Pixies, Cymbals Eat Guitars - May 23, 2017 - Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Pixies on stage at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA

Pixies and Cymbals Eat Guitars played to a packed Electric Factory crowd on Tuesday night. It was a nonstop performance from the Pixies, who ripped through 34 songs in two hours with no banter with the crowd.

Opening act Cymbals Eat Guitars were only on stage for about 30 minutes but made constant noise. They blasted through five songs including my favorite "Warning," off their 2014 album LOSE. The band improved since the last time I saw them, opening for Bob Mould at the TLA in 2014. They appeared to have more confidence and the musicianship was sharp. The final song was the six-minute powerhouse "Laramie." The song slowly built up and became a wall of sound. Near the conclusion of the song, each band member left the stage one by one, leaving their instruments behind to allow the sound to fade out on its own. With the reverb sound coming from the unmanned instruments, drummer Matthew Miller had the floor, bashing a long drum solo to finish off what the band had started. After Miller exited stage left, the echo of reverb continued on the empty stage.

The Pixies opened with "Planet of Sound," setting the tone for the rest of the show with their signature soft, loud dynamics. They followed up with a punch to the gut, the screaming punk rocker "Something Against You." For the first couple of songs, all you could see on stage were the silhouettes of the band as strobe lights flashed from behind them, keeping the beat. Later in the set, guitarist Joey Santiago showcased his distorted solo in "Vamos" as he waved his hat in the air to the acknowledgment of the crowd. Black Francis, who was wearing all black, had his scream on point, letting it out on many occasions. During "Mr. Grieves," he even gave an eerie cackle for the opening line "hope everything is alright," as if asking the crowd. Some of the biggest cheers of the night came from the disturbing biblical story "Gouge Away" and the college rock masterpiece "Where Is My Mind?" A slowed down rendition of "Nimrod's Son" and the first song from Surfer Rosa, "Bone Machine," followed. "Debaser," inspired by the surrealistic short film Un Chien Andalou by Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuel, was the last song played before the finale.

It would have been awesome to see the Pixies with original bassist Kim Deal. However, Paz Lenchantin filled in perfectly, playing some of the best basslines in rock and singing not only backup but lead on "All I Think About Now" and "Into the White." Lenchantin is the latest bassist to join the band. When Deal announced she was leaving in 2013, the Pixies turned to Kim Shattuck of The Muffs to take over. However, less than six months after joining the band she was fired, apparently for stage diving during a show in Los Angeles.

Pixies put together a great set and covered a lot of ground. In a perfect world, they would have added the commercial pop tune "Here Comes Your Man," the raging "Tame," new and heavy "Blue Eyed Hexe," and the chorus sing-along "Gigantic." Although they have not played the latter since the absence of Deal, it was something that would be a treat to hear live. Some of these songs were performed previously on the tour and I admire the fact that the band changes the setlist from night to night. In the end, they could have only played Doolittle and Surfer Rosa, and I would be content.

As the final song, "Hey," came to a close, the band made their way around the stage to thank the crowd. They reconvened at the center of the stage with the audience still roaring. With one final bow, white smoke began to rise and like a magic trick, they disappeared. The smoke continued billowing from the stage into the pit. Without being able to see anything, "Into the White" was appropriately played to cap off a whirlwind of a set. At this point, the smoke had nearly filled the entire venue. Just like they came to the stage, they left, without a word and seeing them only as silhouettes. It may be unusual but that is how the Pixies are. They don't want attention and let the songs do the talking. It adds to their mystic and mysterious nature. You only know the band from their songs, nothing else. Some of their songs are dark, others are strange and that is how they want to be remembered.

The Pixies are one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Although they only released four albums between 1988 and 1991 and six albums total with modest sales, they have influenced the likes of Nirvana, Radiohead, David Bowie, U2, Weezer, The Strokes, and many more. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain has said that he was "basically trying to rip off the Pixies" when writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and David Bowie stated that the Pixies made "the most compelling music of the entire 80s." To see such a groundbreaking, important band live is incredible. I can now say I saw rock history in the flesh and would see them again in a heartbeat.

Setlist:

Cymbals Eat Guitars:

1.  Jackson

2.  Well

3.  4th of July, Philadelphia (Sandy)

4.  Warning

5.  Laramie

Pixies:

1.  Planet of Sound

2.  Something Against You

3.  U-Mass

4.  Monkey Gone to Heaven

5.  No. 13 Baby
6.  Bel Esprit

7.  Crackity Jones

8.  Isla de Encanta

9.  Vamos

10. Cactus

11. Oh My Golly!

12. Tenement Song

13. Snakes

14. Might as Well Be Gone

15. Subbacultcha

16. Wave of Mutilation

17. Um Chagga Lagga
18. Brick Is Red

19. Gouge Away

20. Head Carrier

21. Caribou

22. Havalina

23. Mr. Grieves

24. Blown Away

25. Velouria

26. Where Is My Mind?

27. Nimrod's Son

28. Bone Machine

29. Classic Masher

30. All the Saints

31. All I Think About Now

32. Debaser

33. Hey

Encore:

34. Into the White