The iconic college rock band, who disbanded in 1993 miraculously reunited in 2024. Their incendiary energy had not died completely and they were set to perform their magical hits from their 5 recorded albums. As any die hard Pixies fan, this is exactly what we want to see and hear.

 The Pixies performed last Friday at Bayou Music Center, but with a large buckle. Kim Deal was absent. Deal had a large role in the band and to see the band skip through female bassists was quite difficult as we hope Kim would rejoin. Now at bass is Paz Lenchantin of Zwan. While many Pixies fans were reluctant with Kim Deal’s replacement, Paz’s role unlike Shattuck’s was well understood of where she is in the band. Paz played through her new set as she had been playing them her whole life. While many approved of the bassist, it did not sit well with others. It was just another rendition of Guns n Roses when Bumblefoot replaced Slash on guitar. Overall in Houston, Paz proved her place in the Pixies, as the sold out crowd gave her thumbs up as she repaid them in open mouth smiles.

Not only did the band have a new member, but also new songs. When a band reunites fans want to hear the hits. Nothing more, nothing less, but Pixies already performed a reunion tour in Houston, twice. Would Houston be receiving the same show? No Pixies fan would complain as they’d spin through legendary hits as Debaser. U-Mass, Crackity Jones, and Where is my Mind, but last Friday the band decided to put a change to their set list and play new songs. September of 2024 the band released a 4 song EP that would fall just at 15 minutes, which was produced by Gil Norton who also produced their albums in the 90′s. Not sure who wrote these songs, we know Kim Deal didn’t, but not sure if  it was Black, Santiago, or Lovering. Rehashed Frank Black solo songs? Like Weezer after Pinkerton, Pixies should have given a break to the new songs and just skipped the two recently released EPs. Perhaps this is exactly why Deal left just as she did in 1993 due to Black’s decisions which lead to the death of the Pixies.

While at times the band gave an energetic performance, Planet of Sound and Debaser felt nothing more than a toned down practice run “for the big night”. Except they forgot one thing, it was the big night. The band’s energy fed the crowd as each fan quietly sang along with little to no dancing except for boppin’ heads and that one mosh pit, started by 4 fans, that other people attempted to avoid. The Pixies did not accommodate the audience, just a bow and quick hello before the show.

With 2 new EPs and a new bassist, this is a resurrection to the Pixies. A new life with new breath and with new meaning while the Pixies as we all know is nothing more than a ghost of the past.