Alt heroes rock Tennessee Theatre with marathon set on a rainy Saturday night
At this point, everyone has seen the Pixies, right? Spanning 12 years, their reunion tour has spawned two releases, 2014’s “Indie Cindy” and 2016’s “Head Carrier,” adding to a Tool-like catalogue of six albums in a little over 30 years. All kidding aside, though, the band’s indelible place in rock history is cemented based on who they’ve inspired and who has cited them as being major influences. That ever-growing list includes the likes of David Bowie, Kurt Cobain and Radiohead.
Admittedly, I’m a huge fan, too, and this would be my fourth time seeing them, so I went in with few expectations, as they’ve always been a consistent band live. Typically, frontman Black Francis doesn’t banter, they play the hits and it’s goodbye. But on March 9 at the Tennessee Theatre in downtown Knoxville, the Pixies were playing a rare headlining gig on an off night from their yearlong gig with Weezer – not exactly the recipe for a memorable set. However, on this night, that’s exactly what the audience got: a legendary show from a seminal American rock band.
Aussie singer-songwriter Angie McMahon opened the evening’s festivities by giving an eye-popping performance of her own by showing off her big voice on some excellent songs. At times sounding like Erika Wennerstrom from Heartless Bastards, she delighted the lucky ones who showed up in time for the opening set by belting out such tunes as debut single “Slow Mover” and the quirky number “Pasta.” At just 24 years of age, McMahon already has earned major awards. She placed first in a Telstra competition that saw her winning the right to open for Bon Jovi on the Australian leg of their 2013 tour. Four years later, she won the Josh Pyke Partnership, earning a $7,500 grant that jumpstarted the release of her debut album. McCahon was received incredibly well after this performance, with the crowd roaring its approval.
With McMahon setting the table ever so nicely for the headliners, it was time for the darlings of a generation to show us how it’s done. The Pixies led with a smorgasbord of tunes showcasing most of their albums, including the underrated “Motorway to Roswell” off the last album before the split, “Trompe le Monde.” Axeman Joey Santiago was as smooth as ever, both with his crying solo licks and sharp looks topped off with a Boston Scally cap.
Haters would have to eat crow on this night, as well, as newish member/bassist Paz Lenchantin was amazing in her own right, adeptly playing and singing the parts that departed founding member Kim Deal made famous. Lenchantin has been named a permanent member of the band since replacing Deal’s replacement, Kim Shattuck, in 2016. David Lovering’s drumming was steady and oozed coolness, especially when the band blazed through The Jesus and Mary Chain’s classic “Head On.” For his part, Francis, the consistent leader of the group, also was in fine form on this evening, crooning out the hits, hitting the high notes and swapping electric for acoustic guitar flawlessly.
As a whole, the Pixies were absolute professionals for the duration of the evening, completely on their game even on an off night. In all, they busted out 36 songs over the course of an hour and 45 minutes of nonstop rockage, taking only a slight breather before the double-whammy encore of “Where Is My Mind” and “Debaser.” The incredible set included the live debut of “Death Horizon,” a country-sounding ballad that featured Francis on acoustic and dueting with Lenchantin. We also got a cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong,” which they’ve been known to drop on surprised audiences from time to time.
For a band who had a rare chance to rest amid a huge tour, major credit must be given to the Pixies for bringing so much energy and professionalism to the hallowed stage of the Tennessee. They easily could have performed a perfunctory, ho-hum and/or brief show before enjoying some much-needed time off and rejoining the tour; instead, this set felt so much more alive than the one in November 2011, the last time the band played the venue. Francis, as per usual, didn’t banter in between songs, but who’s complaining when his energy was poured into a performance that left the crowd blown away (and later into throwing down pints amongst locals next door at Clancy’s)? This indeed is how it’s done right, folks, and I promise that I’ll never sleep on a chance to see the Pixies again in the future.
