On the 26th of April, I went to see the Pixies perform at the lotto arena in Antwerp. It was an amazing experience. I honestly never thought I’d get to see this band live – they’ve been a staple in my music taste for years – so when my dad suggested we go see them I was over the moon.
The venue itself was a nice surprise. Not massive, which helped, and the sound was well balanced, surprisingly clear for a space of that size. We ended up standing just behind the sound bar, which turned out to be perfect; close enough without being swallowed by the crowd, and the acoustics felt right.
One thing I appreciated was that the band didn’t talk at all between songs. No endless stories or filler, just music, start to finish. Somehow that fit their mood: direct, a little detached, and was very representative of their professionalism in their craft. The skill the lead singer as well as the instrumentalists was undeniable, hearing them live and listening to all the elements that went into each of their songs and the way they effortlessly played around with them was incredible.
The setlist covered a wide stretch of their catalogue, including material from their most recent album. The new songs held up well enough, but I can’t deny there’s a reason the older ones are the classics – when they played those, the energy in the room shifted. There was a weight to them that the newer tracks haven’t quite earned yet. Still, it was good to hear a mix; no easy greatest-hits-only set.
Here is the setlist, though I’m not sure how correct it is as I found other versions online as well.
The opening band deserves a mention too, they were The Pale White, debuting their new album The Big Sad, and I really enjoyed them, though there was a clear divide between them and the insane talent of the pixies.
Here’s a video of the performance of one of my favourite Pixies songs, Gouge Away:
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