The Pixies make do on Dolittle in a reverent anniversary show

The Pixies
Alternative rock
November 19, 2009
at the Aragon Ballroom

by Selena Fragassi

In the 25 years since the groundbreaking album Dolittle made its mark on the post-punk, pre-grunge landscape of modern music, the Pixies have spared no minor moments of rock and roll iconoclasm, becoming a muse to the strictest of brainchild musicians and the erstwhile poster child of band discordance.

The Boston band’s story reads like a Behind the Music marathon but their legend still burns bright, even on rerun – a facet that was seen as the original quartet descended upon the Aragon Ballroom for the first of a three-night residency to celebrate their impressive silver anniversary with near golden moments of glory. Yep, Black Francis can still hit those high notes and growl like a rabid beast; Kim Deal can still bring a thunderous aplomb to her bass guitar; and guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering can still hold the peace with iron fist harmonies and bolstered beats.

Twenty-five songs brought back 25 years in rapid fire, from each of the Dolittlenumbers to mix-tape favorites “Gigantic” and “Where Is My Mind,” to dusty box B-sides so rarely heard that Deal joked, “we even had to learn them.”

Dolittle may be an album rife with violent overtones and carnivorous ramblings (see songs “I Bleed,” “Gouge Away,” and “Wave of Mutilation”) which may have earlier pointed at the band’s internal wage of war — but on Thursday night, gone was the tension that literally dismembered the band shortly after the album’s original release.

Although dressed for the mood in matching black ensembles and drowning in clouds of thick smoke, the Pixies seemed nothing if not giddy to be playing together again (Francis has even teased about a new album in 2010), with an ultimate show of unity as the four gathered center stage and linked arms before departing for the first of two show-stopping encores that gave the main act a run for its money. The most memorable song of the night by far being “Into the White,” a spastic, guitar-driven meltdown that was matched in furor by gluttonous strobe effects for sharp snapshots of the band’s white lightning power.

Although, in the interim hiatus, Francis found success in double-dipped solo efforts, Deal moved on to a sister act in the Breeders and Santiago became a magician’s hat trick, the four accomplished talents proved that they just may be best off together. Let’s just hope they can still get along after the anniversary party is over.

SETLIST:
1. Dancing the Manta Ray
2. Weird at my School
3. Bailey’s Walk
4. Manta Ray

DOLITTLE ALBUM
5. Debaser
6. Tame
7. Wave of Mutilation
8. I Bleed
9. Here Comes Your Man
10. Dead
11. Monkey Gone to Heaven
12. Mr. Grieves
13. Crackity Jones
14. La La Love You
15. No. 13 Baby
16. There Goes My Gun
17. Hey
18. Silver
19. Gouge Away

FIRST ENCORE
20. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
21. Into the White

SECOND ENCORE
22. Dig for Fire
23. Planet of Sound
24 Where is My Mind?
25 Gigantic