Gig review: The Pixies in Auckland

Last updated 13:23 13/03/2010
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The Pixies
Powerstation, Auckland March 11
Vector Arena, Auckland March 12

Just before 9pm there was a logjam by the doors to the floor area of Vector Arena.

Everyone was determined not to miss a single chord of the four piece indie-rock band from Boston.

Like the Powerstation the night before the atmosphere was electric with anticipation.

To give you some idea of what the Powerstation was like, over a thousand people - some who had paid up to $1000 for tickets - crammed into the venue.

There was dry ice, the crowd cheered.

Joey Santiago played a note, the crowd cheered.

Kim Deal picked up a bottle of water, the crowd cheered.

Whereas the Powerstation was pared back to just the band, a smoke machine and minimal lighting rig, at Vector it was the full shebang.

Four giant paper lanterns topped a huge backdrop of moving images.

Both gigs began the same way: with Deal announcing "Some B sides" to deafening cheers from the audience as the band launched into Dancing the Manta Ray.

By the time Debaser came on a few songs later, the front of Vector was a gyrating mass.

As the band made their way through Doolittle, Frank Black flexed his impressive vocals managing to sound both raw and refined.

Each track was played to perfection and the crowd loved every second.

It was Deal who introduced most of the songs.

Midway through, she asked the crowd, "Was anybody at the Powerstation last night?"

She was greeted by silence from the audience.

'This is the same show," she added swiftly.

It might have been practically the same set, but it was not the same show.

Yes, the Powerstation had a sense of pared-back intimacy, but at Vector there was a collective feeling of being a part of something massive in every sense of the word.

After just over an hour on stage and a blistering version of Gouge Away, the lights went up and the band came to the front of the stage with massive grins fixed on their faces.

An epic version of Into the White featured in the first encore.

For their second encore the lights in Vector were brought up to reveal the sweat-drenched, ecstatic crowd.

The band finished with Gigantic that summed up the entire show.

For fans who didn't want the night to end, the Pixies granted their wish.

A special double CD set was available after the show of the entire concert - so fans could relive the night over and over.

*Were you at either of the shows? What did you think? Post your comments below.

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- © Fairfax NZ News

47 comments
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toddy   #47   08:55 pm Mar 23 2010

YES,theyre comming back. AWESUM

toddy   #46   02:04 pm Mar 21 2010

Where is my mind......its still fizzin, that i can tell you for free.My son,wife and i feel it was an absolute privilege to see and hear them live.Lets just hope they come back to New Zealand in the near future and treat us to their other albums.In some kinda weird way, i feel empty now they have gone.

kim   #45   02:09 pm Mar 18 2010

i was at the sydney concert monday 15th march. i am a die-hard pixies fan and to say i was disappointed would be an understatment. they playd for one hour went off for 15 mins and returned to play a bit more. definately not worth the money but at least i have seen them live. kim

booster   #44   08:38 pm Mar 16 2010

The gig at Vector was right up there with the best I have seen/heard live. Pixies ... please come back and see us again , we want to hear ALL of your albums in their entirity live in Auckland! Original, interesting , brutal , colouful and sometimes dark songs. We promise that we will sell out the venue , no problem at all.

Matt Leary   #43   01:52 pm Mar 15 2010

Ian #27, you don't know Black Francis' or Kim Deals' names, so you definitely won't get the Pixies 20 years on. I saw Kim & Kelly doing the Breeders shows last year at the San Franciscan Bath House in Wellington & they were great. They truly sounded awesome. I'll be at the Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday night for the Pixies, and based on the reviews for NZ, by fans, it should be great.

clairebear   #42   10:42 am Mar 15 2010

Pixies were awesome, really got into it at the encores, but unfortunately Vector is clinical, has no soul and completely lacks atmosphere.

Aidan   #41   10:17 am Mar 15 2010

Ian #27, I think you were at the wrong show because it was exactly what I expected and exactly what I wanted to hear. Did you want them to yell "thank you New Zealand!" and "Are you guys having a good time!" every few songs? Because that reeks of fake banter to me, and the Pixies are much better than that. They could have played in the toilets with all of us crammed into cubicles and it would have still been fantastic. I suspect you are the sort of person who watched fight club and thought "thats a nifty song, maybe ill go see that band".

As for Justin #32, it was the Doolittle anniversary show so they played all of Doolittle and it was advertised as such. If you didnt want to hear that you should have gone. I thought it was cool they started off with B sides, something to say to the real fans "hey, this is for you guys". Maybe a slap in the face for the people who only own the best of, but thats what I love about them.

Was an absolutely mind blowing show where they played almost everything i wanted to hear, and lots of songs I didnt realise I wanted to hear so badly, which is the mark of a good performance I think. The guy who got pulled out by security during the second song must feel really stupid, because he missed on the experience of a lifetime.

Rex   #40   10:07 am Mar 15 2010

I flew up from Welly for this and it was fabulous. Been waiting a long, long time to see them and they lived up to my expectations.

Unlike Ian #27, I can appreciate brilliant songs well played. It's actually why I go and see musicians play. I suspect Ian is either a troll or just a sad old grump.

butters   #39   10:06 am Mar 15 2010

the powerstation gig was as great as i had hoped for. my favorite venue and one of my all time favorite bands..

mr black was his moody self going from serious squinted eyes no fuss mode for the first part, to huge smiling wide eyed mover in the second spell. i liked the tension of the band and it shows true skill to counter personal issues with massive quality live sound (theres no hidding the fact that they dont all like each other a lot of the time! these are people after all). they sure can turn it on. i had high expectation and was not dissapointed - slips into my top 10 easy.

paul m   #38   09:07 am Mar 15 2010

WICKED GIG,poor ian#27 ,you should stick to ya coldplay and greenday(oops i was just sick in my mouth) pop concerts and leave the real music to those that have some understanding of where its at,and hey i did it without pot.the pixies where awesome but i wasnt there for a stadium rock experience i was there to hear music that i have loved over and over for many years LIVE and it was a treat..slicing up eyeballs ,i want you to know!!!!!!!!!!!


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