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thursday, september 2nd

lou barlow + the missingmen

wye oak

the unfamiliars

@ the middle east upstairs

saturday, september 4th

mg lederman (ex-victory at sea)

cd release show with

the wrong reasons

the beat awfuls

brant deatley

@ the plough & stars

sunday, september 5th

sweet apple

(w/j mascis on drums)

black helicopter

zombie radio

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, september 5th

the milling gowns

what time is it, mr. fox?

faux ox

jaggery

@ harper's ferry

monday, september 6th

wallcreeper

@ charlie's kitchen

monday, september 6th

shellac

helen money

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, september 7th

tortoise

greg davis

ben vidas

@ the paradise

tuesday, september 7th

someone still loves you boris yeltsin

telekinesis

golden bloom

@ tt the bears

tuesday, september 7th

kele (from bloc party)

does it offend you, yeah?

@ the royale boston

wednesday, september 8th

hot hot heat

22-20s

hey rosetta!

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, september 8th

airborne toxic event (acoustic)

with the calder string quartet

@ the somerville theatre

thursday, september 9th

apple betty

this blue heaven

the backup factor

apollo run

@ tt the bears

friday, september 10th

i, pistol

black fortress of opium

the crushing low

@ precinct

friday, september 10th

the charlatans uk

sherlock's daughter

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 11th

school of seven bells

active child

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, september 11th

neutral uke hotel (nmh covers on ukelele)

the michael j. epstein memorial library

@ cafe 939, berklee

saturday, september 11th

28 degrees taurus

magic shoppe (record release!)

@ the rosebud

saturday, september 11th

jamie lidell

@ the royale boston

friday + saturday

september 11th + 12th

the life is good festival

lots of bands, raising money for kids

over 2 days in canton, ma

sunday, september 12th

jarrod gorbel

(of the honorary title)

air traffic controller

@ great scott

sunday, september 12th

blondie

@ the house of blues

sunday, september 12th

vampire weekend

beach house

dum dum girls

@ the boa pavilion

monday, september 13th

dirty projectors

owen pallett (final fantasy)

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, september 13th

isobel campbell

mark lanegan

willy mason

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, september 14th

rush

@ the td garden

wednesday, september 15th

laura veirs + the hall of flames

the watson twins

led to sea

@ tt the bears

thursday, september 16th

of montreal

janelle monae

@ the house of blues boston

friday, september 17th

one happy island

kevin dunn

cotton candy

7:30pm @ the lily pad, cambridge

friday, september 17th

broken social scene

@ the house of blues

friday & saturday

september 17th & 18th

the 5th annual

viva la vinal festival!

with live performances from

audrey ryan, kingsley flood,

this blue heaven, bridget + the squares,

the international string trio, & justin shorey

6-10pm on friday + 12-9 on saturday

@ somerville community growing center

on vinal ave. in somerville's union square

saturday, september 18th

pavement

jenny (lewis) + johnny (rice)

@ agganis arena

saturday, september 18th

wavves

@ brandeis university, waltham

sunday, september 19th

thee oh sees

the human tail

thick shakes

@ the magic room gallery, brighton

sunday, september 19th

caribou

holy fuck

emeralds

@ the paradise

monday, september 20th

girlfriends

carnivores

weekend dads

@ o'brien's

tuesday, september 21st

superchunk

versus

@ royale boston

tuesday, september 21st

basia bulat

the acorn

john shade

@ tt the bears

tuesday, september 21st

sea wolf (alex acoustic)

sera cahoone

patrick park

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, september 22nd

phantogram

railbird

@ the paradise

wednesday, september 22nd

david bazan

the mynabirds

@ tt the bears

wednesday, september 22nd

field music

@ great scott

thursday, september 23rd

aloud (album release party!)

st. claire

old jack

with special emcee

poet/author james caroline

@ church of boston

thursday, september 23rd

stars

wild nothing

@ the house of blues

thursday, september 23rd

!!! (chk chk chk)

fol chen

@ the royale boston

thursday, september 23rd

bettie serveert

meandjoancollins

the painted lights

@ tt the bears

friday, september 24th

eels

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 25th

teenage fanclub

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 25th

james

ed harcourt

@ the paradise

sunday, september 26th

come (reunited!)

wussy

@ tt the bears

sunday, september 26th

mr. sister (debut album release!)

coyote kolb

tallahassee

@ great scott

sunday, september 26th

mates of state

@ the paradise

monday, september 27th

rogue wave

midlake

peter wolf crier

@ royale boston

tuesday, september 28th

lcd soundsystem

sleigh bells

@ the orpheum

tuesday, september 28th

best coast

male bonding

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, september 29th

quilt

paper castles

toothache

@ the lilypad

wednesday, september 29th

foals

esben + the witch

@ the paradise

thursday, september 30th

mc frontalot

@ tt the bears

thursday, september 30th

menomena

suckers

@ the royale boston

thursday + friday

sept 30th + oct 1st

built to spill

revolt revolt

pretty & nice

@ the paradise

friday, october 1st

the tallest man on earth

s. carey (of bon iver's band)

@ the somerville theatre

friday, october 1st

ra ra riot

chikita violenta

we barbarians

@ the royale boston

saturday, october 2nd

gayngs

(with bon iver's justin vernon)

glasser

@ the paradise

saturday, october 2nd

film school

the depreciation guild

static of the gods

night fruit

@ tt the bears

sunday, october 3rd

the xx

@ the orpheum

sunday, october 3rd

tom tom club

caravan of thieves

tony castles

@ the paradise

sunday, october 3rd

lost in the trees

@ tt the bears

tuesday, october 5th

the vaselines

jeffrey lewis

@ the paradise

tuesday, october 5th

chapterhouse

ulrich schnauss

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, october 5th

ratatat

dom

@ the house of blues boston

wednesday, october 6th

gorillaz

@ agganis arena

wednesday, october 6th

the hold steady

wintersleep

@ the royale boston

thursday, october 7th

the walkmen

a.a. bondy

blood feathers

@ the royale boston

friday, october 8th

death

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, october 8th

fountains of wayne

marshall crenshaw (solo)

@ the paradise

friday, october 8th

bell x1 (acoustic)

@ the brattle theatre

saturday, october 9th

paul f. tompkins

@ the brattle theatre

sunday, october 10th

deerhoof

xiu xiu

father murphy

first show @ the paramount!

sunday, october 10th

miike snow

@ the house of blues

sunday, october 10th

primus

mucca pazza

@ the orpheum

tuesday, october 12th

ingrid michaelson

@ the house of blues

wednesday, october 13th

dead kennedys

@ the paradise

thursday, october 14th

the thermals

cymbals eat guitars

@ the paradise

thursday, october 14th

the morning after girls

the lovetones

the december sound

ghost box orchestra

@ tt the bears

friday, october 15th

nick lowe + his band

graham parker (solo acoustic)

@ the somerville theatre

friday, october 15th

jimmy eat world

@ the house of blues

friday, october 15th

bowerbirds

death vessel

@ tt the bears

friday, october 15th

belle + sebastian

@ the wang theatre / citi center

saturday, october 16th

deerhunter

real estate

casino vs. japan

@ royale boston

sunday, october 17th

the henry clay people

the dig

@ tt the bears

monday, october 18th

greg dulli

(afghan whigs/twilight singers)

first-ever solo tour

with opener craig wedren

(of shudder to think)

@ the brattle theatre

monday, october 18th

bad religion

the bouncing souls

@ the house of blues

monday, october 18th

the drums

the hairs

@ the paradise

monday, october 18th

phoenix

two door cinema club

wavves

@ agganis arena

tuesday, october 19th

massive attack

thievery corporation

@ the orpheum

wednesday, october 20th

the pains of being pure at heart

yuck

eternal summers

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 20th

helmet

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, october 22nd

gary numan

rasputina

playing 'the pleasure principle'

@ the paradise

saturday, october 23rd

local natives

the ruby suns

union line

@ the house of blues

sunday, october 24th

woven bones

frankie rose & the outs

@ tt the bears

monday, october 25th

the corin tucker band

hungry ghost

darren hanlon

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 27th

a sunny day in glasgow

candy claws

@ great scott

wednesday, october 27th

black prairie

(members of the decemberists)

sarah jarosz

@ the middle east upstairs

thursday, october 28th

the tt's halloween bash

with members of mean creek + campaign

for real time (as talking heads)

john powhida (as todd rundgren)

preacher roe (as guided by voices)

@ tt the bears

friday, october 29th

frightened rabbit

plants and animals

the phantom band

@ the paradise

saturday, october 30th

hallelujah the hills

magic magic

boy without god

@ great scott

sunday, october 31st

florence and the machine

the smith westerns

@ the house of blues

monday, november 1st

blonde redhead

pantha du prince

@ the paradise

monday, november 1st

social distortion

lucero

frank turner

@ the house of blues boston

tuesday, november 2nd

junip (jose gonzales)

sharon van etten

@ the royale boston

tuesday, november 2nd

black mountain

the black angels

@ the paradise

wednesday, november 3rd

the dandy warhols

blue giant

@ tt the bears

wednesday, november 3rd

land of talk

suuns

little scream

@ tt the bears

thursday, november 4th

through sunday, november 7th

the international pop overthrow

4 nights @ pa's lounge

thursday, november 4th

matt + kim

javelin

@ the house of blues

thursday, november 4th

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise

friday, november 5th

guided by voices

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise

sunday, november 7th

drivin 'n cryin

@ tt the bears

monday, november 8th

clinic

the fresh & onlys

@ the paradise

tuesday, november 9th

the morning benders

@ the paradise

thursday + friday

november 11th + 12th

sufjan stevens

@ the orpheum

thursday, november 11th

shearwater

horse feathers

damien jurado

anais mitchell

@ the house of blues

thursday, november 11th

deer tick

@ the royale boston

thursday, november 11th

mumford & sons

cadillac sky

king charles

@ the house of blues

friday, november 12th

bottomless pit

black helicopter

chris brokaw

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, november 13th

roky erickson

@ the royale boston

saturday, november 13th

grinderman

(nick cave, warren ellis, + more)

@ the house of blues

sunday, november 14th

elizabeth mitchell (of ida)

and friends

(a children's show!)

4:30pm @ club passim

sunday, november 14th

man or astro-man?

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, november 15th

la roux

@ the house of blues

tuesday, november 16th

a night of springsteen covers

with chris keene (mean creek),

corin ashley, dave aaronoff,

brendan little, hilken mancini,

the dirty truckers, drew o'doherty,

and more to be announced

marking the release of the new

6-disk 'darkness on the edge of town'

box set @ tt the bears

tuesday, november 16th

the posies

brendan benson

aqueduct

@ the royale boston

wednesday, november 17th

cornershop

@ the middle east downstairs

thursday, november 18th

kate nash

@ the paradise

thursday, november 18th

bear in heaven

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, november 19th

township

the lights out

the organ beats

@ tt the bears

saturday, november 20th

delorean

lemonade

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, november 24th

idlewild

happy hollows

@ the middle east downstairs

thursday, december 2nd

director/actor kevin smith

@ the house of blues

saturday, december 4th

peter hook + the light

play joy division's "unknown pleasures"

@ the royale boston

saturday, december 4th

killing joke

@ the paradise

visit tourfilter for more shows

When the Pixies decided to jump on the "full album live" train last year to perform their seminal "Doolittle" LP for the masses, I was fully on board. The trend that seems to have started with ATP's original "Don't Look Back" shows is still going strong, and while it's easy to be cynical in the face of such obvious cash-raking nostalgia, it becomes impossible to resist when one of those albums is among your favorites of all time. I've long held that the best four-song start to any record ever is the "Debaser" / "Tame" / "Wave Of Mutilation" / "I Bleed" quatro-punch that starts "Doolittle" (go ahead, argue with me), and some of the most vivid memories of my entire life involve laying on the rocks of the off-limits Williston (Vermont) quarry, eyes closed after an illegal swim, drying off in the sun as the cassette played loudly from a nearby boom-box. From the intro bass line of "Debaser", I'm taken right back there.

So when the first run of these "Doolittle" gigs was announced last year, free will played no part in my decision to attend. In fact, the word 'decision' played no part. Tickets to the second of two late-November Boston stops were purchased on auto-pilot, and fate smiled upon Amie and I with some amazing seats. I'd seen the foursome in smaller venues, and larger (including the ill-fated, band-crushing opening slot tour with U2), but never, ever so ridiculously close. I didn't give a good goddamn which phase of their career they were in - I'd be in the f'in third row. So close that I wouldn't even complain if I wasn't on Kim's side of the stage (ok, maybe just a little).

Speaking of trends, here's one I look forward to seeing more of: Near-instant gratification from bands who record their own live shows and offer them up to fans as a keepsake. Yeah, it's been going on for years in certain circles, but with technology, the turnaround time has been shrinking dramatically, and spreading to non-hippy bands (i.e. ones I actually like). When I saw the Trashcan Sinatras last year, all you had to do was hang around after the show for about 15 minutes and you could buy a custom USB stick that contained a huge, unedited MP3 of the entire set, recorded via laptop from the board by one of the guitarists. How 'bout that? (sidenote: The Trashcans just finished up a tour in support of their excellent new album, which has now been released in the US. You can still buy recordings from the previous tour here.)

And so the Pixies, enabled by the folks at Abbey Road Live (composed of the same core crew behind Live Here Now and DiscLive), decided to document the entirety of their "Doolittle" retrospective tour. Not only could fans pre-order better-than-soundboard recordings of their shows and pick them up soon after the band left the stage, but even those who couldn't make it were able to snag the full sets over at DoolittleLive. It was a boon for fanatics and collectors, as they discussed the best performances and best quality recordings over at the band's (currently down) official message board. And it was, of course, a boon for the band as well, funneling even more nostalgia-fueled income their way. Simple economics.

Well, it was simple until the tour hit Boston, of course. As the band, and Abbey Road Live, tried to set up to record those two nights, they hit a snag: namely the local union crew working the Wang/Citi Center. I know some details, not enough to explain it clearly, but the end result was pretty straightforward: No live documentation of the band's long-awaited visit to what many consider their hometown, performing an album they wrote and recorded near that very venue. A damn shame for those looking forward to either reliving it or experiencing it from a distance.

Well, with this post, I try to ease that sting a little. You can thank a fellow taper who goes by the name emorency/BennyBlanco, and the fact that he was paying close attention when the Abbey Road crew announced, after the first show, that they weren't permitted to record either show. Unlike me, he brought his gear to night number two, knowing it would be lost to the ages if he didn't, and came up with the goods.

So with his permission, and with the "unofficial" permission of Abbey Road and the band (meaning this won't be up for long, and could disappear more quickly if 'the man' comes around), here is the Pixies' triumphant performance of "Doolittle" in Boston on Saturday night, November 28th, 2009. Yes, they closed with "UMass", and it was glorious. Don't settle for this recording, though... be sure you visit DoolittleLive and look around for other notable shows from the band's long retrospective tour. Support this whole official live-recording business model by throwing more tall dollars their way.

My commentary on the show, such as it is, follows below. Enjoy...

PIXIES

Live at the Wang Theatre / Citi Center
in Boston, Massachusetts
on Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Audience recording by BennyBlanco/ScreamingSlave

Technical details:
Mics = DPA 4061 > Custom BB > R09HR @ 24/96
Mastering & EQ in SF 9 > Downsample to 24/48 > MP3 @ 320/44
Location = Front Row Mezzanine

download the entire set as a 208 MB .zip file

01. Intro
02. Dance The Manta Ray
03. Weird At My School
04. Bailey's Walk
05. Manta Ray
06. Debaser
07. Tame
08. Wave Of Mutilation
09. I Bleed
10. Pixies Speak
11. Here Comes Your Man
12. Dead
13. Kim Speaks
14. Monkey Gone To Heaven
15. Kim Speaks
16. Mr. Grieves
17. Crackity Jones
18. Kim Speaks
19. La La Love You
20. Kim Speaks
21. No. 13 Baby
22. Kim Speaks
23. There Goes My Gun
24. Kim Speaks
25. Hey
26. Kim Speaks
27. Silver
28. Gouge Away
29. Crowd
30. Kim Speaks
31. Wave Of Mutilation [UK Surf]
32. Into The White
33. Crowd
34. Kim Speaks
35. Isla De Encanta
36. Holiday Song
37. Nimrod's Son
38. Where Is My Mind?
39. UMASS

Some personal highlights, from my spot in the 3rd row...

Totally dug the rhythm section solidarity, as Kim Deal spent much of the show hanging back near David Lovering's drum riser.
Yes, we got both versions of "Wave of Mutilation", and I can't imagine anyone complained about redundancy.
Speaking of that song, I spent much of the show wondering when Lovering would finally use the triangle hanging off his kit, and should have realized that moment would come only once, during its "UK Surf" version.
As practiced as the band must be after so many reunion shows, I'll admit it was kind of endearing when they had to abort and restart "Weird At My School". That's what you get for tackling the b-sides, I guess. Glad they decided not to skip it after they bailed.
One of the best parts of being so close to the stage? Watching Joey Santiago's serious string bending during "I Bleed". Amazing.
Think the band is on auto-pilot? Think they're not feeling it? Well, you shoulda seen Frank Black during "Hey", as he stepped back from the microphone and mouthed along to every note of Santiago's glorious mid-song guitar lick.
After the band finished "Hey", and the crowd readied themselves for the seldom-heard (and Kim Deal-fronted) "Silver", she self-deprecatingly said "Yes, we're playing all of them". I've never been a big fan of the song, but after seeing it live, I am now.
After "Isla De Encanta", Santiago leaned over to the front few rows and asked us "Are you deaf yet? Oh, wait, you probably can't hear me...".
A sweaty David Lovering, whose momentum built through the show and resulted in absolutely brutal cymbal crashes during "Gouge Away", lost a stick during "Holiday Song" but flawlessly recovered. Not an easy song to do that on.
That final bow. How can you not love that? Looked like four old friends who just had a hell of a good time in their musical hometown.

The band recently announced another string of U.S. "Doolittle" tourdates, hitting some spots they missed the first time around. Here's the itinerary, all in September...

Sept. 7th @ Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
10th @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
13th @ Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
17th @ Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
18th @ Brady Theatre, Tulsa, OK
19th @ Verizon Theatre, Dallas, TX
20th @ Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX
22nd @ Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
24th @ Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, AZ
25th @ The Joint, Las Vegas, NV
26th @ RIMAC Arena, San Diego, CA

Keep an eye on DoolittleLive.com as the tour progresses for new recordings. Abbey Road Live recently documented the band's entire New Zealand/Australia tour as well.

The band's official website is in the process of being relaunched, so you should get over there right now, just in case that relaunch doesn't include the free live "Doolittle" EP they have available for download.

Last year, 4AD released the massive (and massively priced) Pixies MINOTAUR boxset. If I didn't already own all of its contents (and had just won the lottery), I would have been all over it. Beautifully designed (of course) by 4AD art director Vaughan Oliver, it uses both original and new work from photographer Simon Larbalestier, whose images have helped aesthetically define the band since their first release. Here's a video 'trailer' for the boxset, which is really more of a mini-documentary (clocking in at 30 minutes). It was filmed at the one-night London release event showcasing that new-and-old artwork, and features chats with Oliver and Larbalestier, along with Kim, Frank, and David, and most importantly, a surprise live set from the band. Check out full performances of "Hey", "No. 13", "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Debaser", "Planet Of Sound", "Dig Fire", "Bone Machine", and "Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf)"...

In between their seemingly never-ending reunion jaunts, each Pixie keeps their individual musical juices moving on their own ongoing projects...

Frontman Frank Black / Black Francis is very busy with the solo thang, and Slicing Up Eyeballs has the latest on an upcoming b-sides compilation, a rock opera being put together based on his 2007 record "Bluefinger", and a list of upcoming solo dates, including some overseas festivals dates in August, and a whole lot of U.S. gigs well into September.

Bassist/vocalist Kim Deal continues on with her sister Kelley in The Breeders, who also have a few U.S. shows set up for September (including the Jim Jarmusch-curated All Tomorrow's Parties 2010 in Monticello, NY).

Guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering teamed up to form instrumental band The Everybody last year, and quickly released their downloadable debut "Avatar". Head to their site for a variety of download options (including song stems that you can remix, or play along with, to your hearts content). They've also got a track up for use on Rock Band, if you're into that. Check their Facebook page for the latest news.

As ever, listen to any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these MP3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Files are made available for a limited time, and are generally not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 12:25 PM | direct link |