Exclusive Photos: Arcade Fire Perform in Haiti
Fresh off their Grammy and Juno victories, Arcade Fire played a surprise show on March 29th at the Hotel Oloffson in earthquake-battered Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The concert had been billed as the "Grand Return of the World Famous Band from Canada."
Photos and text by Lee Celano
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano The band played in an alcove in the hotel decorated with Haitian folk art. The neighborhood where the grandiose, but weathered, grand dame of a hotel stands is still a maze of destroyed and partly damaged homes over a year after the quake.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano The band opened with Creedence Clearwater Revival's anthem "Who'll Stop the Rain." The rest of the 45-minute set was a mix of more covers, like the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and Fire standouts like "Keep the Car Running," "Sprawl II" and Rebellion."
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano Closing with "Haiti" off their debut Funeral, singer Win Butler stood atop an amp and sang to the crowd of foreign NGO workers and mostly upscale Haitians, many of whom were chanting the lyrics.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano The band are reportedly in Haiti for a week to produce a DVD with RAM, the Hotel Oloffson's resident band, which is led by hotel owner Richard Morse.
-
(no title)
The band have pledged over $1 million for relief efforts, and have visited the country for years in support of Dr. Paul Farmer's aid group Partners in Health.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano Band member Regine Chassagne, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Haiti, has been a vocal supporter of the country.
Click through for more photos from Arcade Fire's concert in Haiti.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano Arcade Fire performs at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, March 29, 2011.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano Arcade Fire performs at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, March 29, 2011.
-
(no title)
Image Credit: Photograph by Lee Celano Arcade Fire performs at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, March 29, 2011.