Bono Appears in Arcade Fire Video (Released today)

Original Story (2017-01-27)

Today marks the release of Arcade Fire’s The Reflektor Tapes / Live At Earls Court on DVD and BluRay. The package includes their documentary film The Reflektor Tapes, as well as a live concert from The Reflektor Tour recorded at Earls Court in London. The set also includes a short, silent cameo appearance by U2 lead singer Bono.

The film “The Reflektor Tapes” was a 2015 documentary directed by Kahlil Joseph that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2014. It was released to theatres on September 24, 2015. The film includes concert footage, interviews and a behind the scenes look at the making of their album. The live concert was recorded during the bands shows at Earls Court in London in August 2014 and includes performances of 20 songs. As part of the release there are a number of extras included in the set including the videos for “Reflektor” and “We Exist,” footage from “Afterlife” as it was performed at the YouTube Awards, as well as five “Director Cut” tracks from the live special.

Another extra is the “Here Comes the Night Time” TV Special. The version included on this release is listed as an Extended version, running 23:39 in length. This special was directed by Roman Coppola, and features the band performing a number of songs from the album Reflektor in advance of its release. The video originally aired on NBC television following the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September 2013. The special includes guests James Franco, Rainn Wilson, Ben Stiller, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Zach Galifianakis and others. It is here that Bono from U2 also makes an appearance.

During the video, as Arcade Fire takes the stage, you can see some “giant heads” done up to look like the band dancing on the stage. These are similar to the big U2 heads that U2 would use during the Zoo TV tour. As the band takes the stage, they push the giant fake band members off the stage, and we see two of the imposters backstage taking off their heads. Under the heads? It is Ben Stiller and Bono who have been on stage. They look at each other but say nothing, before the footage shifts back to the actual band on stage. The clip lasts only seconds.

Arcade Fire of course is no stranger to most U2 fans. During the 2005 Vertigo tour, U2 would take the stage each night to the sound of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up.” Arcade Fire has also opened four concerts for U2, including shows in Montreal and Ottawa during the “Vertigo” tour, and in Moncton at the end of the U2360 tour. During one of those shows in Montreal, Arcade Fire did a riff on U2’s use of “Wake Up” to enter the stage, and against a screen lit in red, the band took the stage that night to U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.” They also joined U2 on stage for a performance of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” during those Montreal performances.

The special did get a release on YouTube on September 29, 2013, and is 22:12 in length. For those who aren’t interested in buying the Arcade Fire set for such a short appearance of Bono, we’ve embedded the special below. Bono’s (very) short appearance can be seen just after the 1:00 mark in the video.

The content of the Double DVD / Blu-Ray is as follows:

DISC 1
01 The Reflektor Tapes 74:44
–
02 Menu / Arcade Fire / The Reflektor Tapes 1:15
–
03 Here Comes the Night Time (TV Special / Extended) 23:39
04 Reflektor 7:41
05 We Exist 6:23
06 Afterlife 4:56
07 Afterlife (Live from the Youtube Music Awards, New York / 2013) 5:17
–
123:55 min

DISC 2
01 Reflektor (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 7:54
02 Flashbulb Eyes (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 3:20
03 Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:54
04 Rebellion (Lies) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:30
05 Joan of Arc (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:05
06 Rococo (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:17
07 The Suburbs (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 6:52
08 Ready to Start (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 4:11
09 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:30
10 Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 3:39
11 No Cars Go (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:30
12 Haiti (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 4:58
13 We Exist (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:50
14 My Body Is a Cage (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 0:45
15 Afterlife (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 5:30
16 It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 6:58
17 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 8:23
18 Normal Person (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 4:43
19 Here Comes the Night Time (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 6:58
20 Wake Up (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 7:23
–
21 Menu / Arcade Fire / Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014) 0:37
–
22 Flashbulb Eyes (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 / Director’s Cut) 3:02
23 Here Comes the Night Time (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 / Director’s Cut) 6:46
24 Reflektor (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 / Director’s Cut) 6:54
25 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 / Director’s Cut) 5:45
26 The Suburbs (Live at Earls Court, London / 2014 / Director’s Cut) 7:14
–
140:28 min

The cover of the DVD / Blu-Ray Set can be seen below:

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