Mar 5, 2010

Pavement @ Enmore Theatre

In the great universe, in the cosmos of space, on this very earth there are few things that make you think, make you know, make you feel something special has happened. Something unique that will stay with you forever. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Pavement. Yes, Pavement. Now and forever the greatest band of all time. You see, you could say I am a fan. A big fan. For a long time. In fact I have cherished memories of seeing this seminal band quite a few times live in the 90s. Memories that will stay with me forever. So after a decade away a reunion was met with equal parts trepidation and excitement. Would it be worth it? Would they be just going through the motions? Would it matter? You could say yes. Definitively.

Pavement tore apart the Enmore Theatre Thursday night in their second show back. They were fresh and invigorating. Exciting and thrilling. Meaningful. From the opening chord of "Silence Kid" to the last song in their second encore they were amazing, incredible, superb. Everything to me and to you. Their energy was impressive, their passion undeniable and most importantly their joy unrestrained. They were loving every minute of the show. Feeding off the passion and delight from an ecstatic crowd. Yes the kings of slack were in touch and on song. So many highlights to mention from an unbelievable night, but here are a few. They played "Frontwards", which was a surprise and a total delight. "In The Mouth A Desert" was majestic and superb. "Trigger Cut" beat a hole in my heart. "Grounded" was breathtaking. "Unfair" was insane. "Zurich Is Stained" was hoped for and received with open arms. "Cut Your Hair" was sung loudly by EVERYONE in the theatre. "Summer Babe" was so good I think I lost my voice. "Gold Soundz" was wonderful and "Fight This Generation" was perfect to close the main set. Then we received two encores which included a wonderful "Shady Lane". Holy cow!

Just a great, great night! All of the band were great but I would like to especially mention Bob Nastanovich who must have gone close to losing his voice with the amount of screaming he does. He also plays a mean cowbell. Then there is the man. Stephen Malkmus. Perhaps the oddest, but most alluring front man in rock history. An incredibly gifted guitarist, despite stuffing up a couple of intros, he exudes a strange coolness. Sometimes he appears as if stoned, but then swings back into action. It is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of him. A magnetic leader of a timeless band. If you are undecided about seeing Pavement this time around. Then decide now. See them. They might not come our way again.

Set List
Silence Kid
Stereo
Frontwards
Father To A Sister of Thought
In The Mouth A Desert
Trigger Cut
Date w/Ikea
Grounded
Range Life
Unfair
Elevate Me Later
Zurich Is Stained
The Hexx
Cut Your Hair
Stop Breathin
Summer Babe
Here
Gold Soundz
Kennel District
Conduit For Sale!
Fight This Generation

Debris Slide
We Dance
Shady Lane
Perfume-V

Fin
Spit On A Stranger


More photos at Flickr

7 Comments:

  • At March 05, 2010 , Blogger Tim said...

    Perfect gig. I can tell you loved it Wayne, you couldn't wait 'til the next day to post your review! Still on a post-gig high.

     
  • At March 05, 2010 , Anonymous Giselle said...

    It was amazing! I feel so lucky, I got to stand in the front row right in front of Malkmus and I also said hi to both him and Spiral outside the venue before the show. Also, I was lucky enough to get SM's set list - my head is still spinning!

    I think I recognised you standing a few rows behind me Wayne! You looked like you were having a ball. It's very strange for someone like me to see a band like Pavement - unlike you, I wasn't into them when they were actually together and got into them thinking I'd never see them - so it really was surreal.

     
  • At March 05, 2010 , Blogger Wayne Massingham said...

    Tim, Giselle. It was perfect. They have lost absolutely nothing. A great reminder of just how incredible a band they/were are.

     
  • At March 05, 2010 , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Is there a difference between 'Silence Kid' and the song 'Silence Kit' From Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain?

     
  • At March 05, 2010 , Blogger Wayne Massingham said...

    It's considered the same song. It's generally thought that Silence Kit was a typo, so a lot of people note the song as Silence Kid.

     
  • At March 08, 2010 , Blogger Osmond said...

    Really was a great show. Haven't seen one that good in a very long time.

    I really cannot get over them finishing the night with 'Spit on a Stranger'. Absolutely love that song and it was a perfect ending.

     
  • At March 08, 2010 , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I thought the vibe was really bad. Malkmus was taking the piss out of spiral pretty much the whole night and seemed completely unimpressed with the whole palava. It looked like malkmus and ibold have moved on and the other dudes are relishing being back together. it all smelt a bit rotten from where i was sitting, though the sounds were ok - although they'll have to improve to keep the festival circuit satiated.

     

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