I’m going to preface this write-up with one crucial piece of information that must be said: I am not an 80s-90s alt-head. Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders, Sonic Youth: my partner loves that stuff but I’m slowly getting there. With that being said, an opportunity to see the Pixies for free and write about it. Come on y’all.

Now, on my way to the show, my front bumper plate popped off on the highway so I was unable to see the opener Slow Pulp. However, they are amazing. Having seen them earlier about 1 and a half years ago, I have no doubt that they killed it. I even asked the cohort of photographers at the show and everyone except what seemed to be one of the Pixies main photographers who said they were boring, loved Slow Pulp. 

But this is a Pixies headlining show so let’s talk about what seemed to be everyone’s favorite band.

I have been to some pretty wild shows before with some incredibly diverse crowds but you will be surprised to learn that the Pixies had the most diverse crowd, age-wise, I’ve ever seen. Pixies are for the people and you can put that on a T-shirt. We met a lady named Tiffany who made leather goods and photographed shows for 20 years. There was an older man and his partner who could not stop dancing for 2 hours. A group of ladies scolded us for smoking. As you can tell by our interactions, every type of person in the East Bay found their way to the Fox Theater that night. For one of the first times I genuinely felt like me and my friend Sunny were some of the only college-aged kids there. Not because there were an overwhelming amount of kids younger than us but because the crowd was predominantly older. I am talking about full families with their six-year-old kids coupled with 30-year-old couples who had just gotten married along with high schoolers and their parents. I mean no one should ever tell you that no one likes the band because if there was one thing the Oakland crowd at the Fox showed us: everyone loves the Pixies. Personally, I don’t blame them. 

As a Pixies beginner who had just begun a deep dive research into their discography, I knew my classics like “Where Is My Mind,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Wave of Mutilation,” and “Gouge Away.” But by the time the concert ended trust me: I had a playlist of songs ready to go. Now, if you can leave with one opinion of mine: go watch the Pixies. Even if you’re not an avid fan of the band, the stage presence and vocal talent that Black Francis and other members of the band like Joey Santiago, David Lovering, and my personal favorite, Paz Lenchantin had is enough to get you hooked. 

Pixies’ Paz Lenchantin by Sunny Sangha

Black Francis is insane. For someone who is 58 years old and has been performing for upwards of 30 years, the voice Francis has is almost unreal. Some songs like the band’s slowed rendition of “Wave of Mutilation” and “Isla De Encanta” sound better with Francis’ current voice than the original recordings of the songs. His vocal control coupled with everyone’s chemistry on stage completed a show that did not need any fancy lights or stage designs. David Lovering played for almost 90 minutes without stopping and didn’t even look tired when he took his bow at the end. Joey Santiago and Paz never seemed to miss a single beat. There were even certain portions of the show where Francis strummed a singular chord or gave a head gesture and every band member knew exactly what song he was referring to. The show was raw. Other than a raised platform for David Lovering’s drum set, the stage dynamics made it feel like we were at a small venue show in the 90s until you saw the scope of the sold-out crowd. It felt like a jam sesh. But that’s just one reason why the Pixies have such strong staying power and a cult following. They perform with such passion and that translates into music that can’t be anything but good. Plain and simple. There are no gimmicks or extras. The musical talent is as real as real gets. 

In conclusion, if I needed any encouragement to delve deeper into 20th-century alternative music, Black Francis and the band surely provided it. What was a random opportunity on a Thursday evening turned into one of my most memorable concerts of the year. So should you watch the Pixies the next time they come to your city? You’d be a fool if you didn’t.

Article by Joshua Jiwanmall

Photography by Sunny Sangha

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