Coachella 2014: Pixies Return 10 Years Later With Something To Prove — billboard.com

When the Pixies played Coachella 10 years ago, the band’s set was a defining moment in both the festival and the group’s history. The Pixies’ main stage set in 2004 was the first major reunion gig for the act, which, in its heyday, had never broken through more than the college-radio club scene. The Pixies’ surprising, star-powered legacy was emboldened by the signifiers of cult status -- tape trades and older-brother recommendations, file-sharing and rock-star endorsements, rather than radio play and MTV airing. It was exciting for everyone and launched Coachella’s international reputation as the place where band reunions, even those deemed impossible, could actually happen. But this year’s last-minute addition of the Pixies brought the quartet to the desert with a different agenda: after 10 years of nostalgia-drenched reunion tours, they’re now in a promotion cycle for “Indie Cindy,” the band’s first album in 23 years. Unsurprisingly, those critics concerned with the band’s legacy have already blasted it for sullying their perfect rep (Pitchfork infamously gave it a 1.0). Their placement -- in a spot in the Mojave tent against major acts on both the main stages -- begged the question of whether anyone still cares about the Pixies? The answer, thankfully, is yes. Despite a Coachella crowd that’s appeared indifferent to fellow legacy acts like the Replacements and the Afghan Whigs, kids packed the Mojave to yelp through “Wave Of Mutilation” and “Bone Machine,” seemingly unaware or uncaring that founding bassist/vocalist Kim Deal’s spot on stage has been taken by A Perfect Circle’s Paz Lenchantin. That move has found the band derided in hardcore fan circles, but here seemed to have emboldened the rest of the group.

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