Jay Reatard, Pixies (11.30.09 & 12.01.09)

the Band: Jay Reatard, Pixies
the Date: Monday-Tuesday, November 30 & December 1, 2009
the Venue: DAR Constitution Hall (DC)

(Photo credit to Erica Bruce and her Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/betweenloveandlike/)

Two full nights of my favorite band of all time, the Pixies!

This tour was to mark the 20th anniversary of their best-selling album Doolittle. The Pixies are Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. Charles Thompson; vocals/guitar), Kim Deal (a.k.a. Mrs. John Murphy, a.k.a. Tammy Ampersand; vocals/bass), Joey Santiago (guitar), and David Lovering (drums). They are in a word, PERFECT. They started each night with the Doolittle B-Sides including Weird at My School, Bailey’s Walk, and one of my favorites, Manta Ray. The die-hard fans, like myself, loved it, but when they started into the official album with Debaser, the entire crowd absolutely lost their shit. It was magical.

Back in high school, I must have played Doolittle ten million times. Now twenty years later, I’m listening to the Pixies play the entire album LIVE! What an amazing experience. On a side-note, earlier this year, the entire Doolittle album became available on Rock Band and I will admit that I immediately downloaded these tunes and have been prepping myself just for this occasion. Wave of Mutilation, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Crackity Jones, Hey, and Gouge Away … I mean the whole freakin’ album was played! The whole freakin’ show was unbelievable!

(Photo credit to Clint JCL and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/clintjcl/)

Each night they delivered two encores, including the UK Surf version of Wave of Mutilation, Gigantic, Into the White, and my all-time-favorite song, Where Is My Mind? And, depending on the night, they also played Nimrod's Son, Caribou, Vamos, Isla de Encanta, and Broken Face. We all left happy, ears ringing. The Pixies are dead, long live the Pixies!
 
I should also note that Jay Reatard opened both nights.  Kind of a mess, but I could see how the Pixies liked 'em.

Full setlist for November 30: Dancing the Manta Ray / Weird at My School / Bailey’s Walk / Manta Ray / Debaser / Tame / Wave of Mutilation / I Bleed / Here Comes Your Man / Dead / Monkey Gone to Heaven / Mr. Grieves / Crackity Jones / La La Love You / No. 13 Baby / There Goes My Gun / Hey / Silver / Gouge Away / ENCORE 1/ Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf version) / Into the White / ENCORE 2 / Where is My Mind? / Gigantic / Caribou / Nimrod’s Son

Full setlist for December 1: Dancing the Manta Ray / Weird at My School / Bailey’s Walk / Manta Ray / Debaser / Tame / Wave of Mutilation / I Bleed / Here Comes Your Man / Dead / Monkey Gone to Heaven / Mr. Grieves / Crackity Jones / La La Love You / No. 13 Baby / There Goes My Gun / Hey / Silver / Gouge Away / ENCORE 1/ Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf version) / Into the White / ENCORE 2 / Isla de Encanta / Broken Face / Something Against You / Vamos / Where Is My Mind? / Gigantic

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