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| Pixies' Black Francis (r) and Joey Santiago (l) @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Napa’s Oxbow River Stage welcomed a near capacity crowd of about 5,000 Friday night for a show that presented two titans of the 90’s alternative music scene. The co-headliner tour of Pixies and Modest Mouse provided the audience with 3 hours and nearly 40 songs on yet another beautiful evening in the Wine Country.
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| Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
After opener Cat Power had finished her set, founding lead singer Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse stormed the stage and took no prisoners with a blistering set that opened with 2000’s “Dark Center of the Universe” that starts off with wailing guitar and Brock’s screaming vocals. Next up was the ska-like “Dashboard” a playful tune delivered with tongue firmly in cheek led by Brock who sported a San Francisco Seals Baseball t-shirt. “Bury Me with It” was brought forward with the blending of spoken word and straightforward rock and was the first of four songs off 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News.
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| Modest Mouse @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Brock voiced his one disappointment of the night 'Here’s what I am waiting for. I was told there would be a train and that this train would make train noises,' he said - in reference to the Napa Valley Wine Train that passes right above and behind the Oxbow Stage. 'And that hasn’t happened for me yet.' Unfortunately, on this night, the timing was not right for a train encounter with Modest Mouse’s set. The band launched into an intense version of “This Devil’s Workday” featuring excellent horns and deep red lights to emphasize the pace and lyrics of the song.
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| Modest Mouse @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“King Rat” followed with more of the crazy pace and lyrics leaning on the banjo and deep strings from Tom Peloso – who seemed to play anything that didn’t move on the night (keyboards, horns, strings and bass). Modest Mouse has been around for 30 years and their sound is still so relevant. Drummer Damon Cox and percussionist Ben Massarella combined with bassist Russell Higbee for a rhythm section that created ever changing beats that kept the performance fresh and made each next song unpredictable. Indeed, both Modest Mouse and Pixies switch up their setlists every night to make every performance a unique experience. There seems to be a resurgence in this in live music and while it makes both reviewing and photographing the traditional first 3 songs a bit difficult, I’ll give a standing ovation for every concert having their own unique moments.
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| Modest Mouse @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Dramamine” came as a surf intro melding into a Clash-like cadence and was followed by “Doin’ the Cockroach” - presented as a screaming rager. Soon after this, Modest Mouse did “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” as a dance song with breakneck pace that then led into the band’s biggest hit “Float On” – bringing the crowd to their feet with phones out to capture the moment as projected paisley wheels spun on the bridge behind them. The audience sang the chorus along with them and the faithful Modest Mouse fans lost their minds when the band wrapped up their set with “Shit Luck” played at a crazy, breakneck punk pace with wild lights and drums.
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| Pixies @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Pixies formed all the way back in 1986, remarkable, one of alternative’s most influential bands still feature three of their original members. Black Francis with lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Joey Santiago on lead guitar and drummer David Lovering have remained at the core (albeit with an eleven-year break of the band from 1993 to 2004). Bassist Paz Lenchantin took over the full-time bassist and female vocalist role that Kim Deal originally held. Their mastery of the music they originally created was completely evident as there was no dialogue during their 80-minute set. What was missing in conversations and connection to place was more than made up for in commitment to the music as the band powered through more than 20 songs.
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| Pixies' Paz Lenchantin @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Pixies led off with a rousing “Gouge Away” that stressed the nearly hypnotic rhythms Lovering and Lenchantin power so many of their great songs. When Black Francis kicked in with his vocals under a deep green spotlight and then Santiago let loose the first of his many squealing solos, the band and the crowd exploded and we were off on a journey that would continue unpaused until the curfew. They would hit many of the band’s highlights and spotlight some of the best off their latest album. 2022’s Doggerel is completely in line with Pixies’ formula while taking the lyrics even further. “Thunder and Lightning” and “Haunted House” in particular shined.
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| Pixies' Black Francis @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Black Francis alluded to the fact that the band really has only two speeds – fast and slow and very little in between and both of those were on full display as he alternated between acoustic and electric guitars. Santiago’s shredding guitar solos were frequent - delivered in bursts that took the songs beyond the album without diverting too far from the original. Lenchantin’s bass and vocals created the unique tapestry that is Pixies’ sound. Her backing howls, chorus and lead vocals all ring so true with the original music and also still sound so original. When her heavy driving bass weaves in with Lovering’s drums, the band’s driving rhythms become incomparable to anyone else.
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| Pixies' Joey Santiago @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Here Comes Your Man” came surprisingly early as the fourth song of the night, coming out of a surf/acoustic jam and the audience roared as the set had started off with two of their biggest hits. “Nimrod’s Son” got off to a slow and cool start before it revved up and took off with Santiago’s solo (at one point in the evening, Santiago performed a solo using his hat on the guitar – the first time I had ever seen that). Francis’ acoustic guitar lead-in to a fun “Motorway to Roswell” led into a terrific version of “Hey.” Live, the back-and-forth vocals between Francis and Lenchantin was spellbinding – it might be hard to find two more opposite voices that when put together blend so beautifully.
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| Pixies' Dave Lovering @ the Oxbow River Stage (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Planet of Sound” was likely the most punk song of the night with Santiago leaning heavily into the Wah with his guitar. Francis brought his acoustic guitar back out for “Who’s More Sorry Now?” and a song that reflected his south of the border-influenced guitar tone and vocals. Great versions of more than a handful of other songs followed with the driving beat of “Debaser” bringing the crowd’s energy up even higher and “Where is My Mind?” sending the crowd into collective orbit. Pixies ended the night with their cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong.” Francis removed his glasses and the band took to the front of the stage to greet the crowd’s huge cheers and standing ovation with big smiles and waves, but not a word was said from the band that lets the music speak.
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