While Levitation weekend provided ample impressive performances for psych-rock and metal lovers, the best was yet to come as the Palmer Event Center filled for Sunday’s headliners, Pavement.
From the first distorted guitar strums on the track “Frontwards,” Pavement ruled the Levitation stage, bringing cheeky lyrics and camaraderie to the stage. Voices chanted along with lead singer Stephen Malkmus as he sang the intro to “Gold Soundz,” causing the audience to dance before melting into the darker, emotional track off Terror Twilight, “The Hexx.” Drifting from Malkmus’ chill, almost cynical, vocal delivery into a rich, melancholic guitar riff made for an excellent source of variety throughout the upbeat setlist.
Malkmus’ iconic vocal style translated impeccably to the stage, highlighted by the playful nature of the band. Guitarist Scott Kannberg, known as “Spiral Stairs,” gave a powerful vocal performance on “Kennel District,” and Bob Nastanovich proved a crowd favorite, entertaining with his wacky vocal riffs, use of bells, and between-song commentary. “Fight This Generation” included some of Nastanovich’s famous quips, set to melodica.
Photo by Dina Zeid.
The back to back performances of “Cut Your Hair” and “Spit on a Stranger” lifted the middle of the set, with the audience singing – and often screaming – along with Malkmus before drifting into the sweet, melodic vocals and lightly strummed guitar on “Spit on a Stranger.”
The apex of Pavement’s set took place during “Harness Your Hopes,” with the evening’s energy culminating into Malkmus’ request to, “Well, show me / A word that rhymes with Pavement.” Despite its release as an obscure B-Side in 1999, the song found a revival through streaming, becoming the band’s most popular track on Spotify in 2017. Aside from its lyrical genius, “Harness Your Hopes” forges a bond between long-time fans and new devotees, exposing a new generation to Pavement’s sonic greatness.
A charming performance of “Range Life” off Pavement’s 1994 album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, provided another singalong moment. Rolling, country-inspired guitar complimented Malkmus as he sang, “After the glow, the scene, the stage / The sad, talk becomes slow /But there's some things you'll never forget.”
After an action-packed set, Pavement began their final track of the evening, “Stop Breathin.” An interesting choice, as the track contains gloomier sentiments than previous songs, with Malkmus musing, “Stop breathin', stop breathin' / Breathin' for me now / Write it on a postcard / Dad they broke me.”
Despite heartbroken lyrics and deep guitar tones in their closing song, Pavement left the crowd in a state of glee. Hopping from one iconic track to the next, Pavement’s set was nothing short of excellent, cementing their status as indie-rock heroes and bringing Austin a taste of the “Range Life.”
Photo by Dina Zeid.
Photo by Dina Zeid.