(Like most of the other posts here, this is also running in my Gazette blog)

Has April Fool’s Day come early? I mean, Halloween has passed, so how else to explain the dress code Arcade Fire has reportedly instituted for people who pay to go to their concerts? I mean, I could understand if the band suggested that it would be real nice if people dressed up in formal attire or costumes. But to make it mandatory, as some media are reporting? Hmm . . . what would Jim Morrison or Janis Joplin think about all of this? Or Bob Dylan? Or Keith Richards? Or Neil Young? Or the greatest gods of rock, Page and Plant? Or any other rock ‘n’ roller?

Confession: I am not an Arcade Fire fan, and wouldn’t attend a concert even if you gave me free tickets and told me to dress however I wanted. When I hear their music on CHOM, I am always reminded of smoke and mirrors. There is a lot of distraction, but no outstanding features. I can’t think of one song by them that will still get radio play 20 years from now. I’m beginning to suspect that the formal dress code and/or costumes is all part of the smoke and mirrors act  — everyone is so busying checking out each other’s appearance that nobody really pays all that much attention to the music. OK, that sounds pretty harsh, especially since I have never seen the band live: they might very well be a good performance band, and they certainly have a lot of fans. But I often flip over to talk radio (CJAD) for a few minutes when CHOM plays one of their recordings — to each their own, yes?

Still, even if I were a fan, on principle I wouldn’t pay my hard-earned dollars to fill the coffers of a rock band that makes unreasonable demands of their audience. After all, going to a rock concert should not be confused with a night at the opera or an OSM performance. Then again, given its almost orchestral approach to music, perhaps Arcade Fire is aspiring to be a symphony orchestra, a sort of abridged version of the OSM. I dunno. Or maybe they’re just indulging in some funny herbs that make them come up with nutty ideas.

Hey, I wouldn’t dress  in formal attire for a Led Zeppelin reunion, even if Bonzo rose from the grave and took his place behind the drum kit. Au contraire, if I were in the first row of a concert featuring Robert Plant in all his former glory and the rest of Zep, I might peel off my top and bra . . . Smiles . . . Just sayin’ . . .

I think Arcade Fire should stick to making back-stage demands — “red Smarties only!” — like other rock stars do.

Jillian