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| The Pixies |
Last night the Pixies definitely rocked the crowd at Bumbershoot in the Seattle Center. After breaking up 12 years ago, they got back together earlier this year to perform across North America and Europe in a so-far very successful tour. Bumbershoot was one stop in the middle of this very intense tour. The Pixies did not disappoint. They were the highlight of Bumbershoot.
Bumbershoot is the annual Seattle Arts & Music Fair, which last 4 days over Labor Day weekend. A bumbershoot by the way is an umbrella, although I've never ever heard anyone say to me or anyone else, "take your bumbershoot, it looks like rain." Bumbershoot is great, not only because there's a wide variety of music to choose from (Bo Diddley, Nick Lowe, Drive-By Truckers, Public Enemy, Bebel Gilberto, Death Cab for Cutie, Liz Phair and Seal, just to name a few) but also because tickets are cheap and you're not trapped there all day in whatever remote location with high priced concessions and a slew of disgusting port-o-potties (they call them honey buckets in Seattle) like other music festivals. I bought a 2-day pass for $28 and unlike those long music festivals, and I was free to come and go as I chose. With Bumbershoot, you are basically in the center of Seattle. I guess that's why they call the place where the fair was held, Seattle Center. It includes attractions like the Space Needle, Key Arena, The Science Museum, Experience Music Project as well of a bunch of other buildings where I can use a real bathroom. I can get also get my hand stamped, leave the premises and go across the street to a restaurant instead of getting a $4 hotdog.
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| People claiming their spots for The Pixies |
The Pixies where the main headliner band of the festival and they would play at the 30,000 person capacity Memorial Stadium. The evening performances at this venue during Bumbershoot sometimes require you to get a free wristband in order to gain entrance because they are the headlining acts of the festival. So it's more likely that a lot more people want to see these acts but there simply isn't enough room. And this was the case with Pixies.
The night before I was in communication with my friends about how we would deal with acquiring wristbands and how soon we would have to line up to get in the stadium. I'm someone who definitely would show up as early as possible, not just to make sure I would get in but that I would also get good spot to see the show. One, I'm taking pictures so I want to be close as I can and two, the sound just is not good unless your pretty close to the stage in those arena shows. The doors opened at 11:00 am so we thought about what would be the best time to get there. Once you enter the Seattle Center, you immediately have to get in another line to get the free wristband (if you choose to). On Saturday Night when Nickelback played Memorial Stadium, wristbands were pretty much available up until show time. Not so with The Pixies. Wristbands were gone by 2PM. After all there was a lot of talk about The Pixies. This would be the first time they would be playing the Seattle Area in about 13 years. So we decided better safe than sorry. My friends and I didn't want to get screwed.
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| Playing poker before The Pixies take the stage |
We got there at around 9am. We were right in front. We definitely would get wristbands and we did. Then we left and went to the Mecca Cafe a few blocks away and got some breakfast served by a very frustrated waiter who was about to blow any second. Then we all went back to Bumbershoot and went our separate ways to check out other bands knowing we would meet up later. My focus, however, was to find out where the Pixie line would be forming. Two acts would be playing Memorial stadium in the afternoon in a non-wristband show. I saw tons of people pouring through the stadium entrance. The event staff made it clear that the line was only for those two shows and that the stadium would be cleared after they were done. It was around 2pm and the Pixies would go on at 9:30pm. I walked around the area, catching a few bands here and checking out some artwork there, but I would always meander back to the stadium entrance area. Eventually a line was formed and we all scurried like lemmings into the pens and up to front of the line. It was now 4:30 and I was sitting on the asphalt with the rest of the Pixie faithful. By 6pm we were in the stadium sitting on the Astroturf right near the stage. It is true I could have probably foregone being early and scoping out all of lines because people were squeezing their way to the front right before the show started. But I went for piece of mind. My friends and I bonded with those around us by striking up conversations with some fans and playing poker with others. It was almost 8PM and the opening act, Built to Spill, was about to go on. I had heard of them but never their music. They were definitely a good opening act to warm the crowd as well as a good act for me to get used to the madness that was going to happen in the front.
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| Frank Black |
I think I would pass on the moshing if I could. When I was in my twenties I was going to all kinds of crazy concerts, getting right up into the shit and crowd surfing with the best of them (or worst of them). But I just turned 37. Now I want to make it clear that I love the intensity of live energetic music and I like it loud but I'd rather be sitting on a nice comfy couch and eating a sandwich while watching the show instead of worrying about boot slamming the back of my head. However, in order to get those pics, I would have to deal with the mosh pit.
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| Joey Santiago |
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| Kim Deal |
Built To Spill played for an hour and things got a little intense up front and I knew things would get even crazier when the Pixies would hit the stage. People were psyched. Some in the crowd had never even seen the Pixies before. Some had been too young. I was lucky enough to have seen them twice before, once in '89(with The Cure and Love & Rockets) and again in '91. When you're in the front area in concerts like these, it's wise to remember that you cannot resist the unstoppable force of a surging crowd. It would be futile. You must do as others do or you will surely be destroyed (not really but you know what I mean). It was about 10 minutes to show time and my excitement was through the roof. This is a band I have loved since I heard my first Pixies' song back in '89. A band I have been telling everyone about for the past 15 years. A band I named my cat after. A band that was about to jam and make me forget everything else going on this crazy fucked up world. They finally hit the stage and the crowd went berserk.
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| The Pixies |
They started off with "Caribou", their very first song from their very first EP, Come On Pilgrim. I tried to get some shots and hold my ground but it can be difficult when you're being violently pushed. When the played their second song, "U-Mass", I couldn't help but get into the madness, jumping up and down, getting it all out and feeling totally at peace. There they were on stage. Frank Black, Joey Santiago and Dave Lovering, all sporting the bald head look and Kim Deal with that infectious smile as she thumps down on the bass. And here I was, in the audience, going nuts; trying to take pics (I took over 120 with my digital camera), which was kind of funny as I was trying not to fall down and get crushed. I wasn't the only one taking pics either, in fact everyone there seemed like they either had cell phones or digital cameras; quite different from 12 years ago. 90 minutes after they started they were done and left the stage, leaving the crowd euphoric.
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| The crowds leaving Memorial Stadium satisfied |
The crowd left the stadium en-masse. I had made it successfully through the show without any boots to the back of my head or any bleeding and, thank god, no damage to my camera. However, I was in need of a serious whirlpool bath and deep tissue massage. But more importantly, I had witnessed a great performance from a great band. One of the things I like about them is how totally unassuming they are. They don't look like rock stars at all. They focus on music, not on style and stupid music videos. If they were to call it quits after all this touring and a possible new CD release, I wouldn't mind. Keep them wanting more, just like it was when they broke up 12 years ago, and go out on a high note. As for me, I've seen them 3 times now and am fully satisfied, not that I wouldn't miss a chance to see them again if they came around again, but if they didn't, I'll always have Bumbershoot.
All photos ©Paul O'Connell
