For years following their official disbanding, rumors have circulated on the Internet about a possible reunion of the iconic indie rock band Pavement. But this time around, a decade after the band played their last concert, the rumors turned out to be true. As most of you probably already know, Pavement is reuniting to play a series of benefit concerts in New York next year.
On Thursday, promoters announced Pavement would perform “a” reunion show at Rumsey Field in New York’s Central Park on September 21, 2010. When tickets went on sale Friday morning at 10 a.m. EST, they sold out in just two minutes, according to TicketMaster. Apparently in response to the overwhelming demand for tickets on Friday, three more shows – slated for Sept. 22, 23, 24 in NYC – were added on Saturday. Two of the additional shows sold out in hours, and at press time, tickets were still available for the fourth, and final, show.
This makes the Pavement reunion one of the most anticipated reunions in rock music, and, by next year, one of the biggest music events of 2010. In an acknowledgement of Pavement’s huge worldwide fan base, the California born-Brooklyn relocated lo-fi rock band has stated that a 2010 worldwide tour was in the works, but no details on dates or cities were available.
But, as has been the case in the past, there are conflicting messages about the extent of the reunion itself. Pavement guitarist Scott Kannberg, in an interview with Rolling Stone on Thursday, seemed to leave the door open to the possibility of a reunion album or more. “After that [NYC concerts], anything that happens in the future is in the future,” he said. However, an official statement from the band on CrookedRain.com cautions: “Please be advised this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion.”
Kannberg also said that he and Pavement lead singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus, discussed a reunion for the first time a couple of months ago. Kannberg also confirmed the band was exploring the possibility of headlining Coachella in 2010.
Originally a studio project, childhood friends Kannberg and Malkmus began self distributing their raw, defiant lo-fi recordings in 1989. The tapes sparked a buzz among other musicians, critics and followers within the New York indie rock scene at the time. Eventually, Malkmus and Kannberg recruited drummer Gary Young (who was replaced in 1993 by Steve West), bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist Bob Nastanovich to solidify the band and go on tour to promote their widely acclaimed, and now classic, 1992 debut LP, Slanted and Enchanted.
Pavement quickly became the iconic college rock band, thanks to the release of subsequent albums like Crooked Rain, Brighten The Corners and Wowee Zowee, coupled with numerous national and international concert tours. Among rock lovers worldwide, Pavement released some of the best and most memorable songs and albums of a generation, and played a huge role in shaping and re-shaping indie and alternative rock that continues to this day.
As the 20th century came to a close, Pavement released Terror Twilight, their last studio album. While the album was widely praised, some fans and critics thought it was too “clean,” and others suggested it sounded too much like a Malkmus solo record. That same year, 1999, the band showed signs that things were beginning to unravel. At the Coachella festival in April, Malkmus presumably refused to sing during what became mostly an instrumental set. Following the appearance, Malkmus called an impromptu band meeting and reportedly told his band mates: “I just don’t want to do this anymore.” Pavement played their final concert at the Brixton Academy in London on November 20, 1999 (samples below). During the show, Malkmus announced to a stunned, sold out crowd, “this is our last show…thanks for coming all these years.”
In the summer of 2000, Malkmus reportedly called Kannberg and demanded he change the group’s website to state Pavement was no longer a band. Kannberg refused, telling Malkmus to first notify the other band members; Malkmus was outraged, arguing the band members already knew the band was not going to play again. West later said he found out the news via the Internet.
Regardless of the drama that happened on stage, and apparently behind the scenes, Pavement is the quintessential American indie rock band, and are just as popular today as they were during their heyday. “It’s weird how over the last however many years, Pavement’s become a much bigger thing,” Kannberg told Rolling Stone. “This whole generation of kids discovered Pavement after we had disbanded, and made us into a huger thing than we ever envisioned. So now I guess we can tour and make those people happy.”
In the years since Pavement dissolved, band members went on to other projects, most notably Malkmus’ formation with the band The Jicks and Kannberg’s Preston School of Industry, which reunited him with original Pavement drummer Young. Ibold started his own label and went on to record with Sonic Youth, West recorded and toured with Marble Valley and Nastanovich pursued horse racing and served as The Jick’s road manager in 2001. In recent years, Matador Records has re-issued many of the band’s early albums, with bonus material from live shows and B-sides.
“Cut Your Hair” – Pavement from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
“Rattled By The Rush” – Pavement from Wowee Zowee (1995)
“Shady Lane” – Pavement from Brighten The Corners (1997)
“Stereo” and “Date With Ikea” – Pavement from their last concert, Nov. 20, 1999, Brixton Academy, London (stream the entire concert )
“Heckler Spray/In The Mouth Of A Desert” – Pavement from Live At The Palace, Hollywood, 1994 (2007)
Tickets for the fourth Pavement-NYC show were still available as of 10 pm PST Saturday. The passcode is ZOWEE. According to CrookedRain.com, it is the final show – presumably for the NYC Central Park series. No news yet on bookings for the 2010 world tour.
– Download or listen to a one-hour podcast of Pavement at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall mixed with a whole lotta studio tracks
– Check out more about Pavement on Matador Records and Domino Records
– View the band’s official profile, discography and other information at AllMusic.com
– Learn more about Pavement on Wikipedia
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