Queen Media Collective

My sister introduced me to a band called Arctic Monkeys when I was fairly young. However, I did not keep up with their music until college. When their album AM came out, I desperately wanted to see them live, but unfortunately  never got the chance. When Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was announced, I knew that they were going to be on tour soon. I immediately bought tickets for my friend and I without giving the new songs a proper listen.

I have to admit that I was not impressed with the new album just because I was used to the rock and chaotic noise of their previous albums. There were two songs that really stuck out to me: “4 out of 5” and “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.” I was just curious to see the new album live, because the album is so calm compared to the previous albums. I was very excited to see how many songs from AM they were going to play because that is one of my favorite albums of all time.

After six long months, it was finally time for the concert. I was beyond excited to see the band and be in a concert environment again. I had never been to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium before so I did not know what to expect crowd-wise. I was genuinely surprised to see so many people lined up. The line was almost two blocks long and there were people everywhere. The venue itself had a huge general admission floor and even a balcony section for people to sit down. I chose to stay on the floor, because I just had to have room to dance. Unfortunately, being on the floor meant tall people all in front of me. I could see the band every once in a while, but I was mostly there to hear the band play so I was not too upset about it.

Arctic Monkeys started the show with “4 out of 5” and I feel like that is how I would rate the concert. They had a really good mix of songs: 7 songs from AM, 5 songs from Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, 3 songs from Favorite Worst Nightmare, 3 songs from Humbug, 2 songs from Suck It and See, and 1 song from Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Hearing “Arabella” live made me love the song even more and I think it was one of my favorite moments of the night. Of course everyone went crazy when they played “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor” which is probably one of their most iconic songs. It always amazes me when I see a band live and the singer sounds exactly like the record. Alex Turner has such a unique voice and sound, which is why I have been a fan of them for a while. I also loved the suits that the band wore. It gives them a classy look while rocking out. I was definitely not a fan of Alex Turner’s new haircut. I was expecting his normal cool guy hair, but we got a buzz cut instead. It did not suit him, that’s for sure.

The show overall was fantastic and I would love to see them again. The only issue I had with their set was the new album. No one knew how to react to the new songs. People just awkwardly swayed until the next song came on. If they do go back on tour, I am curious to see what their set list would be like.

Check out their music video for “Do I Wanna Know?” below.