Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire's show at Metropolis, Montreal's premier mid-sized venue, was all about the suburbs: we're talking both the album and the crowd that managed to score tickets to the near-instantly sold-out performance. Montreal's local heroes played a surprisingly short 90-minute set unfortunately overwhelmed with less-than-inspiring songs from their Grammy-winning album, performed in well-rehearsed cookie-cutter pop band fashion. Of course, an Arcade Fire show can only really be judged against other Arcade Fire shows; by any other standards, this one was a solid set. But sadly, long gone are the days of spontaneity and inspired improvisation, playing in the middle of the crowd and singing fervently into megaphones, which gave their live performance its sparkling reputation.