that they occupy an absolute special position in today’s music world. It’s been a while since they have fallen out the regular definition of an inide band, but they are still not a typical stadium rock band. We have never seen a band marketing their presence at a festival and the launch of the new single so cleverly, and at the same time not selling out themselves as. Arcade Fire unite style, skill and of course humour in an inimitable way. Where do they fit in at all? Nowhere – for Arcade Fire it needs a very own drawer. A very big one, please. There is so much more that needs to fit in there in the near future.
Join me on my Rock ’n Roll journey,
Kate Rock
Deutscher Beitrag erschienen auf FastForward Magazine
Foto Mango Stage: Sergio Albert / Primavera Sound
Fotos Secret Gig: Kate Rock
For me nothing tops music on the road. With the breeze in your hair and the radio on extra loud, you see the world in a completely different light. Sometimes euphoric, sometimes upsetting, but always something special. Suddenly your ears fill your mind with memories both good and bad and that’s something not many things can do.
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