Pixies – Auckland Town Hall December 15, 2022

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The Pixies steamed through a rousing set of 27 songs in 85 minutes taking fans on a high-powered journey through the past and back again.

Confession: I never really connected with The Pixies back in the day and I don’t know why.

I’ve seen them a couple of times since their 2006 reunion and still they failed to impress.

But this night was different.

Sadly, due to previous commitments, I was unable to experience opening act, Die! Die! Die!, but 13th Floor ace photographer Ivan Karczewski was there so please, check out his shots.

The Pixies take the stage at 9pm and launch into Gouge Away and suddenly its 1991 all over again.

This does not feel like a nostalgia show, but rather a celebration of 30 years of Pixies music. And the biggest cheerleader on stage seems to be bassist/vocalist Paz Lenchantin, who replaced Kim Deal back in 2014.

Paz’s enthusiasm is obvious and infectious as the quartet…front man Black Francis, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering rip through Dead, Something Against You and Isle de Encanta with a full course of anger and anguish.

The crowd is right with them, cheering as they hear the bass line to Gigantic and singing along to favourites like Wave Of Mutilation (2 versions), Monkey Gone To Heaven, Debaser and Here Comes Your Man.

After about an hour of mostly classic Pixies, we get a good dose of the latest album, Doggeral in the form of There’s A Moon On, Who’s Sorry Now, The Lord Has Come Back Today and Vault Of Heaven and, I gotta say, the new stuff stands up to the old, though maybe not quite so visceral.

Paz harmonizes with Frank on All The Saints and Ana making this feel like a real band, once more (echoes of the recent Guns N’ Roses gig).

There are more classics to come as we hear tunes from Come On Pilgrim, Doolittle and Surfer Rosa, closing with Where Is My Mind? and a gorgeous version of Neil Young’s Winterlong.

Ok, ok, I get it now…now to revisit the albums.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski:

Pixies:
Die! Die! Die!
Pixies setlist:
  1. Gouge Away
  2. Dead
  3. Something Against You
  4. Isla de Encanta
  5. Planet Of Sound
  6. Blown Away
  7. Break My Body
  8. Monkey Gone To Heaven
  9. Human Crime
  10. Gigantic
  11. Wave Of Mutilation
  12. Debaser
  13. Hey
  14. There’s A Moon On
  15. Who’s More Sorry Now
  16. The Lord Has Come Back Today
  17. Vault Of Heaven
  18. All The Saints
  19. Ana
  20. Here Comes Your Man
  21. Cactus
  22. Grieves
  23. Nimrod’s Son
  24. Motorway To Roswell
  25. Wave Of Mutilation
  26. Where Is My Mind?
  27. Winterlong
Marty Duda
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