the Bennies, the Datsuns, Pixies (12.07.04)

the Band: the Bennies, the Datsuns, Pixies
the Date: Tuesday December 7, 2004
the Venue: DAR Constitution Hall (DC)

(Photo credit to Cliff and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/invisibleman/)

This night, I went to heaven … and met the Pixies. The band consists of Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. Charles Thompson; vocals/guitar), Kim Deal (a.k.a. Mrs. John Murphy; vocals/bass), Joey Santiago (guitar), and David Lovering (drums). They were fantastic!

The Pixies are my absolute, all-time favorite band … EVER! When I was in high school and college, these guys were hitting their prime. Though I never got the chance to see them perform, the Pixies defined my taste in music. I was a HUGE fan. Then in early 1993, the band abruptly broke up (I’ll skip the part about Kim and Charles not getting along and the infamous fax heard round the indie world). I was crushed, but my love for the Pixies remained true. As they say, “It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never heard the Pixies at all”

(Photo credit to Cliff and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/invisibleman/)

Anyways, fast forward nearly twelve years and I find myself seeing the Pixies in concert! This was the first of a two-night stint in DC’s DAR Constitution Hall. I was only able to score tickets to one of the two nights, but that’s okay because it was still a dream come true. The Bennies opened and they were followed by the Datsuns. They were both great, but I was really distracted anticipating the Pixies. Finally, they came on stage and the crowd went nutz! They started with a slowed down version of In Heaven, which was magical, and then proceeded to give the sellout crowd what they came to hear. The set was chock full of note perfect versions of all of my favorites including, Wave of Mutilation, Nimrod’s Son, Here Comes Your Man, Debaser, Caribou, Vamos, Gigantic, and my all-time favorite song, Where Is My Mind? (with which they closed the evening). It was simply amazing.

Even considering their long hiatus, the Pixies did not disappoint. Frank had definitely retained his ability to seamlessly turn from a sweet melody to an all out, guttural scream. Kim played the bass flawlessly with her sweet backing vocals occasionally popping in. Joey and Dave were absolutely on fire. There was one moment, during Vamos, when Dave tossed Joey a drumstick which then Joey incorporated into an incredible guitar solo. Wow!

I left the night knowing that I had just seen the greatest band of all time. I cannot wait until their next show.

(Photo credit to Cliff and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/invisibleman/)

Full setlist: In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) / Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) / Winterlong (Neil Young cover) / Nimrod’s Son / The Holiday Song / Here Comes Your Man / Broken Face / Subbacultcha / Cactus / No. 13 Baby / Monkey Gone to Heaven / Velouria / Is She Weird / Debaser / U-Mass / Gouge Away / Crackity Jones / Something Against You / Isla De Encanta / Hey / Caribou / Broken Face / Head On (Jesus and Mary Chain cover) / Tame / Vamos / Gigantic / Where Is My Mind?

In Heaven, everything is fine …

the Bennies, David Lovering, the Reid Paley Trio, Frank Black & the Catholics (11.23.02)

the Band: the Bennies, David Lovering, the Reid Paley Trio, Frank Black & the Catholics
the Date: Sat November 23, 2002
the Venue: Black Cat (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Holy Crap! I totally missed the opening acts including, the Bennies, the Reid Paley Trio, and David Lovering, who performed his magic/science show!! For those who know their Pixies history, Lovering was the band’s drummer. I heard his show was something between a mad scientist and performance art. Cool! I picked up a couple of cds for the Bennies and Reid Paley at the merch table, but I was still bummed to be so late.

Frank Black & the Catholics were amazing. Great show. I think I still enjoyed the time I saw them in Houston back in April a bit more, but this was a great show. They were supporting their two recent albums released simultaneously, Devil’s Workshop and Black Letter Days. My favorites of the evening were Cactus, Monkey Gone to Heaven, All My Ghosts, and 85 Weeks. It was a long set … awesome!

Full setlist: All the Tired Horses / Gouge Away / Freedom Rock / There Goes Nadine / How You Went So Far / Cactus / Men in Black / Black Letter Day / Steak n Sabre / Monkey Gone to Heaven / Bullet / Southbound Bevy / California Bound / Cold Heart of Stone / Manitoba / Whiskey in Your Shoes / Velvety / Hermaphroditos / I’ve Seen Your Picture / Horrible Day / All My Ghosts / Solid Gold // ENCORE // Farewell Blend / Valentina & Garuda / 85 Weeks / End of Miles / Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl cover)

Sitting here wishing on a cement floor
Just wishing that I had just something you wore . . .