How great are the Pixies in 2014? They didn’t miss a f**cking beat while treating the capacity crowd at the glorious Fox Theater to a set list of more than 30 songs. For the record—let’s get this out of the way—the Pixies are touring without bassist Kim Deal, who left the band last year. Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle/Zwan fame is filling in and let me say she’s a very capable addition.
Black Francis might not be the most personable frontman, but the sheer magnitude of blistering dynamics kept the crowd from ever blinking. One song into the next, the Pixies proved that their “legendary” status is rightfully upheld and their mark on the past and present is well-preserved.
The true highlight for me was the new music and how amazingly well it came across live. I personally prefer “EP 2” and currently have it on a playlist called “Brilliant New Music for 2014,” and it’s on repeat. The setlist included three songs from “EP 2,” “Magdalena 318,” “Greens and Blues,” and “Snakes.” Surprisingly enough, “Blue Eyed Hexe “was missing. That would be the only song of the evening that I did not hear that I really wanted to.
Other highlights from the set were another new song,” the brilliant “Bagboy,” along with seminal classics such as “Here Comes Your Man,” “Bone Machine,” “Where is My Mind,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” and “Hey.”
Bottom line: the Pixies are back, and even though they’ve been back for a while now, the chemistry is still there. The new music blends perfectly with the classics and comes together for one hell of a great show.
The Pixies are on tour now. “EP 1” and “EP 2” are both available on vinyl. Buy them now, they are fantastic. Check out more photos from the show in the gallery.
