So I saw the Pixies reunion tour in Toronto on Thursday. And I’ve liked the Pixies since I first heard Doolittle in 1992 or so. I have most of their albums.
The critics raved about the concert, and most of the fans had a pretty good time. The band played lots of songs I liked and quite a few I never cared for. I thought it was very odd they never acknowledged the audience in any way, mentioned they were in Toronto, had any stage patter or any discussion involving two band members or lasting for more than 3 seconds. I thought it came off as somewhat arrogant and pretentious – much like us Pixies fans.
Any one else been to a concert where the audience was ignored? Is this like the “punk” tradition of spitting on the audience? Is it more pompous for a band to have lots of stage patter or just not acknowledge the audience?
It’s good to know that you don’t actually have a broken face. I wasn’t sure if you were just alluding to the “Surfer Rosa” song for the hell of it or if this was going to be a thread about how somebody threw something that hit your face!
I saw them with Urge Overkill in Chicago on November 18th at the Aragon Ballroom. They put on an awesome show…hmmm, let me see
*They did banter a bit but it was impossible to hear them over the roar of the crowd. Kim Deal was completely drowned out-you could barely hear her sing. However, it really was nothing of consequence
*During the last song before the encores, Not-Kim Deal and Not-Frank Black (sorry, tax has clouded my mind) did this really cool thing with his guitar, a drum baton he poached from the drummer and his amp. It took about five minutes, was very crowd interactive and he was taking pictures of the crowd from the stage during the whole bit on his digital camera while Frank Black and Kim Deal were off to the side laughing and playing their instruments.
*They seemed very intent on playing but pretty friendly. Kim Deal waved to a lot of people in the front of the crowd and was obviously smiling and laughing about something going on in the audience. I was near the front so I couldn’t see what she was looking out at.
As an aside, Urge was awesome as well and I was sitting out in front of Aragorn waiting for my friend to come back and they walked right by me with their costumes. It was pretty cool. I think me and four other people were the only ones who really seemed to know who they were, though.
When I saw them at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA, there was almost no banter or interaction with the audience that I can remember. (We were sitting way far back, so I might have missed something). In Davis, CA, a few months earlier, there was more interaction with the crowd and conversation – especially when Kim messed up the beginning of “Wave of Mutilation” and they started over – but the show was less spectacular and the sound system was awful.
This is the first time I’d ever seen them live; maybe they’re just not one of those play-around type of bands?
I saw them in the Greek Theater in Berkeley a couple months ago. (Hi, Sol!) The opening bands were Knife & Fork (whom I’ve never heard of and, if their set was any indication, will never hear of again) and Fear, who are most famous for having a song on the Repo Man soundtrack, and were otherwise forgettable.
I was blown away by the show. They didn’t play any of my big favorites (I was really hoping for some Bird Dream) but since there aren’t any Pixie songs I dislike, I didn’t mind too much. No banter at my show, either, except for one moment towards the end when Frank asked Kim if they’d toured with Fear before. (Apparently, they had.) I liked the lack of stage banter. I don’t go to a lot of concerts, so I didn’t realize it was that remarkable, but I thought it put the focus on the music, where it should be. The energy at the show was relentless; they barely stopped between songs at all. Just one rockin’ tune after another.
Saw them with The Thrills (good!) and The Killers (great!) a few months ago. The Pixies blew the roof off of the dump. But you have to like Doolittle and Come On Pilgrim; they didn’t play nearly any Trompe le Monde or Bossanova (not even Velouria or Dig for Fire!). Good thing I love love love Doolittle. Un chien anadlusia indeed
This is a band famous for dicking with their live show: they were the ones to come out and play their set list in alphabetical order and other shenanigans. But Kim seemed really happy to be performing, she was beaming through most of it. Joey and Black Francis/Frank whatever you want to call him totally ignored everybody.
I prefer rock musicians not to do too much banter. I’ve seen only a few people able to do it where it improves a show (Chris Isaak and Steely Dan were pretty funny). Mostly, I get sick of them prattling on when I’m paying money to hear the music. Last time I saw Garbage, Shirley Manson kept going on about her boots. Change into sneakers and sing, dammit, don’t complain. I saw Badly Drawn Boy recently and he talked and talked to the audience, although I guess that is a big part of his schtick. Still got sick of it. It doesn’t irk me at all if they don’t acknowledge the crowd or the city at all; just as long as they give the music their all.
I saw them in Minneapolis on November 11. It was awesome.
They didn’t really talk much to the audience then either, except for near the end. They played the first part of Nimrod’s Son and then went into a few other songs. At one point I think Kim said “are we ever gonna finish the song?” and Frank shushed her. Then they started another song and Kim was playing the wrong thing, and Frank said something like “What a way to end a concert! Should we end it now?” and the audience cheered. The ones in the front cheered as a joke, the ones in the back cheered because everyone else was cheering because we couldn’t hear what the band was saying (I know what they said because I found it after the concert)
They put their stuff down and started walking a way, then came back and finished the set. Joey did a bunch of awesome stuff during Vamos.
The setlist was great too. I was so happy when they played Head On, I didn’t expect them to since it’s a cover. Here’s the entire setlist, which I found from another website…
Is She Weird
Head On
U-Mass
Monkey’s Gone to Heaven
Cactus
Caribou #13 Baby
Broken Face
Crackety Jones
Isla de Encanta
Something Against You
Hey
Mr. Grieves
I Bleed
Velouria
Dead
Gouge Away
Tame
Gigantic
River Euphretes
Debaser
Wave of Mutilation
In Heaven
Winterlong
La La Love You
Nimrod’s Son (beginning of “illegal medley”)
Holiday Song
Here Comes Your Man
Where is My Mind?
Nimrod’s Son (derailing train version)
Correction: I think it was actually St. Paul, not Minneapolis. It was at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. I didn’t like the place: the acoustics weren’t very good, and we had to sit in the balcony.
Intersting, I seem to notice that they are not playing Bam Thwok (their new release for the tour).
The Pixies were never much for on-stage banter. Look at the DVD whcih has one of theri concerts. At one point between songs Kim has to provide patter while Black Frank adjusts his guitar. She’s at the microphone and says “SO!” very loud, then realises her mind must be gone or something and doesn’t continue. She seems to be the same way in Breeder’s concerts.
I chatted to Frank Black in the immigration queue at Tokyo’s Narita airport while on the way to this year’s Fuji Fest. He seemed fairly shy and suggested he may play the ukelele he was carrying at the show - which he didn’t.
The band were great but, as noted elsewhere, very little on-stage banter but many rip-roaring songs.
A joy.
