The Arctic Monkeys recently set out on a worldwide tour to promote their fifth studio album, AM. The English indie rock band performed a sold out show in Boston on Tuesday, September 17th at the Paradise Rock Club. Known for performing in arenas, it was unlike the band to play in such a small venue that could hold less than 1,000 people.
Performing for the first time in Boston, the punk band Drowners started the show. They performed songs off their EP Between Us Girls, which was released last February. The lead singer, Matt Hitt, was an upbeat and sassy performer as he swayed his hips to the beat of every song. Hitt wore an Arctic Monkeys shirt when he performed and did not stop thanking the band for having them on their tour. He was clearly gracious and excited to be performing and it made their set even more enjoyable. Singing all types of songs about love, Drowners proved their talent when their performance got the crowd moving even though most had never heard their songs. After playing for a little over a half hour, the band finished their outstanding set.
The crowd started to get antsy waiting for the Arctic Monkeys to get on stage. Once the stage was set up and the instruments were in place, everyone started cheering for the Arctic Monkeys to perform. You could feel the excitement in the room as each fan stood, waiting for the music over the speakers in the club to stop, and for each band member to appear from the left side of the stage. Once the highly anticipated moment came, the crowd roared as Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, Nick O’Malley, and Alex Turner were suddenly right in front of them in a tiny nightclub.
Opening with, “Do I Wanna Know?” a single from their newest album, the crowd immediately started singing. Seeing as the song was not too upbeat, no one was moving around that much. That quickly changed when the Arctic Monkeys played songs including “Teddy Picker” and “Pretty Visitors”, which had fans jumping and screaming as Alex Turner sang. The once introverted Turner was happy to show his fairly new confidence as he sported his Elvis-inspired hairstyle. A few fans started crowd surfing, with one of them making it to the stage and immediately jumping back on the crowd. Fans especially went crazy when the band performed their first single, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.”
The Arctic Monkeys made sure not to neglect any of their five albums, performing songs from each. Most songs were off their newest album since it had been released a week prior to the concert. Some fans started requesting songs to be played, even though the band obviously had a set list planned out for their performance.
Fans would not stop freaking out when the Arctic Monkeys left the stage after performing 17 songs. They were ready for the encore and had no patience waiting for it. After fans chanted, “Arctic Monkeys” for a few minutes, the four members came back on stage to finish their set. Ending the night with, “One for the Road,” “Fluorescent Adolescent,” and “505,” the crowd sang as loud as they could knowing the show was almost over.
The Arctic Monkeys did not disappoint during their trip to Boston, once again proving they were an exceptionally talented group of men that could put on a memorable show.
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Written By: Kerianne Wilson
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