Win Butler Tells Randall's Island Arcade Fire Won't Be Back In NYC "For A Few Years," Covers Violent Femmes
Sorry for the doubled-up weekend Arcade action, but according to our inbox, we may not be posting about AF for awhile to come. Fearing Fire burnout (that's what happens when you see a band nine times in a year), we opted instead to see Caribou and Born Ruffians at Bowery last night (pics TK), but those attending the super-show (Les Savy Fav/Blonde Redhead/LCD Soundsystem/Arcade Fire) at Randall's Island had a little surprise: Win's mention that Arcade Fire were taking an extended break from our fair city.
"I know we come to New York a lot, but this is going to be the last time for a few years. So let’s have a good time tonight," he said according to reader Eliot Caroom. According to other emails, a (hopefully small) handful of New York fans responded in classy, New York fashion: with boos.
Guess it would've been nice for beonlineb.com to be an online concert telecast after all, eh?
Tour hiatus? Time for solo projects? Time for Win and Régine to focus on a little Butler? Or did the band just sense they were one or two more Drew Barrymore sightings away from complete and utter clichéd cool kid overexposure?
Let the irresponsible rumor mongering begin. (Thanks for writing in, everyone.)
And if you didn't make it last night, remember you can enter to win that tour-only split LCD/AF 7". It'll tide ya over for a few years.
UPDATE: "Thank you for a beautiful and memorable evening. Don't forget to write over the next couple of years!" (Thanks, km)
UPDATE #2: Sweet vid of their "second encore," covering Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off." (via BV)
Posted at 12:15 PM in Video
Tags: Arcade Fire | Violent Femmes
sounds like they're gonna be taking a break for a while. win said the same thing at the columbus show friday night.
"we're not gonna be back for a while" in the middle of the show
"see you in two years" before going into the last song (wake up)
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Remember that they took a pretty substantial break from touring before releasing Neon Bible.
Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Neon Bible, I do hope that we'll see more from them...
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Shit, no more touring? I still haven't seen them!
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I knew something like this would pop up when he said that last night.
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And now I'm pissed at myself for not going last night. Damnit.
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i thought he said two years at randalls island
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When Win said that last night, it just seemed to me that meant they wouldn't be touring the U.S. again until after they go and make their third album, pretty straightforward. This was the last night of their tour with LCD Soundsystem, they've done a bunch of shows for Neon Bible at this point and are due for a break, and that'll probably last until it's time for another record.
Also, Win came back to these remarks later. Towards the end of the show, he said something like "Don't forget to write, let us know what you're up to over the next few years."
I wouldn't put it past him to be exaggerating a little bit, like a few years might just mean a year and half. Point is they're taking a break. So happy I was finally able to catch 'em last night, phenomenal show.
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=a8rsBJ3F2wU
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Hopefully its just a break from New York. They play there SO MUCH yet never play Phoenix or Las Vegas. it sucks. New York has had enough shows, now come out here.
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Win said "...a couple of years", maybe that means 2.
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he said the same thing in columbus on friday, that the band was "recording a new album".
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:| you're just going to have to fly to europe if you want to see them now. i can't believe they're still touring, i feel as though they've been touring forever. it seems way too early for a new album though.
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The security guards don't look like big Violent Femmes fans! Haha, priceless!
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Paul's right: Win stated at the Columbus show that they wouldn't be back for a few years because they were going to "go work on a record."
No speculation is needed at this time.
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This all makes a lot of sense to me. 2007 has been a very good year for the Arcade Fire. They've moved past the indie buzz bin and onto prominent spots at Best Buy. They've been touring like mad. Even the Foo Fighters are covering them. Top of the world, Ma?
As with any measure of celebrity, overexposure turns interest into disinterest into outright loathing. "Won't they just get lost for awhile"? Taking a hiatus to get album three together means also giving an audience that's a little fired-out a chance to want them again.
God, how I wish Pam Anderson and Paris Hilton would try that for once.
DwD
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Even though I've seen them six times, four on the Neon Bible tour, this still just makes me want to cry! I know I'm ridiculous, and I know they do definitely deserve a break. But I'm going to miss them!
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Win and Regine are going to Haiti over december..so chances are touring is over until the next record.
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I love how them taking a break from NYC automatically means they must me taking a break from the rest of the country as well.
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that's because nyc is the center of the universe, forever and ever amen.
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so true ashrey! Arcade Fire are coming to Australia in january for big day out (and hopefully a side tour) so they're still touring, just not in new york.
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"According to other emails, a (hopefully small) handful of New York fans responded in classy, New York fashion: with boos."
I'm not a New Yorker but, come on, what's wrong with booing at the idea of a band you like not returning to your city for years? I think that that statement was being booed, not the band itself.
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You have no idea how excited I was to hear Arcade Fire were in the Big Day Out lineup. The fact that it coincided with news of the new Radiohead album made it the most exciting music news day in years.
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I like Arcade Fire. But they have NO business covering Violent Femmes. You can't improve upon that song, let alone with megaphones.
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"According to other emails, a (hopefully small) handful of New York fans responded in classy, New York fashion: with boos."
I can't think of anywhere that the crowd wouldn't boo at something like that.. in jest, of course. I'm sure they weren't offended!
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love those born ruffians...love em.
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They said the same thing @ the 10/5 Columbus show. Yes, it will be sad not to hear new tunes for a few years, but imagine the payoff of the next album.
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It's be nice if they'd actually tour through Canada. With Funeral, we had to wait over a year and a half to get them to play in Edmonton.
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two words, arcade fire: latin [freaking] america.
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Why are you writing about this when you could be writing about Arcade Fi...
Oh.
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Win joined the Boss on stage tonight in Ottawa for one Bruce tune (Thundercrack) and Keep the Car Running. Awesome...
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