It was 105 in the queue to get into the show: poor weather for monkeys, much less from the arctic. The Arctic army had been lining up at attention since 9 A.M. to catch the Arctic Monkeys show.
When the band took the stage, they opened the show with the gorgeously melodic and melodramic “Riot Van,” and then followed with the musical equivalent of steroids and a pogo stick, “The View from the Afternoon.” Not one sweaty mess in the audience seemed fazed by the other 3,000 fans around them; the choir of disenchanted youth brought together by the unstoppable energy of songs like “From Ritz to Rubble” and “When the Sun Goes Down.” Fan favorite “I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor” had frontman Alex Turner proving he is rock’s coolest man as he hurled his black Fender toward the back of the stage. Turner even gave the girls (and a couple of boys) something to swoon about with short spurts of dancing.
The whole band seemed in entirely better mood than some previous LA shows, with Turner’s smile fixed in humorous amusement as he coerced kids to jump the lodge barrier onto the floor. “Cigarette Smoker Fiona,” “Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys?” and new song, “Leave Before the Lights Come On,” seemed to re-energize the band. Tonight for the fifteen-song set, filled to the brim with tales of prostitutes, fake tanned beauties, and a dead music culture — it’s just them, the boys, and their eager fans. CAROLINA GONZALEZ
Also Read
Compact Discs: Sound of the Future
Talk: Did you check out the Los Angeles show? What did you think? COMMENT
On the Web: TheRiotVan.com
