Once upon a time, Pavement were a special band to me. That rabid fandom petered out since they called it quits in ’99, and ever since I’ve felt like Malkmus’ solo career was just him navel gazing.
The reunion disappoints mainly because they haven’t learned anything about showmanship since their started. Maybe that’s good for folks who were accustomed to them being one of the most boring live acts on the indie circuit, but I really expected it to feel momentous, like I’d finally witnessed a piece of history I missed the first time around.
Doesn’t help that my friend got assaulted, or that the words “I could kill you” were directed at me, entirely unprovoked. What they said about Pavement fans changing over their course definitely holds. I’ll stick to those records and cherish the memories I made listening to them.
Also worth noting: the Mann Music Center wasn’t nearly as great a venue as I thought, at least not for rock music. I know that I’m nostalgic for my high school days when I saw classic rock fogies like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and the Moody Blues sitting on the lawn, but the pavilion sounds really noisy, especially toward the back. I hate to say it, but I’ve had better concert experiences at the back of the Susquehanna Bank Center pavilion.
Thought you weren’t going? Oh come on, I thought it was pretty great–great song selection (only one from TT, two or three from Westing!), malkmus played some great guitar without getting too jammy. Sound was as clear as a bell. When exactly did you think pavement wasn’t the SM show? He played everything on those albums.
No beef with the song selection at all. It just didn’t live up to my
expectations. I’ve found that folks who are still totally in the bag for
Pavement loved it, and those of us who’ve moved on weren’t quite as
impressed with a lackluster live show. Felt like they just go through the
motions, epitomizing their slacker rep.
For someone who really fell in love with the band late (’99), but
nevertheless devoured those records and cherished them for a solid three or
four years (something I never do now), it just didn’t thrill me as much as
I’d hoped.