Pixies – Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO

Since reuniting in 2004, Pixies have maintained a steady presence in venues around the world. Their latest stop at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium Wednesday evening demonstrated why they remain vital, relevant and a welcome sight.

On the heels of an intimate show at the Boulder Theater the night before, the veteran alternative rockers took to the Denver stage, shrouded in fog and light, and proceeded to launch into the trademark dissonance that has defined them for nearly a quarter century. If Black Francis and company have slowed down at all, it wasn’t apparent at this show. The band was at full-throttle. And despite the fairly recently line-up change – with the addition of Paz Lenchantin – there was no shortage of chemistry on stage.

“Wave of Mutilation” was first out of the gate, followed my a mix of old and new that included “Gouge Away,” “Snakes,” “Might as Well Be Gone” and of course, “Where is My Mind?”. Pixies waste little time on gratuitous segues or stage banter. Rather, it’s all about the music. And if a 33 song set list wasn’t enough to satisfy, the full house was also treated to three encores that ended with a one-two punch of “Debaser” and “Bone Machine.”