Arctic Monkeys stop to cool down Orlando

Britain invaded Orlando on Friday. Hailing from Sheffield, England rock group Arctic Monkeys performed at Hard Rock Live in Universal Studios. The night started out dreary, with rain clouds hovering over the night sky, but when Hard Rock opened its doors, fans were greeted with bright lights.

The Arctic Monkeys have been touring the U.S. since August, promoting their album, "Suck it and See," released in June. Orlando was their fifth stop this month. The Arctic Monkeys' set list included music from their four albums, including both old and new singles, as well as several songs from their latest album, including "She's Thunderstorms."

"That was the best part of the night because it's my favorite song," biology major Kelly Deveny said. "It was so much fun dancing and singing along to it."

The Arctic Monkeys didn't waste any time dishing out some hard, loud rock, making for a fast-paced night.

"My favorite part would have to be … the opening [song] because it just set up the whole feel for the show, they brought it hardcore right out of the gate," audience member Kimmie Nahm said.

The four-piece band showed no signs of slowing down, keeping their stamina up as lead singer Alex Turner's deep voice belted out on the drum-heavy tune "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala." Following up with "Brainstorm," Turner let his accent slip through, while drummer Matt Helders pummeled the drums, opposing bassist Nick O'Malley's calm demeanor.

Nahm also enjoyed the song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor," because it held nostalgic meaning.

"That was the first song I've ever heard from [the Arctic Monkeys] and it brought back a bunch of memories," Nahm said.

The Arctic Monkeys took the stage after the Chicago-based indie-rock band Smith Westerns opened the show. They played a majority of tracks from their newest album, "Dye it Blonde."

Turner was charismatic and engaged Orlando fans. He posed for pictures during songs, gave away his guitar pick and talked to the audience in between breaks.

"How are you upstairs? How are you downstairs?," Turner said to fans.

Music enveloped Hard Rock, but nothing could drown out the screams coming from fans. The crowd's energy was apparent through the entire set. Every new song, every new opening chord, was met with yelling, jumping, pushing and shoving.

Fan Natalia Deibe, who plans on attending UCF in the future, enjoyed the atmosphere of the show.

"There were so many people that liked the band and it was so easy to talk to them about it … they appreciated music, which created this amazing energy," Deibe said.

In the middle of their set, the Arctic Monkeys introduced the brooding, bass-heavy song "Evil Twin," from the album's B-side, before launching into the night's highly-demanded dance tune "Brick by Brick."

When it came to dancing, fan Heather Reitz was much more excited to watch Turner's moves. During "Don't Sit Down ‘Cause I've Moved Your Chair," Turner did the Macarena to his lyrics.

"My favorite part was … when Alex [Turner] did his dance … I always see him do it in the videos and I think it's a bit funny," Reitz said.

Following their 16 song set list, the Arctic Monkeys said goodbye, but as any concert attendee knows, fans don't say goodbye without a fight.

"ARC-TIC MON-KEYS! ARC-TIC MON-KEYS!," fans chanted relentlessly.

Sure enough, within seconds, the band emerged, to loud applause, for their three-song encore. Ending with "505," Turner crooned "I'm going back to 505, if it's a seven-hour flight or a 45-minute drive," as their farewell.

Fans sang at the top of their lungs in unison, knowing that this song really was the last. During an instrumental break in the song, Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook played and chatted to one another with ease.

As the night came to a close near 11 p.m., fans shuffled slowly out of the venue, discussing the event, while some stopped at the merchandise table to commemorate their experience. Many fans left smiling, which suggested that they weren't sad the night was over, but happy that it happened.

"It was the best experience of my life," Deibe said.