Arctic Monkeys Concert Review

Arctic Monkeys concert review – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH – 06.22.14

Jacobs Pavillion at Nautica was packed tightly on Sunday night (06.22.14) for the Arctic Monkeys highly-anticipated return to Cleveland. The band, originally from Sheffield, England (recently dubbed the country’s “happiest city”), last stopped in Cleveland in March of 2012 on their tour with hometown heroes, The Black Keys.

While in town, the quartet left an impression great enough to leave Cleveland anxiously awaiting a headlining gig for over two years.

As the sun sunk into the Cuyahoga River, smoke filled the stage as the four members made their grand entrance in front of a sold-out crowd. Sporting their standard attire of button-downs and suit jackets, Arctic Monkeys electrified the packed house with “Do I Wanna Know?” from their 2013 release, ‘AM,’ which won the prestigious Brit Award and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Fans screamed the lyrics as frontman Alex Turner belted them out, while his iconic hips swayed side to side as he sang, leaving fans swooning. The band followed with two more ‘AM’ songs, the first titled “Snap Out Of It” was followed by “Arabella,” both riling up the audience.

The Arctic Monkeys undoubtedly made a giant leap in popularity thanks to the wild commercial success and critical acclaim of ‘AM,’ but they made sure to integrate a fair number of tunes from their prior albums into the set as well. Favorites of the night included “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” from the band’s Grammy-nominated album, ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,’ (2006) as well as “505” and “Fluorescent Adolescent” from their 2007 album, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare.’ The band proved they have staying power as their older tunes created the same amount of buzz among the crowd as their newer songs.

In a surprise move, Arctic Monkeys played the daunting single “My Propeller” from the album ‘Humbug’ (2009) which the band had not performed live sine 2010. The variety of rock music sounds that the Arctic Monkeys have recorded and experimented with over the years showcases how far the band has evolved since their formation in 2002.

The band concluded the three-song encore with “R U Mine?” (During which, fans expelled what remained of their energy!)

Despite the charm of Turner’s deep, accented voice, his banter was limited throughout the night. He elected to speak through the band’s music, instead. Through their beautiful and charismatic lyrics, the band told stories of life, love, loss, and everything in between.

Stumbling out of the venue with leg pain and burning throats, the fans’  hunger for an Arctic Monkeys show was sated, at least for time being.

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