There is a light rain drizzling over New York City and somewhere in Brooklyn, Arcade Fire is playing, but they don’t want you to know about it. The details of the show remain a mystery, but block by block fans of the biggest underground band to ever win a Grammy are lined up single file in costumes and custom clothing. Why the abnormal attire? Because a poster told them they may be able to see The Reflektors.
The Reflektors is Arcade Fire’s alter ego, the name the band has recently donned while playing shows under the radar in preparation for the release of its highly anticipated album Reflektor out Tuesday on Merge Records.
The pandemonium in New York City started with a poster about a week ago discovered by somebody simply saying “The Reflektors, Brooklyn” with two dates of “10/18” and “10/19” and faceless caricatures of the group. The clearest thing about the poster was the bottom line, stating: “Formal attire or costume mandatory.”
With a convenient visit already planned to see my brother who lives in Brooklyn, I,along with thousands of others, took the bait and started the hunt for how and where this was happening. After a frustrating and unsuccessful endeavor with the mismanaged online ticket process, it looked as though my brother and I would not experience the return of Arcade Fire. Nevertheless, we decided to check out the scene on the second night of the secret shows and see what may happen.
Masquerade masks and skinny ties glittered the eager line as we approached the neon entrance to the mysterious venue. We came across a sly scalper, who struck up a side conversation with us about some tickets instead of advertising them to the whole crowd. We asked few questions, purchased them and within a flash hopped in a line where we were ushered inside.
Packed tighter than sardines, we waited and waited… and waited, gazing readily at a black curtain projecting a rotating “The Reflektors” as Afro-pop and ‘80s new wave music appeased the sweaty crowd. Then, the crowd stood on their toes as a masked James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem poked his head out to introduce Brooklyn to The Reflektors. The ambiance exploded as the black curtain was yanked apart, revealing a radiant set with alt-rock’s favorite band ready to blast.
This is a group that sold out Madison Square Garden and won a Grammy for Best Album in 2011 with its third LP The Suburbs. But then they disappear for 3 years and return in a mild fashion with two secret shows under a pseudonym in the middle of Brooklyn? Demanding its fans make themselves look ridiculous for a venue that holds barely 3,000 and then organizing a dance party with the crowd? That’s not how stardom works.
Arcade Fire is breaking down the pedestal its fans have put them on. The band has been to the top and seen the view, and wishes to remain grounded with everybody else. Arcade Fire, and The Reflektors, is a band that is about dancing with the crowd in silly costumes, not watching from a distance while it counts its money.
The lesson Arcade Fire offers is to let what you make be a quality product, but don’t let yourself get in the way of it. Don’t make yourself the focal point of the music or anything else you create. Call yourself something else if that’s what it takes. And appreciate what other people do for what it is, not because of the context behind who they are. Don’t let the curtain fool you, behind it stands someone who just wants to be a normal person.
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