When musicians who released their most critically acclaimed work decades prior go on tour, there are two possibilities: They will seem like their own tribute band, or they will recreate songs with the same fervor as in their younger years. Co-headlining Surly Brewing Festival Field’s sold-out show on Thursday evening, Pixies and Modest Mouse accomplished the latter. For four hours, the field full of beer, dad rock, hula hoops, and just a few sprinkles became a time capsule from the ‘90s and aughts.

Though billed as an opener and only playing eight songs, Chan Marshall’s (aka Cat Power) presence can’t be understated. With hands in the pockets of her “Cat Power Cover Tour” bomber jacket for most of the set, Marshall appeared effortless. Opening for legendary bands in front of a vast field of people is just another casual weekday evening for her. She gave off an ambiguous aura too — sipping her tea between songs, saying “muchas gracias” a few times, and clapping after her own song, “Unhate.”

Cat Power is no stranger to singing others’ songs, either. She visited St. Paul in March on her Bob Dylan tribute tour. At Surly, she made The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” all her own; the only recognizable elements were the words in the chorus. Another cover song was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” by Kitty Wells, which Marhall dedicated to the “bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad girls and femmes,” especially sex workers. She sang, “Too many times married men think they're still single / That has caused many a good girl to go wrong,” with a fatigued tone, likely attributed to the song’s message: the way women are often scapegoats for a man’s faults. The set closed with Marshall’s salute to the crowd, instructions to “throw out your phones and take care of yourselves,” and a happy birthday sing-along for drummer Alianna Kalaba.

While most bands tour to support recent albums, Modest Mouse avoided their newest project, 2021’s The Golden Casket, altogether. (People next to me talked about how they hadn’t listened to the band’s new music). Good thing the Portland, Ore., band have a catalog full of hits and lesser known gems, plus a band lineup with the energy to keep every line alive. 

Isaac Brock, the lead singer, guitarist, and only remaining member of the original band, seemed to take the performance seriously, aimlessly shuffling around stage in a suit, throwing his head back, and projecting manic facial expressions, like the way his eyes bulged with excitement during “Dashboard” when a percussionist frantically played shakers. Brock’s distorted vocal style gave way to often unintelligible lyrics, like in “King Rat.” Upon a Google search, you’ll find out a few words to the stomping track with banjo are: “Deep water, deep water / Senseless denial / I went down like a rag doll wrath of a child.” On “Fire It Up,” he abandoned the microphone to sing into his guitar strings instead.

Modest Mouse make rock music to dance to. The late ‘90s to mid-aughts tracks are for shimmying and grooving — no head banging required. “Float On,” the song you hear in grocery stores and when the bartender yells “last call,” is fitting for any situation, especially when on stage. The steady bass-drum thumps produce a beat to march in place to.

Modest Mouse did, in fact, play one new, unreleased song, “Third Side of the Moon.” Fans (on Reddit) speculate it’s a tribute to the band’s late drummer, Jeremiah Green, and/or to the late Sam Jayne from Love is Laughter. “I wish I had listened to every word you ever said. But you always spoke in whispers, and I’m not good at listening,” Brock sang, a faint note of regret in his voice. It was the most mellow, contemplative song of the set.

Modest Mouse at Surly Festival Field

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Like Modest Mouse, Pixies played into fans’ desires, which were the throwbacks, not the tracks from their 2022 album, Doggerel. It’s difficult to deny: Like Modest Mouse, Pixies’ music has become more bland in recent years. Led by Black Francis (aka Frank Black), Pixies instead drew mostly from Doolittle and Trompe Le Monde, and even a few from their 1987 debut, Come on Pilgrim.

The band’s energy, especially when opening the gates with “U-Mass” and “Wave of Mutilation,” made the oldies more vivid. Francis’ rapid stop-and-start guitar work kept the crowd on their toes, and his thick voice carried the weight needed to execute hits from Doolittle like “Gouge Away,” “Debaser,” and “Wave of Mutilation.” Drummer David Lovering graced his setup smoothly. On guitar, Joey Santiago even resorted to playing strings with his hat. A few months ago, Emma Richardson joined the group, taking over for bassist Paz Lenchantin. Richardson’s backing vocals, synching harmonies, and lead vocals on “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” gave the set an occasional, necessary lightening-up.

Pixies at Surly Festival Field

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Pixies and Modest Mouse are excellent at what they do — which is playing the same songs they’ve been playing for the last 15 to 30 years. But there’s nothing reductive in relishing in genuinely artful music that has stood the test of time. For many, hearing the hits allows them to tap into the comfort of nostalgia. 

I write this as someone who was not alive for the majority of Pixies’ album releases. I didn’t hear college radio stations play Doolittle, or read about the band as up-and-comers in music publications’ cover stories. So it’s interesting to think about whose legacy tour I’ll be venturing out into a field for in 30 years. If the show is sonically immaculate and the band members are passionately in touch with their craft like Surly’s headliners were, I’ll surely be satisfied. 

Set Lists

Pixies

U-Mass

Wave of Mutilation

Gouge Away

Ana

Here Comes Your Man

Mr. Grieves

Bone Machine

Hey

Debaser

Tame

Motorway to Roswell

The Happening

Vegas Suite

In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (Peter Ivers cover)

Wave of Mutilation (U.K. Surf version)

Where Is My Mind?

Winterlong (Neil Young cover)

Modest Mouse

The Stars Are Projectors

Fire It Up

Dashboard

Gravity Rides Everything

Doin’ the Cockroach

A Forest (The Cure cover)

Satin in a Coffin

King Rat

Third Side of the Moon

The View

Float On

Hula Hoop Song (improvised)

Night on the Sun

Breakthrough

Cat Power

Note: Cat Power set list info still pending