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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
 Posted - 07/01/2025 : 10:05:53
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| Has anybody gone to any of these shows? |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2025 : 10:34:29
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| I'm going to the two Montreal dates next week. I'm surprised the second nights still seem to have some Bossanova/TML songs, and are relatively light on the The Night the Zombies Came. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2025 : 11:12:05
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Let us know how the shows are Brank
Did anyone catch them on Kimmel doing Motoroller? |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6291 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2025 : 23:07:21
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But surprised that we don't discuss this tour, it's going on for two weeks
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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oddball
- FB Fan -
Germany
245 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2025 : 00:21:56
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I was hoping for more back-stage snippets of new songs for the next album like what we saw last year. I guess it's too early?
-oddball |
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QuaBear
- FB Fan -
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2025 : 10:21:53
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Went to the Bossanova/Trompe Le Monde Los Angeles show at the Palladium and it was a dream come true. Of course Doolittle and Surfer Rosa are incredible, but Bossa and Trompe were always my favorites, or it had a hold on me, for whatever reason. To see it live, and singing "Jefrey with one F, Jefrey..." was surreal and one I won't forget. They sounded good, and the whole crowd was into it. A lot of people like "Is She Weird?", specifically Gen Z (I'm a Millenial).
I might go to their August San Diego date to see them perform some Zombie songs |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6291 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2025 : 09:38:48
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quote:
Originally posted by QuaBear
Went to the Bossanova/Trompe Le Monde Los Angeles show at the Palladium and it was a dream come true. Of course Doolittle and Surfer Rosa are incredible, but Bossa and Trompe were always my favorites, or it had a hold on me, for whatever reason. To see it live, and singing "Jefrey with one F, Jefrey..." was surreal and one I won't forget. They sounded good, and the whole crowd was into it. A lot of people like "Is She Weird?", specifically Gen Z (I'm a Millenial).
I might go to their August San Diego date to see them perform some Zombie songs
Great to read that you had fun, QuaBear!
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2025 : 04:50:35
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Using Pet Sounds as intro music is very nice!
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2025 : 07:32:17
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Back from Montreal!
The first night was absolutely fantastic - maybe my favourite Pixies show I've been to. It's amazing to have seen Bossanova, TML, and TOTY in the same year. The crowd was really into it to - a new generation of Gen Z fans are joining and were having a blast crowd surfing and moshing through the night. I was surprised at how wild the crowd went for Dig For Fire, and the front half of the standing room moshed/pogoed/crowd-surfed through the first half of TML. If it weren't for the phones, I would have thought I had been transported back to the early 90s. Rarely played songs like TML and Alec Eiffel sounded excellent and got a good crowd response - they really need to be incorporated more regularly into the sets! On both nights the final cheers (and stomps) for the band were so loud that the sounds of the cheers were distorting in my ears. The band seemed a bit surprised and quite happy/appreciative at how full-throated the final applause was. The difference between Ontario and Quebec crowds is night and day.
The second night was also good. The band was in strong form, and Charles was going for it, being playful with phrasing and delivery. I'll admit that I was anxious to have a good dollop of The Night the Zombies Came songs, so was getting increasingly tense when about 15 Surfer/Doolittle songs were played after the first offering of Vegas Suite and Mercy Me. Happily they played Primrose (the song I wanted to see the most), Chicken, and Kings of the Prairie towards the end, but I was really hoping for Motoroller, or even Oyster Beds, which would have fit in more seamlessly with the more upbeat parts of the set. I suppose they did record it about two years ago, so may have moved on, but I would have liked to see Motoroller in particular, given that they tend to retire songs from new albums once the album cycle is up (except for Death Horizon, and the odd Snakes, and back in the day All the Saints). While I'd love to hear more 2.0 songs, it's hard to blame the band given how much more enthusiastic/receptive the crowd is to the old songs. I guess for the Gen Z fans, it's their first time hearing the hits live, and they go absolutely wild for them. I think next time I should just drink more beer to be more in the moment and less in my head about the setlist. |
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Troubles A Foot
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2025 : 05:37:56
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| I have tickets to July 15th in NYC. Another show this year I'm going to by myself. Like the third one. Lately can't get anyone to see stuff with me! I enjoy "checking songs off" my list of stuff I've seen live so knocking out Boss and Trompe in one go will be really fun for me. |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2025 : 08:30:16
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| There's currently an "unknown" song listed from last night's concert on setlist.ca . I wonder if this was just a Pixies 2.0 song the compiler wasn't familiar with (Snakes?) or if they've debuted something. |
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Discoking
* Dog in the Sand *
Belgium
1147 Posts |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2025 : 13:26:34
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Great review Brank thank you so much!
Trouble maybe I’ll see you there
2025 is a great year for FBF fandom! |
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Troubles A Foot
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2025 : 07:42:58
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| So if doors are at 7pm, is 9pm a good bet for Pixies hitting the stage? Trying to give my wife as little alone time with the baby as possible tonight since I was away a ton yesterday. |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2025 : 11:01:06
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I'm not sure if it changes venue to venue, but for both nights in Montreal doors were 6:30, Kurt Vile played from 8:00-8:50 and the Pixies played 9:20-11:10. The crowd was basically full by the beginning of Kurt Vile's set, as the man is a big get for an opener.
I hope you have a good one! |
Edited by - Brank_Flack on 07/15/2025 11:01:47 |
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The Maharal
* Dog in the Sand *
1017 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2025 : 12:46:14
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| Kurt Vile as an opener, that will be brilliant. |
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Troubles A Foot
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2025 : 21:10:33
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Back from the Brooklyn Paramount Bossanova/Trompe Le Monde show!
First -- I got there during Kurt Vile's opening set, though I think I saw most of it. I've never heard of him but I liked what I heard! I may check him out sometime. Definitely a good fit for Frank Black fans.
Pixies were great! Dave did flub about three times. I remember the number because each time made me cringe. I could be mistaken, maybe it was on purpose but it seemed like mistakes to me. But besides that he was awesome, lots of crazy fills and high energy. Joey seemed flawless to me. Frank's voice was INCREDIBLY smooth and on point. Emma's voice was really nice too, though I have to say I did not like her bass tone, it was too BONG BONG BONG, very trebly, it didn't seem to fit some of the songs.
It was really exciting to hear every single damn song on those two albums. It made me realize how Bossanova is just hit after hit. And to think some Pixies fans rank it low. Just about every time a new one started I thought "YES! Another great one!" Blown Away really resonated with me (though I had heard it live before), after reading that Frank wrote it about wanting to be alone (away from Kim) during one of their tours, I had a similar experience the past few weeks traveling with my wife's family, and having the same bad mood and wanting to just be by myself (no offense to them, it was just too many people nonstop for three weeks straight.) Dig For Fire did seem to light up the room, there's just this triumphant positive feel to the song and it was a huge, huge highlight for me (one of the only times I actually sang along.) I had a thought that they should just put it out as a single again, why not? I feel like the time is finally right for it.
Trompe Le Monde is incredible live, both the album but also the opening song. One of those moments where I thought "they should just play this at every show." Trompe might actually be their most rocking album: my theory is Joey and Frank's guitar tones are the most similar on that album, creating just a tidal wave of rock in your face nonstop. It's an extremely high energy album and I almost didn't want them to pause between the songs since on the album there's almost no pausing between tracks.
The highlight for me was just all those deep cuts I never thought I'd hear: Palace of the Brine, Sad Punk, Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons, Letter to Memphis, Lovely Day. Bird Dream was particularly...cathartic? Orgasmic? It was just really powerful. I was thinking "THIS is a deep cut?? A lesser known Pixies song? It's incredible." I'm not sure but I think a lot of the audience was singing along to that one.
Speaking of the audience: one huge, tall, big drunk dude was being a real disturbance, and I saw security give him a warning or two and kick him out of a few areas. He kept yelling "GOUGE AWAAAAAY!" and I'm so, so glad they did not play it. This guy was behind me yelling like a dumb shit the entire show and threatening to ruin some truly wonderful moments.
After the two albums were done, they played In Heaven, and ladies and gentlemen, I actually cried. Cried a lot. Water coming out of my eyes. I hadn't predicted it but with the death of David Lynch (my favorite filmmaker, a personal obsession of mine), and doing such a haunting version of a song he wrote, and not only that, the song is about being dead and in Heaven...it was too much for me. I was wiping my eyes the entire song. Frank is too artsy to simply say something like "that was dedicated to David Lynch" but it felt like it.
Then they busted out a very fast version of Here Comes Your Man that made the audience EXPLODE. It made me wonder how many that were there even knew about the Boss/Trompe thing, or were disappointed in the setlist? Because not to be a huge hipster, but that, and then Where Is My Mind were the clear "winners" of the night as far as the audience is concerned, whereas for me I would have been fine using the restroom during those songs. I did enjoy them, and the enthusiasm of the crowd was kind of amazing to witness, but I was like "are these the frankblack.net type of fans in here or just people who know a couple songs????" But in a way, I was happy they were happy.
I thought they would keep the popular songs going (Wave of Mutilation?) but they ended with Into The White! I was surprised to hear that. It was very atmospheric, intense, and with the help of all of the houselights being turned on during the song, I saw a lot of people in the audience blissfully dancing, hippie-like, just getting lost in this weird song. It was kind of a nice moment.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS! That's right, folks, the stars were out tonight. I spotted Kevin Corrigan (indie film darling, look up his IMDB, you may know him from Goodfellas, etc, etc), and on the way out I (and many others) saw SNL's Sarah Sherman hanging out with a big group of people. I was genuinely starstruck, I love her, follow her instagram even, and was JUST talking about her with a friend of mine during a big SNL conversation. Of course she loves the Pixies, she's obsessed with body horror. Too bad she didn't get a Gouge Away or Wave of Mutilation.
So that was that. I was hoping to hear a new album song but they did no encore, which surprised me. Two full albums and the show still felt a bit short, but I'm in my 40s and my back was hurting from standing so I was fine to go home.
I do wonder if I'll ever see the Pixies again. I got tickets to this show because of the particular nature of the setlist. I don't ever need to see the Surfer/Doolittle stuff again, and I've checked this off my list. Is this my last Pixies show? If they put out a new album I love and do a show in tribute to it, maybe I'd go to that.
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6291 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2025 : 03:23:59
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Nice read, thanks
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2025 : 05:45:46
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Glad to hear you enjoyed the show! Sounds like the crowds reacted similarly at both of ours. Dig for Fire had a massive response, and despite how well I thought the material from Bossanova and TML was, the crowd absolutely exploded when Here Comes Your Man started.
Re: encores, I believe Frank has said they don't go through the pageantry of leaving and returning to the stage so that they can fit in more songs. Most venues shut down around 11:00, and they typically play around 35 songs.
Re: Kurt Vile, if you want to follow further his two breakthrough albums were 2011's Smoke Ring for My Halo and 2013's Wakin on a Pretty Daze. Smoke Ring is generally more folky, while Wakin has the more fully-fleshed sound you'll recognized from the show and is probably him at the peak of his powers. All his albums since have been strong, but are largely variations and developments of the Wakin on a Pretty Daze blueprints, so I would probably just go chronologically from there if you wanted to explore further. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2025 : 03:21:33
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From the set lists it looks like they are keeping The Happening in the rotation quite a bit which is amazing
Also from what I can tell looks like it’s one of the most listened to songs on Apple. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2025 : 02:37:33
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| Looks like they are back at it in Toronto if any of our Canadian forum members went and can report? |
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QuaBear
- FB Fan -
USA
69 Posts |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2025 : 16:37:35
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| Opening with Vamos followed by Chicken is fantastic whiplash |
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natenate101
= Cult of Ray =
USA
896 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2025 : 23:10:15
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Saw them in Berkeley tonight. Odd show. I wasn’t going to catch them this time around and missed them last year as well. Just haven’t really been into the band as much over the past few albums. Had a birthday recently and my sister, knowing I’m a big fan got me a ticket. She knows nothing of Pixies so this was all fresh to her. Overall I can say that Joey sounded great, Emma killed In Heaven, really nice voice even if it’s different for this band. BF had his moments and let out a few screams that shocked my sister at how feral it was.
The setlist was a mess. Momentum wasn’t maintained and the crowd was begging to be elevated during the lulls. Biggest issue the new songs fall flat, they just aren’t dynamic at all. It’s like listening to repetitious rock nursery rhymes or something. Only Chicken stood out because of Joey’s work on guitar and the atmospherics of the song. Kings of the Prairie should not be in a Pixies headlining set. It’s a bad song.
They opened with Oyster Beds, a song I like but feel it would resonated more in the middle of the set. Sounded good though .They played 8 songs total from Zombies, and hearing them live actually makes me dislike the album more. I just keep waiting for Joey’s part to liven up the songs. Playing 4 new songs total from Zombies start the set is excusable, get em while the crowd gets warmed up and all. But then doing 4 more mid-set and following with Death Horizon stopped the show dead in its tracks. I was actually a little uncomfortable with the crowd’s lack of response to those songs and how you could tell they yearned for a pick me up. The band ended with some classics but I could tell my sister and her friends were kinda disappointed. As was I. But I know I don’t like their new albums much, which is why I didn’t intend on making this one in the first place.
Anyway, I write this because I have nowhere else to discuss the topic and I love the band. I’ve seen them rip places apart with great performances over the years. This one had moments (Nimrod’s Son was fantastic, Cactus sounded great, Joey in general) but felt hamstrung by the new songs being so prominent. Oh well, maybe I’ll like the next album and be hyped for the tour cycle that follows…
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2025 : 07:18:57
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If someone could put the picture of the guy with his thumb down in Spinal Tap when the band rebrands as “Spinal Tap mark 2” and caption it “natenate101 at Berkeley” that would be great
Thanks so much for the honest review
That’s what I meant by whiplash
I personally love the new albums, but I can’t imagine seeing a concert where Mercy Me is sandwiched between Debaser and Head On.
But obviously the band seems to be OK with that kind of thing
As crazy as this might sound, I would probably buy a ticket to a show that was billed as we’re only gonna play the mellow stuff
Any way, happy birthday and thanks for the review |
Edited by - Bedbug on 08/29/2025 07:19:37 |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2025 : 09:17:05
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Also, you got me, thinking, is he going for the whole loud, quiet loud dynamic with the entire show?
I think he was trying to do the loud quiet loud thing even within the Vegas suite, although that one sounds a tad schizo |
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Stevio10
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
1138 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2025 : 12:23:43
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| Gotta say I wasn't impressed they opened for My Chemical Romance. Radiohead, sure, but it's starting to feel like the beginning of the end. |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1074 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2025 : 16:14:14
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Yeah, I had no interest in viewing a short opening set for My Chemical Romance at the giant baseball field (plus, I'm now in Ottawa so wouldn't make that trip unless for something special like the TOTY tour, especially after seeing them twice in Montreal). I'm not overly concerned however given the general quality of their tourmates (Cat Power, Modest Mouse, Kurt Vile, Spoon, etc. the less said about the Weezer years the better).
I understand your experience natenate, but I've seen the Pixies 1.0 material enough now that I'd rather see a less dynamic set of the new stuff. I was disappointed that the second night of Montreal skipped Motoroller, Oyster Bed and Ernest Evens. But then again, I probably enjoy the new material more than others (I was quite happy, for example, to see Kings of the Prairie, a song which I love). |
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Troubles A Foot
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 07:25:30
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nate's post spoke to me. I'm torn between wanting to see new material live (or anything but Surfer Rosa/Doolittle songs) and also feeling that intense discomfort with the crowd's disinterest in that material. I mean even at the Bossanova/Trompe show the crowd seemed disinterested for portions and those are classic albums. So playing slow, repetitive, fairly musically uninteresting (my opinion) new songs with no energy to them or anything weird or dynamic or angular in the music the way all the other songs at the show are just murders an audience dead.
I wanted Frank to be the genius songwriter he is and rise above the cliche of the new songs bore the audience and they just want to hear the classics, but Frank blows everybody's face off with awesome new material, but it's mostly not happened, at least for general audiences outside of the "weirdos in the worm store" around here. And like sure, a song like Primrose is pretty, but why are you going to a Pixies show? To see mellow, pretty music...? |
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Skatealex1
* Dog in the Sand *
1712 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 14:34:54
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Maybe this gets to one of the fun things about Franks solo shows. Maybe the audiences for those were a little more hardcore- IE- not everyone's going to an acoustic Frank or even solo band show to hear songs like Here Comes Your Man.
I think those kinds of shows like he used tp do a lot give the freedom to kind of fly around between his various genres and it all seemed to make sense. IE- you could songs from Honeycomb, Catholics albums, TOTY, some Pixies thrown in...
I guess those don't bring in the money like Pixies but I'd imagine those would be the best way to get better receptions of the more midtempo newer songs. I do also agree though- for the most part they sometimes seem to bring the shows to a halt..
One caveat being back a number of albums ago- you had some more kinda rockers in there like What Goes Boom, On Graveyard Hill and maybe even something like Um Chugga Lugga- I feel like those might go over better than some more recent stuff, in a live Pixies settings. |
Edited by - Skatealex1 on 08/30/2025 14:35:29 |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3274 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 17:36:00
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He can't please everybody
He's given us the Bossanova/TLM tour we wanted
And the TOTY tour
And he doesn't just rely on the old hits but integrates new music into it, putting out new albums every couple years
I totally get how the slow tempo 2.0 songs have no way to fit in with the 1.0 stuff, but what else can he really do at this point? At 60? |
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Skatealex1
* Dog in the Sand *
1712 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 17:39:51
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| Yeah, I don't blame him. Just saying maybe from an audience view that's how it can play out. Also personally I'd find it exciting if they brought out more 2.0 songs from some of the first few 2.0 albums. I think integrating more Bossonova and Trompe Le Monde into the sets is a nice change too. |
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Troubles A Foot
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 20:50:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
I totally get how the slow tempo 2.0 songs have no way to fit in with the 1.0 stuff, but what else can he really do at this point? At 60?
Well, what I think is "supposed" to happen artistically is that he's a solo artist, and not doing exclusively Pixies. In an alternate universe where money wasn't a factor. But it has to be Pixies, so you get these very strange shows that confuse and dissatisfy a lot of the audience.
I mean seeing him at the TOTY show and the solo acoustic show, it just felt so RIGHT. He is an eclectic artist with a lot of different kinds of songs and styles and tempos and tones, but the Pixies, as unclassifiable as they are, still encourage a certain kind of sound, and the audiences, even big fans like us, associate the Pixies with that kind of sound (as varied within ITSELF as it is, there is still a tone that is the umbrella of everything.)
I was reading this Paul McCartney book, The Lyrics. He talked about how Wings was a very intentional choice to have a band that didn't sound like the Beatles. And now many years later Paul is a free solo artist who can do whatever he wants, and he can incorporate Beatles, Wings, and solo songs in his live shows.
This is what I think Frank should be doing at 60 years old. You have your different bands and eras that had their own sound but then you can mix them all up as a solo act. But going back to the ONE sound and then trying to force your other interests into it, it's not working for me. I know it works for some. But it's clearly not working for audiences at these shows. |
Edited by - Troubles A Foot on 08/30/2025 20:54:36 |
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2025 North American Tour
it's educational