
Pixies
Oct. 15, 1989, The Roxy Theatre (Atlanta)
1989 was an exceptional year for music. Oranges & Lemons from XTC, Automatic from Jesus & Mary Chain, Flip-Flop from Guadalcanal Diary, Fun & Games from The Connells, Key Lime Pie from Camper Van Beethoven and self-titled debuts from The Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, The Innocence Mission and The Indigo Girls. But probably topping them all on my list was the first Pixies album I ever picked up, Doolittle. The band also put on my favorite show that year, which would end up being my favorite show of the first 35 years of my life. I was right up front in a very robust mosh pit, complete with a couple of skin heads. It was my first time crowd-surfing. And the music was amazing. The band would turn on a dime from quiet beautiful melodies to balls-to-the-wall rock, and Black Francis was screaming his heart out to tunes off Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. I saw the reunion show at the much larger Fox Theater in 2005 and it reminded me just how great this band was live.
The Countdown:
#12 Radiohead - Oct. 6, 2003, HiFi Buys Amphitheater
#11 Guadalcanal Diary - Sept. 15, 1989, Center Stage
#10 The Hold Steady - Oct. 25, 2007, The 40 Watt
#9 Uncle Tupelo - Feb. 11, 1994, The 40 Watt
#8 The Ramones - Nov. 22, 1988, Center Stage
#7 U2 - Nov. 19, 2005, Philips Arena
#6 INXS - March 3, 1988, The Omni
#5 Midnight Oil - Aug. 28, 1993, Lakewood Amphitheater
#4 Sufjan Stevens - April 1, 2005, Calvin College
#3 Beck - Oct. 28, 2006, The Knitting Factory
#2 Pixies - Oct. 15, 1989, The Roxy
#1 Arcade Fire - May 1, 2007, Atlanta Civic Center

Signs of Life 2008: Best Music
Leona Naess - "All is Fair"
the everybodyfields - "Worth Keeping"
Live at Paste: Whitley



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