Pixies - Live 4/13/04 Minneapolis, MN

I will admit that, even as one of the biggest Pixies fans ever, I was extremely apprehensive about their reunion tour. I thought to myself "God, this makes them as awful as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac." The whole thing reeked of the need for money, and the result (a tour) was the answer for the quickest way to get it. With a band like the Pixies, their legend seemed almost perfect with the band's demise in 1993. In a way, it was like the Beatles in that their break up was the perfect ending as far as solidifying their mystique and legend. Now, some 12 odd years later, Frank Black Francis has regrouped with his former bandmates, and the unthinkable is happening: The Pixies have reunited and are touring. But before you swallow that sour taste, go out and download a copy of the Pixies' first live performance in over a decade (Disclive.com has temporarily sold out of all available discs as of this writing). First off, we're talking about a 26 track setlist for this first show. The set pulls almost exclusively from the band's first three releases, Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, and Doolittle, and they rattle them off one after the other like automatic gunfire. Mr. Black can't hit the high notes with the aggression with which they're usually delivered, but he pulls off everything as close to perfection as he can (you try screaming "Broken Face" 20 years after you wrote it). Kim Deal is without a doubt the biggest surprise. During the last few years with the Breeders, she's probably smoked a million cartons of cigarettes and had developed a pretty raspy, tired, matured voice. However now, or atleast on this performance, she brings back the beautiful, cute, angelic voice to match Charles' as though she hasn't missed a beat in the last decade. Joey Santiago's guitar parts are still the perfect match for the songs, with their real beauty found in the absolute sloppiness and carelessness with which they're played. Along with their hits they've added the cover of Neil Young's "Winterlong," my all-time favorite b-side that they never used to play. They even do their old cover of "In Heaven," but this time more sparse with Kim lending her vocals. Even the songs I never cared too much for over the last 10 years had me jumping around my room with the volume on full blast. I just still cannot get over this CD. I was so prepared to lament the reuniting of my most favorite band and cry "sellouts!" as loud as a I could. I was fully prepared for total, utter disappointment. Maybe that's the reason that I'm so shocked. Ladies and gentlemen, believe it: The Pixies are back. Quite possibly better than ever. I have never been so excited about a band in my life like I am right now after hearing this CD. I'm quite sure that, if you're a Pixies fan, the same thing will happen to you within 30 seconds of hitting 'play' on this one. [www.disclive.com]