Features

Pixies Return -- Moshing Optional

Pershing Auditorium; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; 10/2/04

by Sean McCarthy

The sarcasm and cynicism that has defined Generation X is beginning to bite its members in the ass. Case example: the band reunion. In the '90s, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols and even Fleetwood Mac were often the butt of jokes for cashing in on nostalgia by reuniting and going on $75-a-pop ticket tours.

Well, now one of Gen-X's most beloved bands has reunited and is on one of the most successful tours of the year. What's an aging, jaded Gen-Xer to do? Make fun of one of the major founders of the modern alternative sound, or giddily jump in the pit and savor about two hours of the melodic, picture-perfect twisted bliss that only the Pixies can offer.

The answer for the packed Pershing Auditorium on October 2 definitely fell into the latter option. The crowd was mostly polite, late-20s and early 30s folks. Some were talking about 'just' missing the Pixies when they were opening for U2 during the Achtung Baby tour. After being served with a 45-minute helping of straightforward Irish rock from The Thrills, the reunited Pixies took the stage and opened with the slow, strumming version of "Wave of Mutilation."

Frank Black (now back to Black Francis aka Charles Thompson) has toured incessantly since the Pixies broke up in 1992. With his solo work and his work with his band, the Catholics, he has established a great stage presence. Even with Kim Deal being away from the spotlight (taking nine years to follow-up the Breeders' Last Splash release) and drummer David Lovering's gig as a magician before reuniting with the band in November 2003, the band looked like polished rock stars.

Kim Deal, sporting a noticeably shorter haircut than a few months ago, occasionally gave a mischievous grin to the audience. The tunes where she took over the main vocals (most notably "Gigantic") elicited the biggest audience roar. My friend who was on the floor summed up Deal's presence: "She is the fantasy of both gay boys and lesbians alike."

Lovering proved that he is one of the most underrated drummers in rock, despite the critical adoration the Pixies receive. Just try air drumming through "Something Against You" and extend that for about an hour-and-a-half. Never missing a beat, Lovering remained coolly collected, even when he was relentlessly pounding his kit.

Joey Santiago's guitar work matched the ferocity of the Pixies albums, but occasionally dabbled into more extended jams. During "Vamos," Lovering tossed a drumstick to Santiago and Santiago knelt down, playing the guitar with the drumstick and fiddling with the feedback, the spotlight reflecting off his head like an airport beacon.

The audience erupted, jumping in pogo-stick unison during some of the Pixies's greatest hits: "Gigantic," "Debaser," "Tame" and "Broken Face." Some obscure tracks worked their way into the set. A great addition was "River Euphrates," the audience gleefully growling along to the chorus.

Though the Pixies are easily one of the most mosh-able bands in rock, combining frantic surf rock with head-banging hooks, the audience was happy enough jumping up and down and shouting out their favorite lyrics like "…and if the devil is six than GOD is seven!" and requests for "Gigantic." The lack of moshing and crowd surfing could be because the audience was genuinely polite or the fact that the majority of the audience, myself included, were too dinged up with pre-arthritis ailments to get a roaring pit going (it could also be the ticket stub read 'No crowd surfing or moshing').

The Pixies skipped the usual routine of stepping offstage and waiting for the audience to cheer them back for an encore. Instead, the members graciously soaked up the audience adoration for about two minutes, then assumed their positions and closed with the revved-up Doolittle-version of "Wave of Mutilation" and "Where is My Mind?".

The band didn't waste much time with audience banter between songs. Like the best punk bands, once a song was over, the band almost immediately jumped into the next song; so quickly in some situations that the intro sounded like an extended bridge to the previous song. Anyone mistaking this as a lack of intimacy need only to see the streams of sweat coming off Thompson's portly frame to know he was putting his whole heart into each song.

So, is it nostalgia? Most likely. The band is still slated to go into the studio and record after the conclusion of this tour. Yes, the show was missing that uncatchable first-time feeling of hearing their tunes. But this isn't 1989. Most of the audience realized that and was content in relishing two unforgettable hours. For 2004, at least on the stage, the Pixies have reclaimed the crown of "kings (and queen) of rock."