INDIANAPOLIS — Last Tuesday at the TCU Amphitheater saw a thunderous trio of rock and roll mainstays take the stage as Cat Power, Modest Mouse, and Pixies performed to a packed crowd of Hoosiers.
When Cat Power is your opener, an Indie-Alt Rock powerhouse in her own right, then you know it is going to be a good night. She opened with a slowed down cover of the Rolling Stones “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” which was prominently featured on her 2000 “Covers” record. She then burst into three original songs with “Good Woman”, “New York, New York”, and “The Greatest” before returning to cover songs closing out with “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” (originally performed by J.D. Miller) and “Mr. Tambourine Man” (a Bob Dylan cover).
While I think the average attendee probably wished their time with Cat Power was a bit longer, even for an opener six songs is on the shorter side, this set served as a great appetizer for what to expect if she were to ever come around again in the future.
Promptly at 8 o’clock Modest Mouse came out to a warm welcome from the crowd. I am familiar with Modest Mouse’s catalog, but this was my first time seeing them live. Which may be why I was caught off guard when they came out and set the tone with “Dark Center of The Universe”. Perhaps not so much the song choice as the tone it set. This opening jam was filled with so much emphasis on the bass that it felt almost like a dance tune. The dancing feeling was front and center for their first few songs with the crowd bopping back and forth. The concert entered a second act of sorts when the opening notes of “Fire It Up” were played. This set the pace for numerous slower songs that got what I believe to be a unique reaction from the crowd. Throughout all these slower numbers the crowd was extremely attentive. There were no attempts to launch into claps, chants, or record on their phones. It was almost a signal of respect as almost everyone’s head was locked onto lead singer Isaac Brock. I stress that attentive is the proper word here, when every song ended the band was still showered with applause.
Source: Shots By Waldo / Live Nation
Roughly around when the band launched into “F Your Acid Trip” the feeling started to set in of “Will they play the big one? The song everyone in the crowd is excited to hear?” I remember as I entered the venue overhearing a person say, “Alright, but it’s not my fault if you miss Float On!” to their friend. Then after the band wrapped up “Drammamine” there was a slight pause, the lights turned blue, and “Float On” began. Easily receiving the biggest pop of the night from the crowd. A kid, easily no older than 11, in front of me was jumping out of his shoes when the iconic guitar riff hit. The crowd roared as they sang along to every verse and chorus. Modest Mouse left the crowd with one final song as they played “Styrofoam Boots / It’s All Nice on Ice” and then it was time for the Alt-Rock legends to take the stage.
While this may have been my first time seeing Modest Mouse, I am proud to report this was time number 10 for the Pixies. One thing to know about this band is that they are not showmen, they are craftsmen. Famously, the band does not use a setlist when they perform. That’s not to say they don’t have some building blocks in place. Pixies started with “Gouge Away” which is very common opening number for them as the looming bass notes from Paz Lenchantin echoed throughout the amphitheater. From there lead singer Frank Black (who entered the stage with a pair of solid black sunglasses) constructs the setlist in real time. Between every song Black speaks into a microphone next to the drum kit, signaling to his band mates what is to come next. Almost like a quarterback calling a play in the huddle. This method of set building isn’t without its flaws. During “Isla De Encanta” drummer David Lovering seemingly got off beat and Black raised his hand to cut the song short. The crowd didn’t care as they cheered through the slight pause in performance. Sticking with the overdone football analogy, Black quickly called an audible and hit the opening notes to “Cactus”. Lovering deserves all the credit in the world for keeping up with the hectic pace of an improvised Pixies setlist. His drum parts are notoriously intense. While I can’t say it isn’t a bit of a bummer to see a song cut short, it is made up for by the sheer amount of effort you see in his face as he pounds through a 25-song set.
Source: Shots By Waldo / Live Nation
Pixies organized their set on Tuesday like a sandwich. Classic songs like “Planet of Sound” and “Nimrod’s Son” surrounded their newer tunes in “There’s A Moon On”, and “Haunted House”. A tiny piece of my heart breaks when parts of the audience die down with the newer songs. This isn’t to say, “Look at me. I’m the #1 Pixies fan. I know all their songs.” but I feel there is this trend where fans just seem to stop giving an older acts new music a try. Songs from the Pixies second-era like “Death Horizon” or “Who’s More Sorry Now” don’t get the respect they deserve as some fans seemed to disengage when they were performed. If you are out there and you are a Pixies fan, I urge you to listen to their 2019 album “Beneath The Eyrie” in full. It is an underappreciated masterpiece.
All in all, something about this Pixies performance felt different in the best of ways. Lenchantin almost serves as a member of the audience on stage. You can see her excitement in the way she hops around the stage or leads the crowd as she waves her arm during the chorus of “Where Is My Mind?”. Santiago seemed to handle his guitar with an extra level of intensity and confidence. Lovering puts his everything into playing the fast paced and driving drum parts song after song. Lastly, Black just seemed to be on a level I hadn’t seen him on in any of the previous 9 performances. His head danced just a little bit more, his strums had just a slight bit of extra swing to them. He knew when to step back and let Santiago have the spotlight for a solo. He would turn and help Lovering stay in time. A handful of times I saw some small nods to Lenchantin when it was time for their parts to sync back up again. They sent the crowd home with their cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong”. (This song often serves as a wave goodbye to the audience as Pixies do not play encores) The crowd that was under the amphitheater’s awning was greeted with rain drops as they made their way to the exit. The rain clearly didn’t make much of a difference as the lawn audience was still packed by the time the final notes rang out on a pleasant concert night.
OTHER SHOWS COMING TO INDY SOON:
Chloe Bailey – Egyptian Room At Old National Centre – Friday, Sept. 1st.
The Protest – The Hi-Fi – Friday, Sept. 1st.
Cannons – Hi-Fi Annex – Saturday, Sept. 2nd.
