Front of the Line: Pixies perform to hometown crowd in Boston

Two guitarists perform on a stage that is bathed in red light — Joey Santiago and Black Francis performing at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, June 8, 2023

Haley Lerner was an Associate Producer for Arts and Culture for GBH News.

June 09, 2023

Updated August 07, 2023

“Front of the Line” is a recurring series where GBH News' Haley Lerner explores fan culture and talks to the people who show up first in line to see their favorite musicians.

Pixies, the Boston-born alternative rock group, played a sold-out show for their loyal hometown fans Thursday at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.

Songwriter Black Francis and guitarist Joey Santiago met in the 1980s while studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. When they formed the Pixies in 1986, they played bygone bars like the Rathskeller and T.T. the Bear's Place, as well as enduring mainstays like The Paradise.

Bill Reed, one of the first fans in the general admission line for the Thursday concert, remembers seeing Francis and Santiago even before they formed the band.

“My first show with them, seeing them play, I was one of maybe six people watchin,” he recalled. “They were obviously a much different band, different thing going on back then. I haven’t seen them since probably summer of ‘89 I believe. They were just a fun band.”

Reed said he tends to show up at least an hour before doors open at venues so he can grab a spot at the front of the crowd.

“It's worth it being up front. You catch stuff like the band's interactions with each other, the little things you don’t see from further back.” Reed said. “Also you're not behind other people [and] no one is holding a phone.”

This is a crowd shot from inside a concert performance hall. In the foreground are concertgoers who are in the front row. from left to right, there are three men and one woman. In the background there is a packed music hall, with crowds taking in the concert. — This is what showing up earliy looks like, front row access. Second from the right is Bill Reed, one of the first in the general admission line for the Thursday concert.

Leo Jalali from Framingham said he’s a fan of Pixies because of the band’s connection to Massachusetts.

“It's cool to have something that feels so representative of the state on a whole,” he said. “It's cool that people are able to go and enjoy their music and feel a little bit of what we feel like every day.”

Diehard Pixies fan Riley Dekkers from Foxborough showed up to the venue around 3 p.m. to secure his spot at the front of the line.

“The Pixies rule,” he said. “I’ve been a fan since I first heard of them in high school. It’s going to be something I’ll remember forever because I love this band.”

Behind Dekkers in line, Seth Kalichman was ready to see the band for the first time. He wanted a spot up against the barricade for a fully immersive experience.

“Sometimes when I see a band I can fall in love with them,” he said. “So I've never seen [Pixies] before, I’m excited to see them for the first time because I like what I hear, but I haven’t seen it yet.”

Two people stand in line, waiting to get into the Pixies concert. A young woman, wearing a Pixies T-shirt, is signing the peace sign with her left hand by holding up her middle and index finger to make a "V". She is smiling. She has orange and yellow hair. Standing next to her is a young man who is signing peace sign with his right hand. He is wearing sunglasses. He is smiling — Jill Buote and Alex Dacus. Buote started listening to Pixies in high school and became obsessed with their album “Doolittle.”

Jill Buote said she started listening to Pixies in high school and became obsessed with their album “Doolittle.”

“Their music inspired me as a writer and an artist myself, and the way that I write and create my music,” she said. “Oh my gosh, ‘Hey’ is my all-time favorite song. And ever since I was 16, I was like, ‘I’m going to see this live one day’ and I’m so excited. We’re getting here early so we can wait in line to see this front row.”

The front row is also where you can bond with fellow fans.

“You meet cool people in line who have the same mentality as you,” said Alison Ryder. “You meet new friends in line who are fans of the band you're seeing and want to get there and have the experience with you.”

Also among the crowd last night were fans who can thank Hollywood for their introduction to the Pixies.

The 1999 film “Fight Club” introduced the band to many people with “Where Is My Mind?” appearing in the closing scene. When the band played that song near the end of their set Thursday, hundreds in the crowd lifted their phones to record the hit song.

A man stands outside, in front of a building. he's wearing a yellow T-shirt. his arms are folded across his chest. He looks content and and has a confident expression on his face. — Pixies fan, by way of "Fight Club", Juan Urquiza

“I didn’t know about the band until I watched ‘Fight Club’ back in the day,” said Juan Urquiza of Waltham. “I’m from Mexico, so I watched the movie and when I watched the ending it took me a while to figure out what the song is. And when I found out it was the Pixies, I got into them.”

David Cawthron introduced his daughter, Autumn, to one of his favorite bands through that same movie. Now, he had the chance to bring her along to see the band.

“This is my first punk rock show,” Autumn Cawthron said.

“This is the first show I’m taking her to, it’s pretty awesome more for her, she's been to other shows, but not with me,” David Cawthron said. “I’ve been listening to the Pixies since they were in Boston and Salem. It's pretty big for me.”