While almost everyone on the planet was able to catch the Pixies reunion on their “The Pixies Sell Out” tour, some of us (cough, me) weren’t able to. So, imagine my surprise when one of my favorite bands on the planet not only launched another tour, but a tour playing the entirety of Doolittle, arguably their greatest album.
The catch with nostalgia tours, however, is that you never quite know what you’re going to get. Is it going to be the ecstasy of old jams executed flawlessly…or a bunch of middle aged dudes meandering half dead through a set? Understandably, I worked myself up into medium-level expectations and thankfully, the Pixies shattered them with an insane show.
Following a brief screening of the silent film Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel, the band took the stage. The foursome started off their set almost completely in the dark, playing several B-sides that bassist Kim Deal admitted to not remembering at all. Deal proved to be the chatty one of the group and also told us, “Everywhere we play in the world, this is the best smelling pot.” And indeed, it was pretty impossible to not get an ass-kicking contact high from the show.
As they tore into Dolittle, most of the actual live entertainment came via the stunning visuals and large lanterns behind them as well as the raucous audience crowd-surfing and singing along with fist-pumping sincerity. We’ll admit, it was hard to not get caught in the euphoria. By the time Frank Black ripped into “Hey,” I was singing at the top of my lungs just like everyone else.
If that weren’t enough, the audience was treated to two killer encore sets that included jams such as “Isla de Encanta,” a mindblowing performance of “Into the White” and enough fog to rival San Francisco on an early morning. The audience responded to the encores in absolute pandemonium and would have probably cheered for a third encore had the house lights not gone up.
Following the show, the band walked out into the upstairs balcony and nonchalantly chatted with friends. We overheard one member admit that the second night’s show was much better than the first (lucky us). And although we spied no names to drop Thursday night, we did hear that Benicio del Toro and Tim Roth were there on the first night. God, they even attract the coolest celebrities, it’s almost sickening.
Overall, what seemed striking about the show and seeing the band casually hanging out after (as if they were in someone’s living room) was their ever-present lack of pretense. It’s really hard to name a band these days that isn’t completely over thought and calculating about their sound, image and trajectory. Said simply, the Pixies are one of the few who still keep it real. They may never be the flashiest band on the planet but they’ve created some of the most important and influential music in modern rock history. Funny how that works.
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