Pixies in Australia / New Zealand

[NSpan]

Which of our Aussie / Kiwi friends are going? Who have already gone?

[silversurfer19]

Saw them last night. I'd seen them before in '05 but they have improved a lot since then. Joey Santiago was immense on guitar, mindblowing at times, while Black Francis was howling like a mad man. Kim did most of the talking between songs (though most of that consisted of 'here are a few b sides', 'more b sides' etc.) Not really banter with the crowd but they all seemed very happy to be up there. We got four b sides at the beginning of the set including Manta Ray and Weird At My School, followed by Doolittle in its entirety, then a first encore of Into The White and Wave Of Mutilation( UK Surf), then a second encore which included Gigantic, U-Mass, Where Is My Mind?, Isla De Encanta, Nimrod's Son and Bone Machine. There may have been more but I can't remember. They played for almost two and a half hours and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The crowd really seemed to take to them too, dancing all up into the seating areas.

[NSpan]

2 1/2 hours? Wow. That must be a record for them. I've seen 'em twice, and both times the sets were pretty short. Sounds like a blast.

Supposedly that new album is coming out this year.

[numbersix]

Doolittle in its entirety? Man, that sounds amazing. Whenever they play over here it's either in festivals or venues so huge the atmosphere is lost.

And I guarantee you there won't be a new album this year.

[silversurfer19]

Yeah I think it was a tour celebrating its 20th anniversary, which started in the US last year and I'm sure included the UK too (I could be wrong, however). I agree though, last time I did see them was at a festival in the UK in 2005, where they were completely drowned out by the atmosphere, not to mention a set cut short so that they could 'co-headline' with the Killers. I mean, seriously, they have to co-headline an event? With The Killers? And I'm sure they have been 'supposedly' releasing a new album for years, haven't they? It's becoming the new Chinese Democracy!!

Album gigs can be pretty good though. I remember watching a Sonic Youth show a few years ago where they played Daydream Nation in its entirety. That was pretty cool also.

[numbersix]

Daydream Nation is one of my favourite albums and I would have loved to have heard that live. They played 2 songs from it when I saw them in last year and they were the highlight. Slint are the only band I've been to that played an album from start to finsh. IT was pretty good but there is something lost when the set list is predictable.

[NSpan]

I've caught Primus play both Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese in their entirety. Two of the best shows I've seen. Gonna catch Megadeth in a week or two--they're playing Rust in Peace start to finish. One of my big regrets was missing The Melvins play Houdini. I even had tickets for it!! I can't remember if I've seen Ween do an album in order, but the longest show I've seen them play clocked in well over 3 hours, so it's very possible (probably would've been Chocolate & Cheese).

I love the idea of bands playing their albums. I wish we saw more of it.

Back to the Pixies, I met Frank Black and Kim Deal (with her sister Kelley) on separate occasions. I gotta say, ol' Charles was a dick. But the Deal sisters were a blast. Super friendly and outgoing--especially Kelley. I learned that the Breeders' cover of the James Gang's song "Collage" was actually a cover-of-a-cover, and they didn't hear the original song until after their version was released.

Surfer -- I highly recommend checking out Old Crow Medicine Show. Great alt-country music, strong live show. Their sound is a healthy mix between traditional American blues and 60's British faux-blues (but the good kind!), all with a strong hint of Bob Dylan. Even if you haven't heard their albums, take my word on it. (I noticed Dead Weather is coming this week, too. I didn't realize NZ was such a standard tour stop.

[silversurfer19]

I understand your point on album gigs, but I do find it refreshing compared to the usual stuff, and it also gives you the chance to hear stuff that bands rarely play. I also caught Slint performing Spiderland at the Primavera festival in 2006 I think, I love that album so much.

I always got that impression about Black Francis, he just doesn't seem into being very friendly, which is kind of the exact opposite of Kim. I haven't heard of Old Crow Medicine Show, will be looking up some of there stuff soon. And yes, The Dead Weather are playing here on Wednesday, and I'm pretty looking forward to it. I've seen The White Stripes, Raconteurs and The Kills before, so should be interesting how this one works out considering they went for a darker sound with the record.

NZ has only in recent years become more of a stop off in recent years for bands due to the Vector Arena being built which accomodates around 5000 people so bigger bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Kings Of Leon, Faith No More and Silverchair etc coming over. We do get a few smaller bands too such as Band Of Horses, Of Montreal, Battles, Grizzly Bear etc come over every so often also which is cool. I notice most of them cover over this time of year which is probably due to it being summer of here and winter in the US. Maybe that has an impact?

[NSpan]

Yeah, unfortunately for Texans, most big-name acts tour in the hottest months of the year. It can be pretty arduous to brave a concert (or a festival) in 105 degree weather, but just about everybody does it. Just gotta sneak some water in between all those beers. But the touring trend seems to be more true for only the biggest acts--while plenty of lesser-known bands frequent smaller intimate venues year-round. Which works out for me, as I think my days of arena shows are over.

Best part about album-gigs is that you get to hear live renditions of obscure tracks (that may be just as good as the singles and the hits--but otherwise wouldn't be played).


By the way, a few of my favorite Old Crow tracks include:

I Hear Them All, James River Blues, Union Maid, Wagon Wheel, Alabama High-Test, Bobcat Tracks, Caroline, Down Home Girl, God's Got It, and Methamphetamine

Should be able to find most (if not all) of these on youtube or somewhere similar.

[Leestu]

I'll be going to the Pixies show in just under 2 weeks now, and based on what you've said Surfer my anticipation levels are even higher now. Sounds like an awesome gig. Those encores sound like a great finish to the gig.

[NSpan]

Looks like we might see Ray Davies this Wednesday--woo!