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Thomas
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1615 Posts |
 Posted - 06/18/2005 : 06:16:04
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http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/ny-etledew4307513jun18,0,6701051,print.story
MUSIC REVIEW
Black's magic spears Pixies' beach landing
BY RAFER GUZMÁN
STAFF WRITER
June 18, 2005
Fifteen years ago, Pixies' live shows were Hobbesian affairs: nasty, brutish and short. Hammering out one rage-filled song after another, they didn't try to entertain their audience - they tried to obliterate it.
Tuesday night, Pixies added another adjective to that list: fun.
The Jones Beach show was part of a reunion that began with a few tentative warm-up dates last April and has blossomed into a world tour. A short-lived cult band in the late 1980s and early '90s, Pixies' stature and influence has grown in their absence (thanks largely to Nirvana, who copped the band's dynamic chords and loud-soft-loud constructions). Now the band finds itself headlining amphitheaters and even such festivals as last year's Coachella festival in California.
Pixies' breakup was less than amicable, but during this tour they've rekindled their mutual affections. They are, and always were, an unlikely group of art-punk heroes: a painfully shy but fierce guitarist (Joey Santiago), a rock-solid drummer (David Lovering), a tough-chick bassist with a vulnerable voice (Kim Deal) and hefty front man Black Francis (now known as Frank Black), whose inhuman screams give Pixies their strange power. Tuesday night, these oddball personalities found the humor that runs underneath their howling songs.
The 90-minute show began with "Is She Weird," a typical Pixies mix of spooky chords, a self-devouring rhythm and utter nonsense ("Is she weird? Is she white? Is she promised to the night?"). Black's lyrics, for the most part, aren't as important as how they're delivered. During an astonishingly aggressive version of "Stormy Weather," he repeated the song's only line ("It is time/For stormy weather") until it sounded like an oncoming apocalypse. On "Tame," he screamed that word as if it represented a childhood nightmare.
Black's latest solo disc, "Honeycomb" (due next month on Back Porch) may surprise Pixies fans: It borders on country, with Black singing in a plain, intimate voice. He took a similar approach with a trio of Pixies songs that served as the concert's centerpiece. "Nimrod's Son," "Mr. Grieves" and "The Holiday Song" all began as frenetic, galloping workouts - but the band also played them slowly and deliberately, turning them into Southern Gothic ballads. "You can cry, you can mope," Black sang while strumming an acoustic guitar, "but can you swing from a good rope?"
Just as surprising were the occasional sloppy notes and impulsive moments, which gave the show an enjoyably loose feel. On "La La Love You," Black and Deal almost missed their opening lines - "Kick-a butt!" "Not too hard" - then gave the song to Lovering, who crooned like Elvis while punching at his kit. On "Vamos," Santiago tweaked his guitar to match Black's short vocal squawks. And at the close of "Gigantic," Deal urged the musicians to do something truly uncharacteristic: They smiled and, one by one, said good night.
PIXIES. New and improved. Tuesday night at Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
"Our Love is Rice and Beans and Horses Lard" |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 10:49:46
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Thomas, thanks for posting this. I'd love to know what you thought of the show. Did you catch Interpol?
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Thomas
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1615 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 11:26:26
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Didn't go. Yes I know I live so close, but I don't like Jones Beach seating. If I couldn't get up front seating I didn't want to go.
"Our Love is Rice and Beans and Horses Lard" |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 11:43:56
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While I can understand your point, I was DYING to go but couldn't (little kids, you know...). Damn, Thomas!
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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soundofataris
= Cult of Ray =
USA
715 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 12:44:51
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Kick a butt! Not too hard. heehee. I don't like guzman
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i try to be mallory but i'm still skippy |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 12:56:03
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Yeah, and "Tame" doesn't sound like a childhood nightmare. Nothing child-ish about it.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2005 : 14:31:52
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| Man I would have loved to have seen that show!! Pixies, the beach and with Interpol opening and all! |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2005 : 22:50:44
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the show was amazing
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2005 : 05:06:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Chip Away Boy
the show was amazing
Yeah.....
Can you expand on that?
Thanks!
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2005 : 14:51:43
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| the show was *fucking* amazing. |
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Antoinette
- FB Fan -
64 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2005 : 13:13:39
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| It's "shake your butt" "but not too hard", by the way. |
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Angry Elvis
- FB Fan -
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2005 : 09:18:22
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hi kathryn
the show was inspiring for this long time fan
they seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely and it came through in the music
since it was jones beach i decided to bring the kids for their first concert going experience, and i'm glad i did
the volume could have been louder, but the venue is in a state park and there is a stifling trend towards political correctness that limits the old rock n roll spirit, but if you put that aside because it was the pixies afterall the pleasure was there
the back to back portion of the show was awe inspiring and i'm still breathless from that nights version of the sad punk - holee shit amazing!!!
it was a blast listening to my little daughter screaming the lyrics to her favorites, and my son wanted to get on the net as soon as we got home to learn more tabs
i went there with the notion we were gonna have a great time no matter what, and boy did we ever
i am impressed with how the music has held up so well after all these many years
i am thrilled to see the band back together and overtly enjoying each others company - i'm also happy that they are finally getting the recognition and cash they so rightly deserve
alright - thats enough of me being a drooling sycophant - it is time to become angry agan,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
karate chop, chop, chop, chop, chop
***i'm just a hunka hunka burnin love*** |
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madtempest
- FB Fan -
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2005 : 11:42:54
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| I had a great time at the show. Met so many people, and Interpol was great, even though they all looked really tired. |
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Pixies - Jones Beach Review
