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Pixies Kick Off Three Chicago 'Doolittle' Concerts

With smoke machines billowing, the silent film 'Un Chien Andalou' showing on a massive video screen and ominous music playing, the four members of the Pixies -- Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering -- walked onstage at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on Thursday night, the first of their three-day stint in the city on the 'Doolittle' 20th anniversary tour.

Warming up with several 'Doolittle'-era b-sides, the crowd was feeling it right away, nodding their heads along and waving their arms in the air. "More b-sides, here's another b-side," said bassist Kim Deal, who provided a play-by-play commentary throughout the Pixies' entire set. After four b-sides in a row, the giant screen flashed the word 'Doolittle,' the crowd cheered and the Pixies tore into the first track on the album, 'Debaser.' Cupping his hands around his mouth, Black Francis bellowed the chorus into the microphone, making sure every last person in the room heard his signature scream. The 'Doolittle' set only grew louder from that point, with 'Tame' ripping through the venue to flashing lights and a fast montage of video imagery.

"We're playing all of them. No skipping any songs," said Deal, before the start of 'Dead,' the album's sixth track. The next song, 'Monkey Gone to Heaven,' offered up a chance for crowd participation when during the chorus, the majority of the audience held up five, six and then seven fingers to correspond with the chorus of "If man is 5/then the devil is 6 /then god is 7."

The next two songs, 'Mr Grieves' and 'Crackity Jones' brought out the dancing among the crowd as it pushed and swayed to the two fast-paced tracks. Drummer David Lovering joined in on the vocals for 'La La Love,' as Deal announced that they were "Getting to the deeper cuts on the album." 'No. 13 Baby' got the crowd jumping up and down, while 'Hey' got them singing along with the animated lyrics that appeared on the video screen.

'Gouge Away' closed out the Doolittle set, with a small mosh pit even breaking out amongst some overly excited fans. The band put down their instruments at the end of the song and walked to the edge of the stage, waving goodbye and eventually bowing together several times.

They appeared back onstage after several minutes for two encores, the first of which featured more 'Doolittle' b-sides. The "UK surf" version of 'Wave of Mutilation' spurred the crowd to hold up their lighters instead of cell phones, a testament to the age of the fans, while a wave of smoke from the smoke machines was accented by intense strobe lights on 'Into the White.' The second encore spanned the Pixies' entire discography including 'Dig for Fire,' 'Planet of Sound,' 'Where Is My Mind?' and 'Gigantic,' each song inspiring jumping and arm-waving amongst the crowd, proving the Pixies are a band for all generations.

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Another Chris

Honestly, I think the concert was AWESOME... and would have been SO MUCH BETTER if the opening act had been any good at all. Whoever they were, they were beyond AWFUL --- and the aragon was BEYOND hot. It was like a sweat lodge in there. I love the general admission, but a few fans running or something would have been good. It was sooooooo hot that I think it killed the crowd.

November 21 2009 at 9:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
chris

I was hyped for the show last night. I've been a huge Pixies fan for a long time, but this was the first time I'd seen them live. Overall, I guess it lived up to what I was hoping for. They delivered on the Doolittle tracks, hit some great b-sides (Manta Ray is a favorite), and threw in some unforgettable surprises in the encores (Planet of Sound had me pumped for the prospect of Trompe Le Monde tour). But the forced march through the album, in album order, made the set feel kinda stale. I know these guys aren't known for opening up and jamming, but it could have been livelier. And longer! They only played for an hour or so.

But I can't really fault Frank Black and co. for being a little flat. The crowd was dead! I almost felt self-conscious dancing and cheering. Most of the thirty-somethings around us looked like they would have preferred assigned seats over general admission. Weak!

So... Dear Pixies: Great show. If the set had been a little longer, and shuffled around a bit, it would have been perfect. But we're sorry. We sucked. You sent out a wave of mutilation, and we responded as a silent, motionless sea, sucking the energy right out of it. We'll do better next time, so please come back. --The Audience.

November 20 2009 at 1:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply