music

"I feel like I'm at a hockey game."

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler made that slapshot midway through his band's concert Sunday night at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Good thing Butler plays in a Canadian group -- or at least in a band that didn't turn up its nose at and actually made the best out of its questionable venue choice in St. Paul.

Along with opening band LCD Soundsystem, Sunday's show found two of rock's most innovative and outright thrilling new bands playing one of the Twin Cities' most decrepit and outdated venues. It was the show of the year for hipsters who stay tuned to the Current (89.3 FM) and the music blogs, and it could have been disastrous. Instead, it was simply unforgettable.

The Wilkins definitely muddied some of the Arcade Fire's pristine orchestral parts, but its cavernous layout did suit the Montreal band's burgeoning fan base (nearly 5,000 strong here) and its surprisingly elaborate stage setup. Props included a giant pipe organ, circular video screens, blood-red neon lights and five floating, electric Good Books -- taken from the cover of the group's acclaimed sophomore album, "Neon Bible."

The performance aimed to be large and grandiose, which is to be expected of a band featuring 10 members on tour -- who are known to run hyperactively around stage, rotating between three or four instruments apiece.

The 90-minute set started just as "Neon Bible" does, with the spooky opener "Black Mirror" followed by perhaps the most rocking mandolin- and- accordion-fueled tune of all time, "Keep the Car Running." Aside from the older nuggets "Haiti" and "Cold Wind," the group focused on "Bible" material for three-quarters of the show, climaxing with the frantic opus "(Antichrist Television Blues)" and the gorgeous dirge "Windowsill."

Introducing "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" as "a song about lots of snow, so you can probably relate," Butler led the Fire through a flurry of tunes off its 2004 breakout first album, "Funeral." They ended with a rousing encore finale of "Wake Up."

Awe-faced fans filed out knowing that, if there's still justice in the music biz, the next time Arcade Fire comes to town it will probably perform next door at the Xcel Energy Center -- where they do have hockey games.

Had the Arcade Fire been anything less than superb, it would have had the show stolen by LCD Soundsystem. The post-punk/dance-rock band led by hip tastemaker James Murphy played a 70-minute coming-out set that was a career-maker, with a steady hammering of rhythms and rhythmic vocal pattering that built to howling heights.

See the set list and fan comments at www.startribune.com/poplife.

Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658

Chris Riemenschneider • chrisr@startribune.com