Since their initial reunion in 2004, The Pixies have established their footing in alternative rock history as one of the genre’s first iconic bands. While always known for their critical acclaim and reputation for their influence on 1990’s mainstream alternative rock, The Pixies have finally undergone the conversion from unheralded influencers to potential future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame candidates. This especially became apparent on The Pixies’ current tour in celebration of Doolittle’s 20th anniversary, during which Doolittle has become cemented into the canon of great rock albums.
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The Pixies
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 Entertainment
Art
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
November 20, 2009
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While the several thousand person crowd anxiously waited for what was many fans’ first live experience with The Pixies, the noise-rock duo No Age allowed the listeners to retain just enough of their hearing left for the main act (ironically, their ‘quietest’ song—“Eraser”—turned out to be their best). As the Aragon Ballroom filled towards capacity on this second of a three night Chicago stand, the age-diverse crowd stood anxiously awaiting the alternative-rock progenitors.
As Pixies the started the show, they milked this anticipation to the fullest, before jumping into Doolittle. Once the lights dimmed, a five screen video montage played excerpts from surrealist artist Salvador Dali’s Un chien andalou—a film which Pixies frontman Black Francis cites as a major influence, and also references in his lyrics. After witnessing the ‘slicing up eyeballs’ on screen, it appeared time for “Debaser,” to appropriately start the Doolittle show. The band did appear after, but decided to kick off the show with what bassist Kim Deal referred to as “the B-sides you may not know.”
After the band, shrouded in smoky fog and off-lighting, played four B-sides, fans finally got what they came here to hear as the all-too-recognizable opening riff of “Debaser” ripped throughout the entire ballroom. And just as the foursome quickly and precisely remained faithful to the original recording on “Debaser,” they continued this throughout the set, performing each of the fifteen songs on Doolittle in a workmanlike manner. Backed by a different video medley for each song, the evening turned into a multimedia experience that added new depths and layers to previous listens to Doolittle.
Beyond the crowd sing alongs on “Debaser,” “Wave of Mutilation,” and “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” the highlights remained in the intricacies of watching the album performed live. Between the ferocious coolness of “Tame,” the vocals of drummer David Lovering on “La La Love You,” the hair-raising beauty of “Hey,” the power of the Pixies’ music unveils itself even more so live than on recording. The performance of a record in its entirety, whether it is Doolittle or another classic record, in essence has become our generation’s form of the vinyl record. The sense of listening and enjoying music as a community—without distractions—brings the experience of music back to exclusively just the fans and the music.
After a long ovation, the Pixies came on for two encores, one of B-sides consisting of alternate versions of “Debaser” and “Wave of Mutilation,” and another of songs not on the record. But in all honesty, people came to see their beloved album, so anything else beyond that was an extra bonus. Fans were more than ecstatic to witness their first and perhaps last Pixies show, and attend a show in the likes of this one left attendees with a memorable night.
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