Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Strokes Members Form Supergroup for Pop Vs. Jock Game
Members of Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and the Strokes formed a one-shot indie supergroup called Pop All Star Band to perform at the third annual Pop Vs. Jock charity basketball game held on Saturday during the Pop Montréal festival.
The band, which features Arcade Fire‘s Win and Will Butler (who organized the charity event) and Régine Chassagne, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and the Strokes’ Nikolai Fraiture, took over the court during the game’s half-time to deliver covers of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” The afternoon’s entertainment also featured courtside performances by Chassagne playing sporty organ tunes, as well as DJing by Kid Koala and A-Trak.
The game itself, held at McGill Sports Center, featured the aforementioned musicians playing for Team Pop alongside former NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Brent Barry and led by Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs as captain, competing against a Team Jock made up of past and present college players from the McGill and Concordia basketball teams. As The Montreal Gazette reports, Team Pop ended up the victors, winning the game 101-92.
All proceeds from the Pop Vs. Jock event go toward DJ Sports Club, a Montreal nonprofit that offers programs in sports and education to local youth.