Win Butler of Arcade Fire performs in New York recently. (Lucas Jackson, REUTERS)

It appears the third time was finally the charm for both the Toronto audience and Montreal rock darlings Arcade Fire.

During the first of two shows earlier this year at the Danforth Music Hall which previewed material from their new album The Suburbs, lead singer Win Butler said the Toronto crowd were quite reserved and “play it close to your chest.”

On Saturday night before a very sizable throng on Toronto Island, that was far from the case, resulting in a rather exuberant and enjoyable 90-minute set.

In fact the only one who briefly had his arms crossed waiting to be impressed was Butler during Month Of May, a punchy track which followed the aptly titled opener Ready To Start.

Having attended the band’s homecoming gig at the Osheaga music festival two weeks ago, the one constant strength lies in Arcade Fire’s ability to reach Springsteen-like soul-stirring heights with a handful of gems off of their debut album Funeral. And it was that knowledge which made some selections of The Suburbs pale by comparison, particularly Rococo and Modern Man which seemed to slow things down.

At times standing six abreast and belting out choruses, Arcade Fire had much better luck with the mellower The Suburbs and especially Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), a sweet little number performed by Regine Chassagne which sounded like a cousin of Blondie’s Heart Of Glass. Chassagne – in a silver dress – danced around the stage, twirling ribbons around to close.

Chassagne was also center stage for the roots-y Haiti which earned a good response. The subject of Haiti is close to the band’s heart, with $1 from every ticket sold going to Kanpe, an organization assisting the country’s rebuilding after the devastating earthquake.

With a video screen behind them which interspersed close up shots with black and white footage, Arcade Fire had most hopping and clapping for the trilogy of Neighborhood tunes with Neighborhood #2 (Laika) being the first “warhorse” and Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) definitely picking up the proceedings.

But even these two seemed miniscule when the band decided to round off the main set with Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) which led seamlessly into Rebellion (Lies) as Will Butler brought out a drum to bang on. The band’s intensity and passion was quite high at the homestretch, something which the stereotypical Toronto concert crowd matched from start to the closing notes of the dramatic Wake Up.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle for the openers wasn’t so much vying to outshine the headliners (not possible on this night) but finding their own way to win the crowd over. And thankfully both managed to do just that.

Soul/hip-hop singer Janelle Monae shone on her energized set featuring Tightrope, 57821 and Cold War. And when she wasn’t delivering lengthy raps or holding notes, she was the consummate entertainer, even donning a cape a la James Brown at one point.

And if any band deserves a Guitar Hero version in their name it has to be The Sadies. The Toronto group tore through its genre-bending material that mixed surf guitar with rockabilly alongside songs from the new album Darker Circles.