Pixies Cover Early ’90s & Classic Hits At Brooklyn Paramount (Live Review)

On May 30, Pixies released a live album of their 1990 and 1991 albums Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, recorded from their 2024 European tour across five cities, including Dublin, Manchester, London, Amsterdam and Paris. And, on July 15 at the Brooklyn Paramount in Brooklyn, New York, fans had the opportunity to hear it for themselves. The double-header (Pixies played a classics set the following night, on July 16) largely skewed more towards Gen X and Millennials.

Their two-night stand continues across North America until July 31 and Aug. 1, wrapping up at Palace Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Further stops include shows in Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Ahead of each night, Kurt Vile took the stage to open. His own set lasted an hour, his songs softer than the Pixies but gearing fans up for the set they were about to see each night. Vile joins the band at each two-night stand of their tour, warming up the audience and greeting them at the merch booth after his set. The audience made sure to arrive early to catch his performance, his crowd nearly as filled-out both nights as it was for Pixies.

Longtime bandmates Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar) and David Lovering (drums) were joined by Emma Richardson on bass, who first accompanied the band on their 2024 tour. The first night, onstage decorations portraying Bossanova as the band played the record in full appeared, flipping to showcase the Trompe Le Monde cover as the band switched albums.

As the crowd dance and sang along on the first night, they really got into the show as Pixies moved into Trompe Le Monde, singing along to each track off the album and grooving, Lovering appearing larger than life as he was backlit and projected onto the balconies of the Brooklyn Paramount, creating a larger-than-life effect.

Black Francis rarely interrupted the show to speak, only first introducing the concept to fans at the start of the show and explaining how the band would be going through their early-’90s records. From there, the band simply played, ending with “Here Comes Your Man” and “Where Is My Mind?”

The second night featured a Pixies classic set, with several songs off Doolittle including “Here Comes Your Man,” “Hey,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Debaser,” “Gouge Away” and “Wave Of Mutilation.” They also performed several songs off their 2024 studio album, The Night the Zombies Came. A good number of fans from the crowd attended both nights, with the second night becoming even more of a sing-along. From start to finish, the entire audience joined Pixies as they performed their greatest hits, not slowing down for a single second of the 90-minute show. Richardson took to vocals for a few of the songs, balancing out Black Francis for duets. At the end of the show on the second night, the crowd delivered a long ovation as each band member took a bow.

For Pixies fans, they couldn’t have asked for anything more.