Weekend Review: Pixies
By Saba Mohtasham
Nov. 8, 2009 10:08 p.m.
The Hollywood Palladium was packed with fans old and new. Pre-show chatter consisted of memories of seeing the band back in the day and discovering them in high school after they had been broken up for almost a decade. The generational gap closed as the musical kindred awaited the Pixies.
The group’s celebrated album “Doolittle” turned 20 this year, born the same year as many of us, hence the Doolittle Tour, including three nights at the Palladium.
Night two, Nov. 5, started with a generic Brooklyn indie group called Black Gold. Its pop-heavy sound was catchy enough but very forgettable. To be fair, opening for the Pixies is no easy task, and I doubt they expected to leave too big a mark.
After their departure, the audience spent the next half hour cheering at the flicker of any light in the venue, hoping it was a signal of the band’s arrival. All four original members ““ Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering ““ took the stage after showing the surrealist short film “Un Chien Andalou,” heavily referenced in “Debaser.”
They rode in on a wave of anticipation and went straight into four B-sides before touching on “Doolittle.” These were definitely lesser-known songs, separating the hardcore fans from the strictly “Doolittle”-savvy.
They then played the entirety of “Doolittle” triumphantly. Francis’ scream in “Tame” was as fierce and ground-shaking as the album version, and his “ahhooo” on “Here Comes Your Man” put Shakira’s “She Wolf” to shame, not that that’s a hard feat.
Even though there was no doubt they were making their way through “Doolittle” in order, much of the audience couldn’t resist but shout out requests.
“Hey,” one of the album’s slower songs and third from last, was the No. 1 request, and when they finally reached it, they had the lyrics flashing on the screen behind the band, as if anyone didn’t know the words.
Deal endearingly shared her excitement with, “We’re going to be on TV tomorrow.” For a band that has toured with U2 and has a secured spot on the iPods of innumerable college students of today and yesteryear, a gig on “The Tonight Show” is hardly a first. Deal’s excitement seemed to be more about the celebration of a revered album by a revered band. Deal was just happy they were all there. And so was everyone else.
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