Show Lineup: Pixies w/ The Clockworks
Genre(s): #alternative
Venue: Rialto Theatre. Tucson, AZ
Date: 03/15/22 Description:
In early February, to everyone's surprise, The Rialto Theatre announced a new event to be hosted on March 15th. Legendary Boston band, Pixies, were to perform live with tickets quickly depleting.
Pixies came to fame in the late 1980s thanks to their second album Surfer Rosa which contains their acclaimed single; “Where Is My Mind?” A year later in 1989, Pixies released what many consider to be their magnum opus: Doolittle. Doolittle catapulted Pixies from a college radio band to alternative music icons. The sheer amount of influence and success that Pixies have had in their four-decade run has been nothing less than monumental. Many bands have cited Pixies as being one of their sources of inspiration, including Kurt Cobain who has been quoted as saying; “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it.”
The show at the Rialto was the first leg of their brief North American tour that compassed four different cities. Irish band, The Clockworks, opened for Pixies and played an eight-song setlist. The relatively unknown band electrified the crowd with their pop-punk sound and charisma. The Clockworks warmed up the audience and gave spectators a taste of what was to come. As they left the stage, the tension grew as people impatiently waited for Pixies to take the stage.
About a quarter past 9 pm, Pixies members; Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering, and Paz Lenchatin were welcomed on stage to a wave of cheers by concertgoers. As soon as they picked up their instruments, bassist Paz Lechantin laid down the bassline for “Gouge Away.” Soon after, the rest of the band joined in and frontman Black Francis captivated the audience with his primal, yet unique vocals. As soon as the last note of “Gouge Away” was played, they quickly transitioned to “U-Mass” followed by “Cactus” and “Debaser.” In true Pixies fashion, they played through a 30+ song setlist with very little crowd interaction. The setlist was composed of both their biggest hits as well as non-singles with most of them being from their first couple of albums. Highlights of the concert included “Hey”, “Monkey Gone to Heaven”, “Here Comes Your Man” and of course, “Where Is My Mind?” which had the entire crowd singing in unison.
Just by looking at the proportionately empty stage which only consisted of the band’s instruments, amps, and very little décor, the band meant business and only focused on their music. This was clearly reflected with their marathon-styled set and very few breaks in between songs. The crowd was nothing short of lively and throughout each song, concertgoers were constantly jumping, dancing, and even moshing. The music itself was raw, emotional, and astounding. Every time I would turn around and look at the crowd, the same confounding thought entered my head, I was shocked by the demographic of the multitude. The vast majority of the crowd were people my age, folks in their late teens and early twenties. This just demonstrated the undeniable fact that Pixies are timeless. Even after thirty-six years their music still resonates with the youth and touches the hearts of many young adults. Pixies are a prime example that age is just a number and good music is perennial.
Reviewer Name: Javier Mendoza
Date of Review: 03/19/22