The Pixies/Fuck Buttons
The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 25

Dusting off 1990’s Doolittle for an album-in-its-entirety show, the Pixies took us on a nostalgic trip back to the heyday of Alternative Nation that started bumpy but ended with a wish you were here sentiment. Following the success of the band’s reunion gigs, a 20th anniversary tour that focused on the group’s most celebrated release seemed in order. And based on the sold out crowd at the Joint, the interest remains insatiable.

Despite the passing of years and a crowd filled mostly with fans who latched on to the band way back when, the most significant characteristic of the night highlighted the loudQUIETloud style and pop, punk, surf, minimalism and noise combination that has made the Pixies as refreshingly distinct and individualistic today as it was during the members’ original seven-year run. “Dead” encapsulated the cumulative sound – melodic, sinewy, abrasive, visceral and muscular.

Initially, the members failed to match the audience’s enthusiasm of celebrating history. Maybe it was a matter of exhaustion or an aftereffect of bad luck at the blackjack table. Only the sunny disposition of bassist Kim Deal poked through as the band warmed up to the Big Event by playing four b-sides including “Dance the Manta Ray,” “Weird at My School” and “Bailey’s Walk.”

Arriving at the first of 15 tracks from Doolittle with no fanfare, the serrated riff of “Debaser” opened this portion, but in a more sluggish pace compared to the original. Concern that they were just going through the motions was slowly eased as the quartet moved deeper into the album’s contents with the frenzied “Crackity Jones” and the sweet pop of “La La Love You” being particular highlights.

A series of eye-popping art films, ranging from photo booth-like shots of frontman Black Francis, Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering during “Here Comes Your Man,” animated dancing hearts on “La La Love You” and the environmental catastrophe footage for “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” plus four large Chinese lanterns hovering at varying heights above the stage deflected the center of attention from the musicians. Later, a mammoth cloud of dry ice obscured them during the hypnotic “Into the White.” They seemed much more relaxed during the six encores that included “Caribou,” “Nimrod’s Son,” plus favorites “Where Is My Mind?” and “Gigantic.” At one point Francis and Santiago could actually be seen laughing and enjoying themselves! It was enough to give fans the fleeting hope that the foursome will gather together at some point in the future.

Despite the buzz surrounding them, the Fuck Buttons more than likely impressed only those who never heard anything by Front Line Assembly, Front 242 or Mogwai. Even with a light show that went way beyond what a support act normally receives, the majority of the crowd remained nothing more than polite throughout, giving the duo’s 40-minute set the half-hearted, short burst of applause that was warranted.