After announcing a while back that he was mixing a live album, Arcade Fire's Will Butler has confirmed that the concert set is about to be released through Merge. Dubbed Friday Night, the record arrives on a Friday morning, June 17.
As previously reported, Butler had tweeted news of the release back in November, grilling fans about what they expected out of a live album, and asking: "does 'vibe' make up for it sounding sorta crazy?"
Now, he's revealed that the concert recording mostly took place last June at Chicago's Lincoln Hall. Joining Butler onstage that night were percussionist Miles Arntzen (EMEFE, Antibalas), synth bass player Julie Shore, and synth player Sara Dobbs.
The set list comprises a handful of songs from his solo debut, Policy, a couple of songs from his series of singles for The Guardian, and five previously unreleased cuts. While there's plenty of music to enjoy on the LP, Butler also hints that Friday Night also has its fair share of hilarious moments.
He explained in a statement:
Think of this as a comedy record. In some ways literally-Brooklyn comedian Jo Firestone does the introduction and the "solo" in 'Friday Night'-but also, it's an album based on working out ideas in a room full of people, playing off their energy and expectations. It's about taking complicated emotions and wringing communal joy from them, and then translating that joy onto record. So here you go!
Below, you'll find the full set list details, as well as a live video of the band knocking out Policy opener "Take My Side."
Friday Night:
1. Encore - Tell Me We're All Right
2. Introduction
3. You Must Be Kidding
4. Son of God
5. Sun Comes Up
6. Madonna Can't Save Me Now
7. Something's Coming
8. Anna
9. II
10. Sing to Me
11. Public Defender
12. Take My Side
13. Encore - Friday Night
As previously reported, Butler had tweeted news of the release back in November, grilling fans about what they expected out of a live album, and asking: "does 'vibe' make up for it sounding sorta crazy?"
Now, he's revealed that the concert recording mostly took place last June at Chicago's Lincoln Hall. Joining Butler onstage that night were percussionist Miles Arntzen (EMEFE, Antibalas), synth bass player Julie Shore, and synth player Sara Dobbs.
The set list comprises a handful of songs from his solo debut, Policy, a couple of songs from his series of singles for The Guardian, and five previously unreleased cuts. While there's plenty of music to enjoy on the LP, Butler also hints that Friday Night also has its fair share of hilarious moments.
He explained in a statement:
Think of this as a comedy record. In some ways literally-Brooklyn comedian Jo Firestone does the introduction and the "solo" in 'Friday Night'-but also, it's an album based on working out ideas in a room full of people, playing off their energy and expectations. It's about taking complicated emotions and wringing communal joy from them, and then translating that joy onto record. So here you go!
Below, you'll find the full set list details, as well as a live video of the band knocking out Policy opener "Take My Side."
Friday Night:
1. Encore - Tell Me We're All Right
2. Introduction
3. You Must Be Kidding
4. Son of God
5. Sun Comes Up
6. Madonna Can't Save Me Now
7. Something's Coming
8. Anna
9. II
10. Sing to Me
11. Public Defender
12. Take My Side
13. Encore - Friday Night
