Similar to our “Pixies played Summerfest and they were great and here’s what they played and said between songs” review from July 2018, let’s keep this short and sweet: Legendary alternative rock band Pixies played The Rave Monday night. Legendary alternative rock band Pixies—Black Francis/Frank Black, Joey Santiago, David Lovering, Paz Lenchantin—were really, really, really good.
For a number of years, legendary alternative rock band Pixies got a bad rap for just sort of standing there and playing their hits, cashing in on a reunion (currently on year 15!) that’s lasted much, much longer than the band’s original run. Legendary alternative rock band Pixies were, once again, not phoning it in Monday night—Black, especially, was a sweaty, screaming mess. Legendary alternative rock band Pixies are absolutely worth checking out live, even if you’ve seen them numerous times in the past.
Monday night, legendary alternative rock band Pixies tore through 31 songs, three of them new-ish songs from the unfairly maligned post-reunion albums Indie Cindy and Head Carrier, and five of them (we think) from an as-yet-untitled album due in September. Here’s what legendary alternative rock band Pixies played:
1. Gouge Away
2. Wave Of Mutilation
3. Classic Masher
4. New song?
5. Caribou
6. Planet Of Sound
7. New song?
8. All The Saints
9. Here Comes Your Man
10. Ana
11. Mr. Grieves
12. Where Is My Mind?
13. Nimrod’s Son
14. New song?
15. Ed Is Dead
16. Motorway To Roswell
17. Bone Machine
18. I’ve Been Tired
19. Cactus
20. No. 13 Baby
21. Snakes
22. New song?
23. New song?
24. Bel Esprit
25. U-Mass
26. Head On
27. Isla de Encanta
28. Debaser
29. Hey
30. Gigantic
31. Vamos
And here’s what legendary alternative rock band Pixies said between songs:
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Other fun facts:
• The new and new-ish songs were great. “All The Saints” sounds like a long-lost Bossanova track, and “Classic Masher” is an irresistible amalgam of classic Pixies and Black’s solo work. Indie Cindy and Head Carrier are worth revisiting (especially the latter), and the upcoming album sounds promising.
• Unexpected deep cut that was incredible to hear live: “Motorway To Roswell”!
• (Massively) Unpopular Opinion: The re-formed, 21st century, live Pixies…are better off without Kim Deal. Deal is an untouchable legend, of course, but Lenchantin is a legend in her own right, and her energy has clearly rubbed off on her bandmates. That bad rap for just sort of standing there and cashing in on the hits? It was earned while Deal was back with the band. That vibe is now long gone.
Still…is it strange to hear Lenchantin sing Deal’s “Gigantic”? Yeah. Is it still okay to be in the “No Kim, no deal” camp? Yeah. But seriously, this lineup is strong, refreshed, and vital. Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.