As you may or may not have known, the Stockton, California indie darlings known as PAVEMENT have reformed for a revival tour the likes we have not yet seen!!! They came to Vancouver last week and I was hardly surprised by my reaction. I was conflicted.
Don't get me wrong. They sounded great. They played at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and their lo-fi tones bounced off the walls like an army of gigantic musical beach balls. And most importantly for the die-hards...they played the hits. They played Range Life and Cut Your Hair and Stereo...they played a three song encore and everyone was happy-ish. They almost looked the exact same as when I saw them in 1998 (Eric's Trip pulls that off really good, too) and they played loose but tight, the way every good band should play.
But reunion shows are tricky. You get it in your head quickly that you will surely see nothing new. No new tricks from the band. Just the same magic they performed a decade ago. The reaction I got from the audience was relatively positive but luke warm.
HAS A REUNION SHOW EVER BEEN A GOOD IDEA?