Just two days after their anti-Grammy party in Los Angeles, the Arcade Fire shifted gears and played for a worldwide audience on the Grammy stage on Sunday night (February 13).
Check out photos of Arcade Fire's performance and more!
The indie darlings not only performed twice during the ceremony, they also walked away with the Album of the Year award for their sweeping, chart-topper The Suburbs. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star Jason Segel introduced the Montreal natives, who were making their first-ever Grammy appearance. They kicked things off with their raucous, rolling "Month of May."
The eight-member group, led by lead singer Win Butler, welcomed a gaggle of BMX riders — some sporting POV cameras to capture the broadcast for fans — to the Grammy stage, which was then transformed into something of a rock-and-roll skate park.
The Arcade Fire gave a loud, but not overly flashy performance that was a fitting to end an evening chock-full of big numbers. But as it turned out, the song was a precursor to an even bigger moment. Minutes after the band's performance of the arena-ready "Month of May," Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand appeared onstage to announce the evening's final and most prestigious award: Album of the Year.
Besting mainstream acts like Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, a visibly stunned Arcade Fire emerged from backstage to accept the award, pulling off one of the evening's biggest upsets.
"What the hell!" an amazed Butler said. Apparently the singer's excitement got the best of him, as he was bleeped presumably for using strong language later on in his acceptance speech.
The newly-anointed Grammy-winner thanked the crowd and announced, "We're going to go play another song, 'cause we like music!" A man of his word, Butler and his musical ensemble immediately took to their bevy of instruments — Butler placed their Grammy on one of the amps — and played again. Finally, Butler thanked his parents and told the Grammy audience they could exit to the next tune as they began the toe-tapping, head-bobbing Suburbs single "Ready to Start."
In spite of his instructions to the crowd, the attendees seemed happy to stick around for the infectious number.
What did you think of the Arcade Fire's Grammy performances? Tell us in the comments!