Arcade Fire took the stage at Chicago’s United Center on Tuesday for the first of two Windy City stops on the band’s Reflektor tour—one that has been cemented as a must-see concert event of the summer. And it is an event, so much so that the band encouraged fans to sport their fanciest, shiniest formal attire or a costume for the show.
Devo kicked things of with a frenzy of classic new wave, as frontman Mark Mothersbaugh tossed several of the band’s signature “energy dome” hats into the crowd during the group’s biggest hit, “Whip It.” Dan Deacon entertained next, unleashing his zany compositions while conducting fans into mass dance exercises from the center of the floor. And then came Arcade Fire, whose setlist was littered with highlights that only escalated in energy—from their legendary debut, Funeral, to last year’s Reflektor, complete with Bo Diddly single “Who Do You Love?” serving as the evening’s honorary cover song.
We may be stuck in a “reflective age,” but Arcade Fire did their best to we make sure we celebrate it. Here’s to night two.