The Breeders played Pier 17

The Breeders played the Rooftop at Pier 17 on a perfect summer night and dished out the hits to a loving crowd.

The first time I saw Pavement, Stephen Malkmus quipped that he thought The Breeders were a better band than the Pixies. While I'm not sure I agree, it is a thought that many ponder for two bands that are inextricably linked due to the fact that Kim Deal has played in both groups. The fact that she's continued playing with the former after both reunited and ditched the later can probably let you know which band she enjoys playing in the most. In addition to sharing a member, the bands are also two vital contributors to the college rock scene and what would become indie music in the '90s so there's at least some musical similarity as well. The Breeders, like the Pixies, have also released new music since getting back together in the 2000s, but Deal's current band has received much higher praise for their recent material. Regardless, Kim, her twin sister Kelley as well as Josephne Wiggs on bass and Jim Macpherson on drums primarily stuck to their classic first two albums that spawned their biggest and best songs. "Where the fuck are we? Look at this gorgeous place!" Kim Deal shouted as the band took to the stage, the ever-impressive setting of the Rooftop at Pier 17 a continuous delight for anyone who gets to play the venue, and the band quickly hit the gas on their jammy post-punk tunes. With the twin sisters scratching away at their muffled and swampy guitar riffs, the band's focus was muted and fused together like a solid unit that blended their instruments into one as sludgy bass lines fed right into the thudding power chords. "Invisible Man" hit with thick and guitar licks and more of the rich bass tones that give their songs such an earthy feel before Deal introduced a new song. "I know what you're thinking, what if it's cringy? Wouldn't that be awful if we played a new song and it was terrible?" She announced the new track as "Bite" and luckily it was far from terrible, but rather another solid number that fit firmly into the band's set like any of their tried and true standards. Leading directly into "Divine Hammer" the crowd was at its peak for this one, people jumping along with pure joy as the euphoric melody floated over the crowd and into the East River. The soaring riff and rolling drums was a power-lift that boosted the show as the sun began to set behind Lower Manhattan. The grungy power-pop hits continued throughout and their short bursts meant that the set list was jam packed with favorites. Between "Off You" and "Drivin on 9," drummer Jim Macphearson entered to centerstage and introduced his bandmates while also declaring that the drum kit on stage has been the same one he's played on since his parents gifted it to him in 1982 and that he'll never play on anything else. The back half of the night flowed at the perfect speed, the band hitting cruise control and living in the moment, grinning from ear to ear as they kept the crowd under firm control. "One of the only venues in the world where you can play a gig and watch the international shipping industry" remarked bassist Josephine Wiggs at one point, much to the enjoyment of the audience, a rare comment that still made for one of the funniest moments of the night. After a brief dip backstage, the tv screens on the sides of the stage zoomed in on the nearly-full moon that was hanging over the venue and the band hit us with "Alien Eyes," a fun interplay that primed the scene for a killer rendition of "New Year" that had people fully engaged, pumping their fits and ready to let loose with the final banger of the night. As Deal leaned in to the secondary microphone with a whistle slung over her neck, the crowd knew the biggest hit was here to close out the night and when "Cannonball" blasted off, it felt as if the whole venue was going to rocket into the night sky. The massive swelling chorus a true hallmark of an era and a pinnacle achievement of '90s music, it was the perfect send off to a night that was filled with epic nostalgia that sounds just as primed and fitting of today's sound as it did in its own heyday. 

Set list:

01 "Doe"
02 "Saints"
03 "Invisible Man"
04 "Bite"
05 "Divine Hammer"
06 "No Aloha"
07 "Walking with a Killer" [Kim Deal song]
08 "Fortunately Gone"
09 "Hag"
10 "Ghost"
11 "Off You"
12 "Drivin' on 9" [Ed’s Redeeming Qualities cover]
13 "When I Was a Painter"
14 "MetaGoth"
15 "Safari"
16 "Iris"
17 "I Just Wanna Get Along"
18 "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" [The Beatles cover]
19 "Hellbound"
20 "Do You Love Me Now?"
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21 "Alien Eyes"
22 "New Year"
23 "Cannonball"