Pixies Prevail in Slow Touring Season

08/27/2004 9:59 PM, Reuters
Jonathan Cohen

Britney Spears , Lenny Kravitz and Christina Aguilera have scrapped tours. Lollapalooza crashed and burned. The U.S. touring market has been in dire straits all summer.

But a savior showed up in the very unlikely form of a band that hasn't hit the road or released a new studio album since 1992: the Pixies.

Even though the North American tour doesn't start until Sept. 4, the reunited act has quietly sold out venues ranging from clubs to arenas, everywhere from Saskatchewan to Chicago.

The quartet is already eyeing more dates next year and may return to the recording studio. But you would barely discern the significance of these feats from talking to vocalist/guitarist Frank Black .

"I'm very pleased," he says matter-of-factly. "Very happy. We're soaking it all up. We're just kind of observing this experience that's happening."

Black and his bandmates may be exceedingly modest, but fans certainly have not been shy about gobbling up tickets for the Pixies' first major road trip in 12 years. The 50-plus-date trek kicks off Sept. 4 in Bend, Ore., and finishes with an unprecedented six-night run at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in mid-December that is already sold out. Tickets range from $30 to $45 in most markets.

"It's a wonderful validation of quality that wasn't recognized when the band was active," says Marc Geiger, the Pixies' longtime booking agent at William Morris. "This is a summer-doldrums concert season, and they are a shining star."

The band eased back into live performance with a short, instantly sold-out April warm-up tour of small markets, culminating in a rapturously received appearance at California's Coachella Festival in May. The subsequent summer European festival/headlining tour was also a huge box-office draw. It included a host of London shows that sold out in minutes.

"I prefer slightly smaller audiences," Black admits. "Playing to 50,000 people is interesting, but after about 10,000 people they all just kind of fade into some other visual field."

To accommodate Black's preference as well as fan demand, the Pixies are playing a handful of multiple-night stands at medium-size venues like Chicago's 4,500-capacity Aragon Ballroom.

Immediately after most concerts, fans will be able to purchase a limited run of soundboard-sourced recordings via DiscLive. Shows promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment will not participate, because the company offers live recordings through its proprietary Instant Live series.

The prospect of a new Pixies studio album is of great interest to fans, but Black insists the band is in no hurry. He says he's comforted that the Pixies are not under contract to a record label, and therefore are free to explore various opportunities for releasing new music.

The Pixies previously recorded for 4AD, which was distributed through Warner Bros. in the United States.

"I'm not saying we won't record, but I don't know if making an LP for a record company is the way to go, the way things are right now," Black says. "We've talked about that heavily. What can we do to keep recording and making music but not make an album, and see what opportunities come our way? It takes the pressure off of us to make our 'next grand statement' to the world."

Reuters/Billboard