Not too many people know that I grew up in the Middle East. And although I enjoyed my time there, I blame it for missing out on a lot of music (bands don’t really stop in Saudi Arabia on their world tours). For this reason, I had no idea who the Pixies were until I moved to Lawrence.

So yes, I am a late bloomer. I had never heard a Pixies track until I watched that final scene in Fight Club, and I really hadn’t heard too much of their music until a few years ago. I knew nothing.

Luckily, a friend of mine brought along some Pixies albums during a long road trip and then I fell in love. So when they announced they were coming to KC, I (and many other fans within a 200 mile radius) started bouncing off the walls. I was Knives Chau level excited for this.

When I arrived at the show on Friday night, you could tell that excitement was infectious. I saw so many people smiling from ear to ear. Even the security staff was in a good mood, cracking jokes with concert-goers.

After an interesting silent film that I can only describe as something that was aiming to make you feel uncomfortable, The Pixies took the stage and opened with “B-sides!” (that’s how they announced it):

After a couple of B-sides, Kim Deal yelled out “Some of the B sides were so obscure we had to learn them before we could play them!”

The band whipped out an array of treats, even for your eyes (like the silent film at the beginning of the show). The screen gave a nice backdrop for a very visual experience during most songs.

The show was sold out. Saying “we were packed in there like sardines” is an understatement. It was so….packed! There were even people jammed into the aisles. Not everybody had a good view of the show, and if you had a good spot, you didn’t have it for very long. A big crowd like that made it so hot in there, even the walls were moist (ewwww…). But trust me, it was worth it.

I loved that despite a full house and poor view of the band, the show was still incredible because the crowd was just that much fun. Everybody I ran into was happy, joking, getting along. It smelled like a dorm room and felt like college, and we couldn’t have been having more fun.

I also noticed the wide range of fans they’ve gained over the years. You had the folks who dressed like it was ok to jump right back into 1994, the guys who looked like maybe they should be at a metal show with that mullet and Iron Maiden t-shirt, old people, young people, pregnant people and kids. Oh my goodness there were so many children there! I talked to one mother who wasn’t so sure she wanted to see the show until her child asked if he could go. Seeing so many children there gave me a bit of encouragement. Now I had reassurance that I wasn’t the only “new” fan there.

Here’s how they closed the show: