Preparing for the Pixies

Wednesday night / Thanksgiving morning at 1 A.M., I'll be at the Pixies' final show of a four-gig NYC run performing their entire classic album 'Doolittle.' Yay. I'm excited -- especially for this song:



True, I enjoy the Breeders a lot more; Kim's songwriting is far more affecting to me than Charles'. But the Pixies have a grit, a loud guitar crunch that hits you hard, and I hear the audio levels at Hammerstein Ballroom, the venue of the show, let Joey's lead guitar carry the show. Perfect.

Leonard Cohen / NYC concert

More than two weeks after I went to Leonard Cohen's first U.S. show I'm STILL in awe. It was literally the best I've ever seen, and the sound in the newly-renovated Beacon Theatre was amazing. It was ridiculous -- Cohen was enchanting and his backing band were total virtuosos. And everyone knew it; the ticket was the hardest to get in town. I was offered $750 a piece for my pair of tickets at the door by rich Upper East Side types.

Read my full review at SPIN.com. Also, NPR is now broadcasting much of the performance. Listen here.

Here's a clip from the show I found on YouTube. The quality sucks, but hey, I was there...