Today started out pretty flipping rotten. The usual Sunday bout of insomnia stretched on until 4 a.m. – and a beeping hallway fire alarm battery compounded the problem. I awoke at 9 with little sleep and a lot less patience. When I got to work and discovered that our Exchange server was down, and we had no access to the internet or email, I looked a certain coworker up and down and wondered if his head would fit in the mail tube. Luckily it didn’t.
Then, in the midst of trying to ram a business card holder up my own nostril, I got an email from a friend confirming a rumor I’d heard a week ago and then completely forgotten about – The Pixies were playing a ‘secret’ gig at the tiny Paradise, and 300 tickets had already gone on sale that morning which subsequently sold out in seconds. It seems the band needed some extra footage for a live DVD which is in the works, and the show had been kept under wraps because space was even more limited than usual due to all the video equipment required. I briefly cruised Craig’s List looking for tickets/love and gave up when I saw absolutely zippy del nada. And anyway, I’ve seen the band 5 times in the last year and a half and figured I could sit this one out.
Then, around 3pm, I spoke to Moynihan who told me his brother Jeff was going down and I got the sultry damp Pixies itch (or Pixitch,) all over again. It was a special, mini-show with a small amount of civilians and the rest of the crowd made up of industry people and Pixies’ family members. I’d heard enough – and immediately my fanatical dormant fanboy alter-ego took the controls and I posted feverishly on CL proclaiming my willingness to pay a silly amount of cash for a ticket. I was on the phone with a fairweather fan named Matt less than an hour later. Money talks, and hipsters who wait in line overnight can walk/fuck right off.
I was only able to get one ticket, and as I sat in T’s pub by myself killing time before the show I felt very odd. But – it was what it was – and I knew I was lucky to be there at all. About 10 minutes after I sat down at the bar, David Lovering came in with a friend and stood right beside me. I met David on the street before I saw The Pixies at The Paradise in 1988 and it was as if things had suddenly come full circle. I approached him very calmly, shook his hand and wished him a great show. He was extremely nice and after speaking with him I walked over to the Paradise and headed inside. Albeit with the skippy fricking gait of a 12-year-old girl who’d just met Aaron Carter.
It was an incredibly cool scene inside – more like a TV show taping than a concert. I walked in and immediately located Jeff and his girlfriend. 10 minutes after I got there, the show started up and raged on unabated for almost 2 hours. I’ll go into more detail when I get the photos developed (I bought a disposable for the occasion). We were literally 7 feet from the stage with cameras on mechanical arms flying all around us and the house lights up full-tilt. I hadn’t been at such an intimate Pixies concert since 16 years prior when I stood in the exact same spot in the exact same building having the exact same hissy.
So I like the Pixies a whole hell of a lot, but it could be worse. Some folks substitute drugs, porn, prostitutes or a delightful mixture of all three in the absence of a signifigant other. If The Pixies are my substitute, that really ain’t so bad. The little tart has been putting out a lot lately.
See an ongoing discussion of the show here.
I am glad you had a good time buddy.
That is so. fucking. cool.
Dave, the Pixies are NOT your girlfriend. By my reckoning, you are a Pixies WHORE! Have you ever thrown your underwear on stage at one of their gigs?
I would never have met you if I hadn’t gone to Vancouver to see them, frigtard. And I pay money to be with them – so the Pixies are the whore/girlfriend. I stand by my statement.
Frigtard? Ouch. Yes, Dave, we’ll always have Vancouver. Speaking of which, I hear there may be a Pye sighting soon…
I will be there this weekend. Whistler specifically. My buddy and I fly out Sunday at 10pm – so we’ll have the whole day to hang out. I will call Art and figure out the details.
Queers – you could have just e-mailed all that noise.
Yeah, Art mentioned something about it. We’re going up to Kamloops for a golf trip this weekend, but we’ll be back in town Sunday afternoon. Wow, I’ll actually meet again the man behind the blog. What will I wear???
Paul, go lick a brick.
Monster – You’re a redneck.
Pixies-related comments only from now on.
Speaking of Pixies, I am making my first foray into listening to them. I borrowed Bossanova from my ladyfriend (haven’t had a chance to have a good listen yet). Any suggestions on what would be the next album to listen to? Or in her case buy?
On a serious note – what was the set list? I know you remember it by heart Pye.
I tell people to start with Doolittle. Because after you hear Debaser for the first time, you’re life will never be the same. But my favorite album, pound for pound, is Surfer Rosa.
Bossanova is a masterpiece in it’s own way – but focus on the one-two punch of SurferRosa and Come On Pilrgim first – the earliest stuff. It’s raw and beautiful.
Follo the discussion link at the bottom of my article to see the setlist.
That must have been freaking amazing…As one who counts that show in ’88(was it really that long ago???) amoung my top 5 live music events, I would have loved to join you for this one.
I saw Frank Black at a tiny bar called the Coach House in Capo Beach, CA 2 years ago…Dave Lovering opened the show with his magic act( yes, that is correct) and then sat in with FB for the rest of the show. The last 1/2 hour of which was all Pixies. IT WAS AWESOME. I spoke to Dave after the show, super cool guy, and told him about all the times we had seen them play in B-town as youngsters. He wanted to talk about magic.
Good times.
I was telling Jeff about 88 when you and I were there. Great time. You’ll see us on the DVD when it comes out.