Seeing the Arctic Monkeys at such an intimate of a venue as The Music Hall Of Williamsburg is a big deal. It be near impossible to see them in such an intimate setting in the UK. It was the last show of their North American tour, and everyone was in high spirits including of course, Arctic Monkeys themselves. Immediately Alex Turner teasingly asked the crowd, “Are you in a better mood than I am? You wouldn’t know that, would you? I would doubt it.” Oh, we would soon be, Alex.
“Pretty Visitors” kicked things off, and right away I noticed a more interactive frontman in Turner who was nearing the edge of the stage, teasing all of the eager fans mere feet away from the band. The band gave a thunderous performance of “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” with a hint of bad-ass that hinted at Mr. Josh Homme. The band sounded tight and relaxed, and looked like they were having a genuine blast playing, which isn’t always the case live. They were all smiles, and I could just sense the band letting loose a bit, and just having fun with it.
“Fluorescent Adolescent” got things moving a bit in between “She’s Thunderstorms” and “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala”, but I was shocked at how tame the crowd was for an Arctic Monkeys concert. Turner’s watchful eye must have taken note as he told the crowd it was time to get serious, before launching into the beautiful assault of “Brianstorm”, “The View From The Afternoon”, “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, “This House Is A Circus” and “Still Take You Home”. Everything about the crowd being calm was immediately erased on the floor of sweaty organized chaos.
“Evil Twin” the spanking new b-side to “Suck It And See’ is dynamite live (video), a perfect compliment to the title track which absolutely hit home live. “When The Sun Goes Down” was just as electrifying as ever, but the gold star goes “Do Me A Favour” once again proving why it’s a staple track of an Arctic Monkeys setlist.
Turner started the encore is similar fashion once again teasing the crowd with “Are you still in a good mood? Are in a better mood than me yet?”, before smashing through “Teddy Picker”, an awe inspiring version of “Crying Lightning”, and “505” which the band put everything they had left into.
With about 500 people in attendance, it’s safe to say that this show will go down as one of the best Arctic Monkeys gigs to date. The songs were loud, strong, and played even better than we remembered them. The band was happier than ever, interacted with the crowd and even showed some bromance (Alex kissing Jamie on the cheek). It was a good crowd, one that I was proud to sing, push, and dance with. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Turner ended things with an encouraging, “See you next year, New York!”. I’m already counting down the days.
Setlist:
Smith Westerns opened the show. There were some sound issues, but as a whole the band sounded pretty solid. Still wish they would show some more energy live. They’re a talented bunch, just need some more time I believe.
Check out some photos:
Smith Westerns:
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