Pixies Deliver Searing Performance of "Doolittle" (and Much More!) In NYC

Scenes from Un Chien Andalou, the 1929 surrealist film by director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dali were shown on a screen above the stage just prior to the Pixies coming on stage. (The film is referenced in the Pixies’ song “Debaser.”) As the scenes went on, the cheering inside the Hammerstein Ballroom grew louder and louder until the Pixies took the stage. When the band hit the stage, they were greeted by a deafening roar from the New York City crowd.

The Pixies are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of their seminal album Doolittle, and they are playing the album in its entirety (with associated B-sides) on this tour. They are also touring in support of Minotaur, an expensive and comprehensive boxed set that includes all of the band’s studio recordings.

They kicked off the show by playing some Doolittle-era B-sides, including “Dancing The Manta Ray” and “Weird At My School.” Images on the screen behind the band were used to great effect, and complemented the Pixies’ off-kilter song arrangements.

The first track played from the album, “Debaser,” always a crowd favorite at Pixies shows, got a huge cheer when it was played. The band got even more intense with “Tame,” delivering a blistering performance of the song that drove the crowd into a frenzy. Other highlights from the main set included “Wave of Mutilation,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” and “Gouge Away.” The band bowed to the crowd before leaving the stage, which was followed by filmed images of the band bowing to the crowd. It was kind of bizarre, but it worked. The crowd roared until the band returned to the stage for a six-song encore, which included “Gigantic,” “Where Is My Mind?” and “Nimrod’s Son” as well as a ferocious version of “Into The White” that the band performed in a white fog of dry ice.

The Pixies were firing on all cylinders at the concert, which was the first of four New York City shows. They seem to be playing better now than they did during their heyday. Joey Santiago was doing some serious shredding on lead guitar. David Lovering’s snare hits sounded like machine gun fire. Kim Deal’s basswork created a great foundation for Frank Black’s howling vocals and sinister guitar work. Black (also known as Black Francis) didn’t speak much to the crowd, leaving that to Kim Deal. Deal kept the crowd informed as to how far into the Doolittle album they were at various points in the show.

The Pixies played a 90-minute set that featured a 19-song main set with a six-song encore. I really like it that most of the Pixies’ songs clock in at under three minutes. Many bands that produce seemingly endless pieces that are more or less a musical wank job could learn a lot from the brevity of the Pixies’ tunes. This was the best Pixies’ performance that I’ve seen yet. (I last saw them in 2004.) After that stellar show in New York City, I hope that I don’t have to wait another five years to see them live again.

Black Gold, a four-piece from Brooklyn, opened the show. They consist of a guitarist, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. (The keyboardist sang lead vocals.) They delivered a 30-minute set that was decent but not particularly memorable.

The set list for the Pixies’ show on Monday, November 23rd at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom was as follows:
Dancing The Manta Ray
Weird At My School
Bailey’s Walk
Manta Ray
Debaser
Tame
Wave of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away

Encore:
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Into The White
Isla De Enchanta
Nimrod’s Son
Where Is My Mind?
Gigantic

Review by John Curley