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Pavement Conclude American Business Trip at Matador at 21

Posted on Oct 2nd 2010 2:00PM by Jason Cohen
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David Becker, WireImage.com / Getty Images

Pavement's final U.S. show and almost-final gig of their reunion -- they play a festival in Buenos Aires on November 19 -- wasn't a big hit with Twitter critics.

"There seem to be a few people in this room happy this is the last show of the Pavement tour," tweeted Stereogum's Amrit Singh during the band's Matador at 21 show in Las Vegas. "Unfortunately they are onstage."

"Wow. Have you ever seen a band break up for a second time in front of you?" Vulture's Andy Greenwald offered. "Not awesome!"

But really, it was just business as usual. When you're Pavement, the game is kind of rigged. They've played their share of perfect shows -- and had to follow one by Sonic Youth -- but when you get a set that's riven with equipment failure, slipshod songs, passive-aggression and self-laceration, that is also a legitimate experience.

And while the band pratfalled through the first part of their set -- "It's gonna get better after this," guitarist Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg promised before 'Conduit For Sale' -- the crowd still treated 'Stereo' and 'Shady Lane' like they had always been hits you hear on a casino floor (in between Katy Perry and Gorillaz, the Palms has been cranking Matador selections).

"It's amazing: 21 years and all these great bands," Malkmus said, before indirectly noting what he thought of his own work so far. "It's gonna turn out to be a good idea that we did this."

While Kannberg also found himself apologizing for their version of his 'Kennel District,' 'Conduit for Sale' was indeed as good as advertised, with Kannberg and Nastanovich shouting out their vocals at top volume and Malkmus saying that the song was like Pavement's 'Death Valley '69' (which Sonic Youth had played in the preceding set) mixed with the Fall.

And as the band dipped deeper into the back catalog, they seemed to have a bit more fun: there was a ripping 'Two States,' an amiable 'Box Elder,' a surely not coincidental 'Shoot the Singer' and, for just the second time on the reunion tour, 'AT&T.'

Fans also sung along to 'Range Life' and were delighted to hear 'Cut Your Hair' and 'Gold Soundz.' Most people in the crowd still went home happy, much like Las Vegas local Jesse Stutzman. "Perturbed by all these whiners who had a problem with Pavement's set," he tweeted. "It's like they weren't even watching the same show."

Watch streaming video of Matador at 21 courtesy of MySpace below.