Pixies & Modest Mouse Gouge Away Indie Rock Classics At Chicago’s Salt Shed (SHOW REVIEW)

When most people think of Chicago, salt is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Wrigley Field, The Bean, the Willis (aka Sears) Tower, Lake Michigan (which is decidedly unsalty), sure. The gigantic Morton Salt complex next to the Kennedy Expressway? Not so much.

But thanks to an ambitious renovation project, that aforementioned salt factory has been transformed from an aging post-industrial relic into a world-class entertainment facility, becoming one of the premier destinations for live music in the Windy City since its grand opening last year. Indeed, in addition to revamping the Salt Shed itself into a distinctly awesome concert space, the reimagined complex also features a large outdoor section/stage called The Fairgrounds. With its location right next to the Chicago River overlooking the majestic skyline, it’s no wonder the venue has become so popular, attracting numerous big-name acts this summer along with the associated massive crowds to boot.

Such was the case on a gorgeously crisp Wednesday night on August 30th when the Pixies and Modest Mouse rolled into town to kick off a two-night stint at the Salt Shed’s Fairgrounds. First up was Modest Mouse, who took to the stage around 7:00 and proceeded to deliver an engaging hour+ set that proved to be quite impressive for this modest (pardon the pun) fan.

Their eclectic set felt downright psychedelic and thrillingly weird at times, thanks in large part to lead singer Isaac Brock’s quirky delivery and diverse guitar playing (which included a banjo at one point). They included all the hits of course, with “Float On” probably being the biggest crowd-pleaser, along with “Ocean Breathes Salty”, which brought back all those nostalgic mid-2000s vibes in delightful fashion. Overall, Modest Mouse delivered an enjoyably eccentric set that got the crowd at large (including the kayakers/boaters checking out the show from the adjacent Chicago River) properly warmed up for the headliners who took to the stage around 8:40.

With the super blue moon rising over the Chicago skyline,Pixies wasted no time getting the crowd revved up by launching into “Gouge Away” for their opener. They proceeded to pepper-in a heavy dose of classic songs from (perhaps their best album) Doolittle throughout the evening, such as “Monkey Gone to Heaven”, “Hey”, “Mr. Grieves”, “Debaser”, and of course “Here Comes Your Man”, which had the crowd singing along in joyous unison. We were also treated to two different versions of “Wave of Mutilation”, the first of which was a true-to-form performance that immediately followed the opener, and the latter was a slower/surfier version that came near the end of their set (which ultimately closed with “Where is my Mind?” and a cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong”). Overall, The Pixies were in fine form throughout the night, consistently delivering emphatic performances of their classic songs, along with a reasonable amount of new material from their latest album Doggerel (of which “There’s A Moon On” felt particularly fitting).

For a band that’s been at this whole alternative-rock thing for going on a remarkable 4 decades now, they still managed to deliver a solid set chock-full of great songs. Everybody knows how massively influential The Pixies are, but their performance Wednesday night was also a reminder that, in addition to being one of the best alternative rock bands of all time, they’ve clearly still got it live after all these years.