Live Review - Arctic Monkeys @ Terminal 5

It was the coldest night of the year thus far in New York City and seeing a band called Arctic Monkeys, may have been the only real reason to go out last night. In the second of two sold out concerts at Terminal 5 in Hell's Kitchen, the British pub-punkers turned up the heat and the hits at the New York venue. Being a big fan of this band, it has been interesting to see them evolve in so many ways; musically, commercially and sonically. This is band that conquered the Internet before they even had a record deal, they had one of the fastest selling debuts in UK history, singer Alex Turner was looked at as a God before he was even 20, yet, with their latest effort Humbug, they decided to alienate everything they knew and had and see who would stick around. Apparently, I am not the only one still paying attention to these lads. This was the second time I had seen them this year, prior to this show was at Lollapalooza in the blistering heat when they really stuck to playing Humbug and their singles, the only catch was Humbug was not even out yet. Four months after the release of Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys have managed to find a way to work the new in with the old in seamless perfection. Their is an aura about this band that will carry them forever, Alex Turner has a bravado about himself that creates him to be the perfect front man, let alone of the best songwriters to emerge this decade. The band though they do not do much aside from just play still can transform the audience into an all out free for all romper room. The highlight of any Monkeys set is watching drummer Matt Helders pound on his set, perched atop a kit that read "Agile Beast," the man is a ferocious drummer and the true backbone of the band. Finding the balance of tossing in new somber songs like "My Propeller," "Cornerstone," "Crying Lighting," with classic foot stomping gems like "Brianstorm," "Sketchead" and the show stopping "I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor." Alex and Co. managed to sneak in a cover here and there, covering songs like Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand," yet sounding nothing like the original, Rod Stewarts "If You Want My Body," and the great Christmas song from Wham! "Last Christmas," which featured Matt Helders on vocals. A great set and a great night, yet the only issue is that with a 80 minute set, I just wished they played longer.