Pavement - Enmore Theatre, 4 March, 2010
A sell-out crowd relished the re-formed seminal line-up of Pavement as they enchanted the Enmore Theatre.†
Interest in the music of the '90s is at an all-time high. The whole 'Don't Look Back' concept concerts and the lure of a festival headline slot has seen a glut of reformed bands revisit Australian audiences of late. Often these rejuvenated acts have not only preserved, but also enhanced their legacy, and given great ammunition to those who saw it all the first time around and are fond of using the phrase "back in my day" to those flaming kids today. Pavement was no exception. A band who were always more influential than successful sees a truly reverential crowd in attendance, most just awestruck at the chance to see Pavement play.
The intros of songs are met with swoons and squeals, their endings met with high fives, hugs, holds, and heaving hearts. This is a band, and a back catalogue, that is very special to a lot of people. The band too, free from the constraining music industry grind of the writing, recording and touring cycle are relishing these songs again and presenting them with a respectful zeal - particularly Bob Nastanovich, the master of effusive interjections - that kept the crowd on the cusp of delirium throughout.
One argument for why this bygone time's music is still so resonant to people today is that bands actually got the time and space to evolve, to get difficult, experimental, deep and disenfranchised and still amass a quality batch of records. There is just so much to Pavement that you can never really appreciate until you can witness it unfold in front of you. Personality-wise, the detached perfectionism of Stephen Malkmus, who is just truly gifted in his ability to wring the sweetest melody out of even the most obtuse phrase, is counter-pointed by the more light-hearted, yet equally deft Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs) weaving sublime guitar lines throughout - and shining through the cracking 'Date With Ikea'. The rhythm section of Mark Ibold and Steve West were just beaming at being there and Bob, was just, well Bob.
All five albums were represented, the big songs were sprinkled throughout and saw the set soar magnificently in places, but mostly just warmly glow, and not just from the fairy lights adorning the stage, leaving many people's faith temporarily restored in music and humming happily home through Enmore's shady lanes.