Last night at Dante's in Portland, Ore., Black Francis, aka Frank Black, stood alone in the spotlight and played acoustic versions of Pixies songs and his solo work. Diehard Pixies lovers mainly comprised the packed Musicfest NW audience in hopes the fellow Portlander would oblige them with some classic tunes.

It wasn't until an hour into Francis' two-hour set when their wishes were granted. Donning a black leather jacket and black rimmed glasses, Francis picked at his electric guitar and sang 'Caribou" from the Pixies' debut, 'Come On Pilgrim.' As Francis sang the infectious chorus, heads in the audience swayed back and forth. He then proceeded to play four more Pixies songs, including 'Nimrod's Son,' 'Velouria,' 'Gouge Away' and 'Planet of Sound.' On the latter, Francis reduced the track to shell of its original, removing Joey Santiago's signature guitar riff, but the stark quality had its advantage.

Francis' set wasn't all about the Pixies, though. In fact, most of the night focused on his gospel, country and rock-tinged solo works that drastically differentiated from his other band. Having released several records of his own material, Francis offered the audience 'She Took All the Money,' 'Tight Black Rubber' and an a cappella rendition of 'All Around the World.' Though the audience seemed to taper off as the set went on, he took the dispersion in stride and grabbed a bottle of wine, took a big swig and kept going into the wee hours. Those who stayed certainly made the right decision.