Pixies / Modest Mouse w/ Cat Power at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-06-24)

“Less talk, more rock!”

That battle cry that can be heard at live shows, wasn’t needed at all when influential indie rock stalwarts Pixies and Modest Mouse again joined forces for another leg of their co-headlining tour, which began last autumn, landing this week outdoors in Kansas City on a sweltering triple-digit day at Starlight Theatre.

Rounding out the three band lineup and opening the show was Chan Marshall aka Cat Power and band, in support of both the 2022 Covers album and Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, re-creating the Bobfather’s legendary concert and for which we saw her live as a headliner, back in March in St. Paul, MN.

Back sporting a short err, bob haircut and in a sleeveless black top, Marshall was as warm as the audience and pleasant and appreciative as well. The setlist was almost all her originals, save for a Rolling Stones classic, slowed and altered so much it was mostly recognizable only from the choruses, and a version Marshall has made truly her own.

As has been traditional with her, no photos of any kind were allowed (so we’ve included a small doodle from her recent Instagram posting), and she was gracious waving goodbye, saying we all need each other’s support to get through “these next crazy few months” (presumably referencing the upcoming election).

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Portland alt/indie rock pillars Modest Mouse would be next, again on the road apparently still in support of their latest studio album, 2021’s The Golden Casket (via Epic Records), and this would be no less than our fifth time seeing them live, since that album’s initial release. Along the way, drummer Jeremiah Green passed away, and singer Isaac Brock seemed to have a different appearance each time- for this one, in very short-cropped hair and a full suit (he could almost pass for a banker) despite the high temperatures.

Modest Mouse still changes their setlist nightly and mostly plays what they want, which is more than fine with their loyal fans, many of whom stood and cheered for their entire set. Brock’s real only dialogue to the crowd was mentioning having to follow Marshall and band, and the tendency to complain about the heat (or cold…or anything).

The set started strong with the now almost quarter-century-old “The Stars Are Projectors”, would continue its upward arc with 2004 radio hot, “Ocean Breathes Salty” and crest with their driving cover of 1980’s “A Forest” by The Cure. The more casual fans were satiated with radio hits, “Lampshades on Fire” and “Float On” played back-to-back, though the former seemed in a different time signature than the studio version, making it less immediately recognizable.

Realizing time was left after working through the printed setlist (see pic) and/or saving a couple encore songs, the band ended with new single, “Third Side of the Moon” which the fans are very embracing of, and then turned the wayback machine all the way to 1996, for the closing “Breakthrough”.

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Boston’s Pixies have been going strong since their fabled 2004 reunion tour (which started in MN) and singer Frank Black (aka Black Francis) announcing his solo career was over a decade ago and going through a handful of bassists following Kim Deal’s departure in 2013.

A Perfect Circle’s Paz Lechantin had been holding the position for the decade (and recording three studio albums) but she and fans were surprised earlier this spring, when news broke of her term ending.

The somewhat unlikely replacement is Emma Richardson, who we came to be familiar with, seeing UK group Band of Skulls live over the years. Richardson, now sporting an uh, pixie style hairdo and no longer a brunette, stayed somewhat in the shadows along with drummer David Lovering, but was musically seamless and eventually got her vocal showcase later in the set.

Like Modest Mouse, Pixies play what they want, when they want, with singer Black not saying much of anything between songs, and ignoring set-long shouts for hits, “Monkey Gone to Heaven”, “Dig for Fire” and “Gigantic” which were not to be this night (“Gigantic” apparently is never played anymore due to its connection with bassist Deal).

Nevertheless, the setlist was solid enough to represent each of the decades of the band, but mostly ignored their latest studio album, 2022’s Doggerel (via BMG Records), along with brand-new standalone single, “You’re So impatient” which was not worked in.

Fans responded to the band’s signature quirky melodies and trademark “loudquietloud” tempo changes, with guitarist Joey Santiago visibly having fun roaring his guitar volume and extending out the band’s typically short length songs.

Their chugging version of a Jesus and Mary Chain classic, was an early set highlight, we got not one, but two versions of “Wave of Mutilation”, the crowd cheered on 1991’s “Planet of Sound” and other underground favorites like 1990’s “Velouria” and 1989’s “Gouge Away”.

The crowd rose to their feet for 1990s college radio favorites, “Debaser”, “Here Comes Your Man” and “Where is my Mind?” late in the encore-less 82min. set and the band would end on a 1977 Neil Young deep cut, “Winterlong” and its fitting lyrics, “Things we thought of yesterday; come back now, come back now” from those fans wanting to hear those other hits.

As a snapshot of 1990’s and 2000’s no-bones, straight-ahead alternative rock, Pixies and Modest Mouse hit the nail on the head’ playing what they wanted and wasting no time between songs with idle banter.

For the faithful, it was bliss, and for the casual fan, both an exercise in musical efficiency and a time-travel to back when college and alternative radio and programming like ‘120Minutes’ was an influential and well-regarded way to bring these once indie and underground acts, into the mainstream.

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