It's not every Saturday night that NBC allows a band to take over the post-SNL airwaves, but Arcade Fire isn't just any band (and for some music fans, they are the one and ONLY). After gracing Saturday Night Live's season premiere as musical guests, the Canadian troupe starred in their own Roman Coppola-directed, half-hour special, "Here Comes The Night Time," wherein they played three (really cool) new tracks from the upcoming album Reflektor. It was a strange affair led by an extraordinary band, and made us wish NBC would allow for late-night musical odysseys every weekend (is there a better after-party?). Filmed at Montreal's Salsathèque, the whole event had a joyous, somewhat psychedelic carnival feel, complete with masks, Día de Muertos-themed disco ensembles, and frontman Win Butler in a Prix-style mask. Dynamite! Quite a motley crew joined in on the party, too: Ben Stiller, Michael Cera, James Franco, Aziz Ansari, Rainn Wilson, Eric Wareheim, Bill Hader, and Zach Galifianakis all made brief, witty appearances, as did perennial SNL fan, Bono. But, Arcade Fire's performance alone rightfully stole the show. With towering, new disco-inflected tracks like "We Exist," Normal Person," and "Here Comes The Night Time," Arcade Fire prove that it's not just Daft Punk bringing back '70s funk vibes to a whole new generation — it's a sweeping pandemic. Saturday night fever, indeed!
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