Pixies w/ Royal Blood at State Theatre, Minneapolis (11 Oct 2014)
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The Boston-based band is touring in support of their fifth studio album Indie Cindy… The Pixies’ first album in 23 years. The record was the first to not feature Kim Deal, who is also absent on this current tour.
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Royal Blood
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Brighton’s Royal Blood opened up for the sold out show. Like their previously headlining performance, bassist/singer Mike Kerr had very little to say between songs, except to introduce drummer Ben Thatcher near the end of their set.
Naturally, the duo played songs from their Mercury Prize-nominated self-titled debut LP, including “Better Strangers” and finale “Out Of The Black”. Their loud garage blues rock does not suit well in a seated venue like the State Theatre… but that did not stop a few dedicated fans from standing up and dancing during their performance.
Look for Royal Blood to appear on Late Night with Seth Meyers this Wednesday, October 15th.
Before we talk about the Pixies at the State Theatre, I just wanted to give you a little background with the band. I was introduced to the Pixies in elementary school by a friend in the early 90s (which I’ve documented here). Unfortunately, at that time, after they released Doolittle, the band went on an indefinite hiatus… and eventually broke the news that they were no longer a band in 1993.
After the breakup, I followed Black Francis’ solo career (he had reinvented himself as Frank Black), and also followed Kim Deal’s project The Breeders. As much as I love their post-Pixies works, it just wasn’t the same.
Of course, I was excited to hear that the Pixies reformed in 2004. I tried to get a ticket to their first gig was at Minneapolis’ Fine Line Café for April 13, but it immediately sold out.
Ten years later, the Pixies triumphantly returned to Minneapolis to another sold out show at the State Theatre.
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Incorrect Setlist
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Unlike some bands, the Pixies’ setlist is different night after night, I think it is because they record all their shows and then re-sell them as digital downloads for fans and collectors. With over 30 songs on the set, this made for a good value for fans. Just to give you an idea of how epic the setlist is – the photo of the set taken from the stage, came in three pages (but it’s also completely incorrect). Either the Pixies didn’t care about the set order and/or the set was taken from previous shows.
New bassist Paz Lenchantin did a great job with backup vocals and playing Pixies songs. To be honest, I don’t think anyone missed the fact that Kim is not in the band. Making up the rest of the group are the original band members, singer/guitarist Black Francis, drummer David Lovering and
lead guitarist Joey Santiago.
About half their set was dedicated to Indie Cindy, but the band mixed in some old favorites like “Where Is My Mind?”, “Here Comes Your Man”, and “Allison”… but surprisingly, missing on their set is one of their biggest hit, “Monkey Gone To Heaven”. Still, despite missing some key songs, it’s still a very rounded set.
Black Francis, who also played under the stagename Frank Black, is still a great singer. Most of the songs featured his vocals, except for “La La Love You”, drummer David Lovering and Paz Lenchantin took over the mic.
The Pixies are currently on tour in support of Indie Cindy. Currently, you can find singer Black Francis on a number of solo dates. As for Royal Blood, they’ll be back in the UK, doing a European tour.
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Pixies at State Theatre, Minneapolis (11 Oct 2014) |