Arcade Fire challenges jocks to basketball game, brings "bicycle symphony" to POP Montreal

The 10th anniversary POP Montreal International Music Festival has announced its full lineup of the more than 400 musical acts, dozens of films, installations, and panel conversations, and myriad other artsy, Montreal-type things happening September 21 through September 25. And in what seems bound to be its climax, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler will host a “Pop Vs. Jock” charity basketball game, in which the lanky frontman (and former high-school varsity athlete) will captain a team of fellow musicians like Vampire Weekend’s Chris Tomson in a game of hoops against an all-star assemblage of college basketball players led by the San Antonio Spurs’ Matt Bonner. (A note to the organizers: Keep an eye on your basketballs.)

Anyway, as this is a POP Montreal event, there are also certain artistic accoutrements—such as Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne providing live organ accompaniment throughout the game. Although, that last thing could happen at every basketball game in Montreal for all we know, as it sort of fits with our mental image of the city. And the referees are all mime-clowns, right? However, we’re positive that even the living Cirque Du Soleil city that is Montreal has never seen DRONES, the “bicycle symphony” created by Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry, because it’s set to have its world premiere during the halftime show, alongside a performance from Kid Koala. Described as a “a site-specific 20-minute multichannel composition for voice, woodwind, strings and synthesizer,” DRONES features prerecorded tracks being broadcast through speakers that are affixed to bicycles, which will then circle the crowd. Ticket information can be found here.