Am I the only non-chien andalusia in New York?

Pixies 12-13-04 040
Originally uploaded by Minimalist.

No, I did not go see the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom, nor will I go to any of the remaining shows.

See, I like the Pixies. I didn't listen to them when they were actually around, but I understood they heavily influenced some of my favorite bands (most notably Nirvana)... [click here to continue] And the few songs I started listening to in recent years - the fab four of Where Is My Mind, Debaser, Gigantic and Monkey Gone To Heaven - quickly became my favorites.

But I would never call myself a fan. I didn't go out of my way to dig into their discography and it didn't bother me that much that they hadn't been together for 10 years.

Still, I was quite intrigued when they announced they would play 12 final shows in NYC. I ultimately decided not to go, partly because of the price ($50 + Ticketbastard fee) and the venue (I had an awful experience the one and only time I saw a show there - terrible atmosphere, terrible acoustics), and partly because I didn't feel like I belonged. To me, these shows were for the true fans who knew their entire body of work and could sing along.

Now, I wish I'd gotten a ticket. Reading the reviews inundating the NYC blogosphere (Brooklyn Vegan has links to blogger accounts) and the NY Times review (Once Upon a Time, There Was This Really Loud Band), it looks like I'm missing out on something really special.

From taleoftwocities:

Euphoria did win out in the end, however, as you knew it would. The Pixies saved the biggest hits for last, and after 'Where is My Mind?' they did a little 'Gee, should we play one more?' routine before going into the encore: 'Debaser' and 'Gigantic.' When 'Debaser' began people went ape shit, and we finally had a pogo outbreak.

See, that's the kind of stuff I go to public events for, to feel the energy, to feel people go batshit. It doesn't matter if the event is a soccer game or Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle at the local multiplex - when the crowd moves, you feel it.

I don't know, maybe I'm just longing for something I can't have. Maybe I would've bitched about the crowded floor area and the overpriced merchandise or the knowitalls in the audience. Maybe, maybe not.
Now, if Ben Folds Five gets back together and decides to do 12 final shows at Cat's Cradle or Local 506, I'm there like Robespierre.

By the way, Flickr's tag feature is so best: tag / pixies