Throughout their current North American Reflektor tour, Arcade Fire have performed a “hometown” cover in each stop. There was Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in Seattle, “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” by Neil Young in Winnipeg, Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing” in Los Angeles, and most recently, “Waiting Room” by Fugazi in DC Sunday other night.
As the Montreal indie rock royalty rolled into the XFinity Center in Mansfield last night, there was much debate in the Do617 office about which Boston or Massachusetts heroes they’d salute on stage.
Turns out it was pretty obvious — and thankfully not “Shipping Up To Boston” — as Arcade Fire ripped through a cover of Pixies’ 1991 Trompe le Monde stormer “Alec Eiffel,” but not before raising a glass to Boston (the band) with a pre-recorded salute to “More Than A Feeling.”
Arcade Fire, which celebrated multi-instumentalist Régine Chassagne’s birthday with a private party at an Allston rock club on Monday night, also shouted out locally-based charity Partners in Health, of which they have been a longtime supporter.
“It’s the coolest thing that came out of Boston, aside from the Pixies,” frontman Win Butler told the Mansfield crowd.
Watch the “Alec Eiffel” performance below.
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