Pixies, the generation X cult heroes and alternative-rock trailblazers, will be playing the Electric Factory this Friday night on the Philadelphia stop of their 2014 North American Tour. If that’s news to you, I’m very sorry to inform the show is completely sold out despite a rather hefty ticket price—at least by Electric Factory standards. But if by chance you are one of the several who helped the legendary Frank Black and Co. sell out the joint, here are a few reasons you can rest assured The Pixies will deliver every penny’s worth of your ticket price:
Long setlists and little stage banter
Recent reports, as well as Pixies’ own social networking accounts, have shown setlists of at least 28 songs in length, consisting of everything from casual fan favorites like “Where Is My Mind?” to Debaser deep cuts like “Tame.” The band tears from one song directly into the next with their fast-slow-fast-slow signature sound, leaving little room for mid-song repartee. 28 songs equal at least 2 solid hours of marathon rock ‘n roll—perhaps do some stretching beforehand.
Paz Lenchantin on bass
Original bassist and co-founder Kim Deal left the band in 2013 and was briefly replaced by Kim Shattuck until she too was replaced by current bassist Paz Lenchantin, best known for her work with A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age and the short-lived, Billy Corgan-fronted supergroup, Zwan. Deal will surely be missed, but Lenchantin is a versatile performer breathing new life into the band’s masculine/feminine dynamic. I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles “Here Comes Your Man”—the bassline of which is possibly the catchiest and most immediately recognizable in modern rock. No pressure, Paz.
Photography is preferred
Everybody is up in arms lately about the use of camera phones during a show and a lot of bands with a far lesser impact on modern music strictly enforce a “no cameras or recording devices” rule. The Pixies, however, are embracing current technology and encouraging fans to turn all recording devices on to help the band create a complete multimedia “gigography.” Keep an eye on their website for a hashtag specifically generated for the Philly show, then hold those phones in the air and wave ‘em around like you just don’t care.
The Pixies are the favorite band of your favorite band
They may not have an expansive discography or record-breaking album sales, but it seems everyone who did buy a Pixies album went on to form their own band. It’s safe to say bands like Weezer, Radiohead, Pavement, The Strokes, etc., would not exist if not for The Pixies. Lest we not forget the most famous rock song of our generation, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” was consciously written with the intention of sounding like The Pixies. Now Kurt Cobain is gone and The Pixies are selling out venues around the world at 70 bucks a pop, blowing minds with the songs that inspired an entire generation of songwriters. — Wendy McCardle