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T O P I C R E V I E W
pixie punk
Posted - 10/13/2004 : 08:53:50 Pixies deserved bigger crowd at Boutwell Wednesday, October 13, 2004 MARY COLURSO News staff writer Pixified. Pixilated. Pixilicious.
You'll have to bear with us; it's hard to shake off the dizzying spell cast by the Pixies.
Hard, too, was leaving Tuesday's concert at Boutwell Auditorium in time to make deadline, just 55 minutes after the band started its 9:20 p.m. show.
This was one of those concerts that seems like an EVENT, capital letters intended. And the Pixies certainly delivered, even if Birmingham listeners came up short.
Boutwell, which seats about 6,000 people, seemed 3,000 shy of that goal - and this for a high-profile band that's been selling out other venues, sometimes multiple dates, in cities across the country.
Is this town simply not cool enough for the Pixies? Best not to consider that right now, still basking in the glow of a vibrant, high-volume set by singer and guitarist Frank Black, bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering.
The Alabama Theatre would have been a more appropriate spot for the crowd size, but the Pixies, reunited after a 12-year hiatus, sounded like the greatest garage band on the block - original, authentic, squalling, riveting.
This wasn't a greatest-hits set list, because the Pixies never achieved that type of fame. Call it players' choice, then, or a best-of-band evening that went by much too quickly: "Velouria," "Wave of Mutilation," "Caribou," "Gouge Away," "Gigantic," "Debaser" and more.
Yes, the Pixies are older, grayer and stouter than they were in the late '80s and early '90s, but maturity actually looks good on them. The music remains relevant, the integrity intact.
