Arcade Fire vs. McGill

So, yesterday I experienced my first college basketball game. Well, my first basketball game ever. The (AMAZING) twist? The McGill first team was playing no other but ARCADE FIRE alongside members of The Strokes and Bon Iver! I couldn't believe it when I was first told this was going on; I saw the band at Glastonbury this year and it couldn't have been a better show, so the chance to seem them again . . . at my university . . . for $22. I didn't need to think twice.

This was the third time Montreal-er Win Butler has organised an event like this with McGill as part of the city wide 'Pop Montreal' festival. All the money for event goes to the local charity DJ Sports Club. The atmosphere was awesome, all very low key and everyone involved took the game really seriously so we got to see some pretty good basketball. The Butler brothers got skillz.

Team Jock getting warmed up. I liked that they played a mixed team.

Annnd introducing Team Pop: Win Butler, Will Butler (Arcade Fire), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Nikolai Fraiture (The Strokes), Royal Ivey, Dranadia Roc, Alisa Wulff (NBA and College Basketball), Brian Scalabrine, Luke Bonner (Former NBA), Marco Volcy (Montreal Rapper), Dexter John. 

Coach: Matt Bonner, NBA, of the San Antonio Spurs

I am very much in love with Régine Chassagne, she is a very awesome lady. Not only was she there to support her husband and band mates but she DJ-ed the entire game. Very cool, you can see her in the back of some of my shots.

Then half time came around. We'd been promised a show and Team Pop certainly didn't disappoint. Some children from the charity the day was for warmed us up by dancing through the bleechers with Régine - what a cool lady - and Luke Bonner sang us some Karaoke. 

Then came the impromptu gig, eeeee.

We went into the final quarter with Team Pop and Team Jock tied on 91 points a piece, so things got pretty tense. The final quarter was rowdy! Team Pop pipped it to the post in the end, finishing on 101 points, which meant they won the trophy back from Team Jock. The final awesome thing? I won a prize in the charity raffle they had going on (I love my new fancy Arcade Fire baseball hat) and got to go down onto the court amidst the players. I was a very happy bunny.

The event made it into Rolling Stone, which is pretty neat. Hopefully from how much I have rambled on you will have gauged quite how much I enjoyed my day. Celebrities aside, it was good to see another of McGill's incredible sports facilities and especially awesome to be able to share the day with basketball loving Faye who had come to visit from Queen's University.