When Pavement announced that they would be reuniting for a tour this year, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything stop me from seeing them. When the closest show to me seemed to be Coachella, and the festival was only selling 3-day passes, I leaped for the internet to find an alternative. Luckily for me, they were scheduled to play the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley. It just so happens that I was planning an intercontinental trip for as soon after the show as possible, and in a case of good fortune, the flights were cheaper from San Francisco than from Los Angeles. I bought the ticket, made the plans, and prepared for the best show of my life.
In the most significant example of good fortune, that’s just what I got.
It’s probably obvious from that introduction that I’m a huge Pavement fan. So, it goes without saying that this is about as far from an unbiased review as possible. When I checked YouTube for videos of the show, I found myself reacting emotionally to the memories of the night. So, forgive me if I gush.
The night began with an opening set by Quasi. Their drummer, Janet Weiss, and their bassist, Joanna Bolme, play in Stephen Malkmus’ current band The Jicks, so it makes sense that they would appear during this tour. I saw Quasi a couple months ago at Spaceland, actually, and though I enjoyed their performance at the Greek, I’m glad I got to see them at the smaller club first. The sound wasn’t mixed especially well at the Berkeley show; Sam Coomes’ voice was drowned out by the guitar and bass, and when he switched to synthesizer, it was barely audible. Janet Weiss seemed a little sluggish, too, possibly due to the strains of touring, or just the disorienting effect of playing in an outdoor amphitheater.
When Pavement took the stage, it was clear to me that the audience was full of people who felt the same way as I did. We had all dreamed of this day, thinking it would only ever be a fantasy. But, here we were, together, getting exactly what we wanted. It was exultant. For their part, every member of Pavement seemed to be having just as much fun as we were. There was no tension or bitterness. Just a band that, in the time since they broke up, had finally gotten the recognition they were due, and were now able to stand up there and soak it in. Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg) seemed to be the most affected by the audience’s response. I don’t think he ever stopped smiling for the entire show. He gave the impression of someone who didn’t expect anybody to like him, only to find that he was beloved. Bob Nastanovich was especially charming as well, filling the role of the “everyman” in the band, and working hard to include the audience as much as possible. Speaking of audience participation, the highlight of the evening for me in that respect was an entire theater of people saying, “Awww” together at the appropriate moment in “Stereo”. At one point, an old guy with a ponytail wandered onto the stage and offered Nastanovich a bottle of Scope, as if suggesting he take a swig. All throughout the audience, people wondered aloud, “Who’s that guy?” I had read that Pavement’s original drummer and famed alcoholic hippie, Gary Young, was slated to appear at their show the previous night in the band’s hometown of Stockton, CA. Immediately, I wondered if the lost and trashed-looking guy drinking mouthwash was Young?
It was. And when, toward the end of the show, Steve West picked up a guitar and Gary Young plopped onto the drum stool, I was struck with a deep anxiety that this guy who the band had a sentimental attachment to, but the audience didn’t, was going to ruin the show. But you know what? Gary Young is entitled to sit and watch me eat my hat any time he pleases. There’s no question he was completely hammered, that’s what makes it so incredible that he played so well! Not only did he keep time consistently, but he got specific hits right repeatedly, and even pulled off some difficult fills, like on “Lions (Linden)“. In the video for “Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17″, you’ll see him play the wrong part at the beginning, but that’s clearly not a product of inebriation, just a simple mistake. Once he realizes what ‘s happening, he’s back on track without a hitch, even playing with one hand at one point, so he can adjust the position of his cymbal.
Malkmus was his usual nonplussed-seeming self, but with a decidedly lighter mood. While he gave the impression of apathy or even disinterest in the crowd who loved him (which any fan who’s seen him live before has come to expect), he seemed to genuinely enjoy playing the Pavement catalog again. There were even a few times where he let an actual smile crack through the snide exterior he tends to sport. Maybe the excitement was just infectious. Maybe his on-stage personality is more of an act that it seems.
I don’t remember the order in which they were played, but here’s the set list from the night:
Stereo
Shady Lane
Date w/ IKEA
Starlings Of The Slipstream
Silence Kit
Elevate Me Later
Stop Breathin’
Cut Your Hair
Unfair
Gold Soundz
Range Life
Kennel District
Summer Babe [Winter Version]
Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17
In The Mouth A Desert
Zürich Is Stained
Here
Two States
Lions (Linden)
Frontwards
Box Elder
Spit On A Stranger
The Hexx
We Dance
Rattled By The Rush
Grounded
As you can see, there was a nice mix of fan-favorite “hits” (Cut Your Hair, Summer Babe, etc.) and songs that I didn’t expect to hear because of their obscurity or the fact that they’re not the most obvious outdoor concert songs (Frontwards, Zurich is Stained, etc.) As you can also see, the band gave us all the Pavement we could hope for, with a full, long set that spanned their catalog.
I left the show feeling satisfied and somewhat surprised that they had played all my favorite songs. And then I realized that I love Pavement so much that almost all of their songs are favorites. It’s no wonder they played exactly what I wanted to hear.
Here are some videos from the night that I found on YouTube. The image above is from the t-shirt I bought at the show. I thought it was nicely representative of the feeling among the audience that night. We had finally rallied hard enough to get the band back into existence, even for just the one tour. And now we were standing before them, ready to follow them anywhere.
Rattled By The Rush
Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17
Gold Soundz
Shady Lane
