Starting on Sept. 29, 2023, Arctic Monkeys performed their final string of shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. as an impressive end to their energetic tour, “The Car”. The tour, whose North American leg was first announced back on Oct. 3, 2022, was long awaited as it followed the release of their seventh studio album, “The Car” which debuted shortly thereafter on Oct. 22, 2022. The tour, which began in Minneapolis Min. earlier this year, originally had only one date in Inglewood, but soon added two more when all three subsequently sold out within minutes of the tickets going live.
As the night came, fans began to excitedly fill the arena, buying merchandise with the album’s branding and shuffling to their seats as the opening act began. Fontaines DC was the main opener throughout the entire tour and provided a perfect kick start for the music-filled evening. A post-punk band from Dublin, Ireland, Fontaines DC seemed like Arctic Monkeys’ little brother when compared to their start as a post-punk revival band forming in Sheffield, U.K. in 2002. Although they played for only 30 minutes, Fontaines DC thrilled the crowd. They ended their set by thanking the audience, and leaving, which only caused more excitement for the main act.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd screamed as Alex Turner alongside band-mates Matt Helders, Jamie Cook and Nick O’Malley came onto the stage. Opening with “Sculptures of Anything Goes”, it was a somewhat tranquil start to the show, but with an immaculate stage presence, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Following up almost immediately was “Brianstorm”, an old hit single from their album “Favourite Worst Nightmare”, and a complete energy change in the best way possible. With catchy guitar licks and a high-tempo drum beat, the band made it clear that the night would become unforgettable, delivering a healthy mix of both uptempo and slow songs to keep the night moving.
One particularly unforgettable moment that all attendees of the tour were given the chance to experience was during the song “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”. As the emotionally charged song came to an end and Turner tunefully sang “There’d better be a Mirrorball for me,” none other than a massive Disco ball, or more on theme, mirrorball, lowered into the stadium filling it with light. Written across it was the band’s name in their signature print, and it remained lowered for the next few songs providing an indescribable ambiance that fans melted into. Many fans noted the mirrorball tucked away in the rafters of the venue when they first arrived, waiting patiently but excitedly, for the moment it would finally be lowered.
In between songs, Arctic Monkeys would completely shut off the stage lights, engulfing the theater in darkness while playing small bits and pieces of the next song to keep the audience guessing as to what the band would grace them with next. A crowd favorite, “505” has an extremely recognizable intro and within seconds of just a few guitar notes being played the crowd went wild. As their excitement slowly became contained, the lights would flash on in themed colors as the song began, each having more energy than the last. Even if a concert-goer didn’t know all of the lyrics to the songs or was just a casual listener, the band’s energy was what truly made their performance. Each member seemed completely immersed in the song they were playing and perfectly emulated the spirit of each one as well.
In perfect harmony with the tours theme, the main part of the concert both started and ended with a song from “The Car”. After the excitement from upbeat, and more popular, songs such as “Arabella” and “Fluorescent Adolescence”, the band concluded with “Body Paint”, a wonderful concoction of their new, more soulful sound mixed with their indie roots. As the band departed the stage for the first time, attendees were in a state of bliss. But as most encores go, fans cheered, screamed and chanted their hearts out as they waited for the band to bless them with their stage presence one last time.
Going into the encore, fans were enthusiastic and happy that they even got one more song out of the band. Turner, once again with the stage lights dimmed, simply spoke into the microphone “I don’t wanna be his; I wanna be yours”, and thus “I Wanna Be Yours” and its iconic timeless riff began. Quickly the band moved onto “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”, a song from one of their first albums “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”. With far more punk influence than their subsequent albums, the song was quippy and made any feeling of tiredness in a fans body vacate immediately. Finally, the time that all attendees dreaded was the final song of the night: “R U Mine?” The song first came out with one of the band’s most successful albums, “AM”, an album that led many down the pipeline of casually listening to its release in 2013, to buying concert tickets in 2023. This ended the night on both a high note and one of nostalgia, causing many fans to feel a sort–of full circle moment.
The encore solely entertained the Kia Forum with high-energy songs, leaving an impression that left fans speechless as they shuffled out of the venue. All in all, the three nights that Arctic Monkeys performed in Los Angeles were monumentally successful and enjoyable, amassing social media attention and talk among Foothill Students. So, if you’re ever in need of a new artist to listen to and are interested in Alternative music, give Arctic Monkeys a try; who knows, maybe in a decade you’ll end up buying tickets to their next concert.
