Arcade Fire Pay Tribute to Pixies at Massachusetts Show
Every date of Arcade Fire‘s North American Reflektor tour has featured a cover song tailored specifically to that city (or, in a pinch, that state), and the Canadian collective continued to deliver the geographic goods Monday night in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The band delivered an expansive cover of “Alec Eiffel,” a snarling gem from Boston alt-rock kings Pixies. Check out the fan footage above (via Consequence of Sound).
Multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry replicated the original’s explosive riffs, while singer Régine Chassagne waved two colorful pom-poms like an indie-rock cheerleader. Other band members added eerie layers of violin and synth, and, as usual, the stage was decorated by giant papier-mâché masks (including one resembling Barack Obama).
“Alec Eiffel” was a single from Pixies‘ fourth LP, 1991’s Trompe le Monde; the track was written as a tribute to French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who was responsible for designing both the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. The legendary alt-rock band released a new album, Indie Cindy, back in April.
Meanwhile, Arcade Fire‘s live cover spree has led to a number of thrilling performances. On Monday in Washington D.C., the band honored local hardcore titans Fugazi with a spirited take on “Waiting Room.” Some covers have been obvious (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in Seattle, Neil Young’s “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” in Winnipeg), and some flat-out bizarre (Huey Lewis and the News’ “Back in Time” from Back to the Future in Edmonton, the birthplace of Michael J. Fox). The band might have to do some research to figure out a song for Wednesday night’s gig in Bangor, Maine.