Arctic Monkeys, live at the Hollywood Palladium

As Arctic Monkeys walked out on stage at the historic Hollywood Palladium on the last night of the North American leg of the Suck It and See tour to the strains of the Guess Who’s 'American Woman,' the sold-out, general admission crowd enthusiastically roared its approval.
The Monkeys did not disappoint. Staying true to the punk rock ethos, they played a short (one hour and 20 minutes) set featuring a mix of old and new. They started things off with 'Library Pictures' from their new record and ended the night with 'Fluorescent Adolescent' from Favourite Worst Nightmare. In between they rocked the audience with the blistering 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor;' the ebullient 'If You Were There, Beware'; and the sexy, retro rocker 'Brick by Brick.'
Toward the end of the night frontman Alex Turner held his hands in the air, egging on the already frenzied crowd just before the drums kicked in at the beginning of fan favorite 'When The Sun Goes Down.' And although there had been other moments that resembled this one, none of those compared with the frantic mosh pit that managed to sustain itself until the final quiet strains of Turner’s guitar signaled the end of the song and the break before the encore.
The ebb and flow of the crowd, as seen from the balcony, was a marvel indeed. Watching the audience’s collective sway, synchronized fist pumps, and occasional moments of quiet, rapt attention helped convey, better than anything else, what kind of night the Monkeys were having.