Arctic Monkeys
Staples Center
August 7, 2014

The Arctic Monkeys have basically taken over rock n' roll this year.

With the release of their fifth album AM in late 2013, the group made history as the first band on an independent label (Domino) to have their first five albums debut at #1 on the UK charts. With AM — recorded in Los Angeles, where the group is now reportedly living — they also topped four Billboard charts in the U.S. in 2013, along with number ones in other countries around the world.

Last night, the Sheffield-based band hit the Staples Center, with hordes of fans boasting the group's t-shirts and Union Jack-print pants. One girl partied so hard she needed a medical escort out of the building. Panties came off. It was a pretty crazy night.

]

Arctic Monkey's frontman Alex Turner; Credit: Photo by Timothy Norris

Arctic Monkey's frontman Alex Turner; Credit: Photo by Timothy Norris

The immediately-recognizable guitar riff of “Do I Wanna Know?” kicked things off. Girls stormed the aisles screaming at the top of their lungs, professing their love for frontman Alex Turner.   

Turner graced the stage with Elvis-like swagger: greased-back, jet black hair, thrusting his hips behind his guitar, knocking everyone in the room dead with the rockstar charm he's cultivated over 12 years.

Throwback favorites “Brianstorm,” “Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair,” and “Dancing Shoes” displayed the depths of their catalog, but newer tracks, like the super sexy “Knee Socks” and galloping “Fireside,” delighted as well. 

The group has graduated into a sound that's more original than the fast, crunchy indie rock they were once known for.

Now they're smoother, savvier, drawing from everything from Outkast to Black Sabbath. They've both matured and redefined themselves as artists.

A snippet of Loudon Wainwright III's “Hollywood Hopeful” led into “I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor” — the song that started it all in 2005 and it went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

Phone screens lit the enormous Staples Center during "No. 1 Party Anthem"; Credit: Photo by Artemis Thomas-Hansard

Phone screens lit the enormous Staples Center during “No. 1 Party Anthem”; Credit: Photo by Artemis Thomas-Hansard

When the lights went down, smartphones (and a few lighters) illuminated the packed-to-the-brim stadium for “No. 1 Party Anthem.” It was a nice moment.

After returning with the provocatively funky “Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?,” they jumped into a classic — “Fluorescent Adolescent,” which everyone, regardless of when they discovered Arctic Monkeys, went crazy for.

Great show, and one that left no doubt that the band have much more in store for the future.

Set List Below

[

Set list:
Do I Wanna Know
Snap Out of It
Arabella
Brianstorm
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Dancing Shoes
Crying Lightning
Knee Socks
My Propeller
Hollywood Hopeful (Loudon Wainwright III cover)
I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor
Suck It and See
Library Pictures
Old Yellow Bricks
Fireside
No. 1 Party Anthem
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
Fluorescent Adolescent
505

Encore:
One for the Road
I Wanna Be Yours
R U Mine?

Be sure to check out our constantly updated concert calendar!

Like us on Facebook at LAWeeklyMusic

Shitty Band Names: A History
The 10 Best Record Stores in L.A.
Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.