Preliminary evaluation: Pavement

If you haven’t already bought tickets to tonight’s Pavement show at Pabst Theater, you’re in luck: For reasons unbeknownst to us, it’s not sold out. (C’mon Milwaukee—you can pack the Pabst for the hippie-minstrelsy of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros but not for Pavement? Were the ’90s really that long ago?) While Pavement’s performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July was reportedly shaky, the band has really come into its own lately, according to Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, who reviewed last night’s concert at Millennium Park. Now Pavement is “clearly sharper,” Kot says, “and there even were a few smiles exchanged as the band members took turns conjuring up old Chicago haunts.”

Our own Keith Harris also endorsed Pavement’s live show for A.V. Club Twin Cities: “Pavement whisked through 28 songs in just less than two hours last night at the dreaded Roy Wilkins Auditorium, starting with “Cut Your Hair” (which we all pretended was a hit), and stopping with “Here” (which we all pretended could have been one), not a single rendition perfunctory. You know, like a real rock ’n’ roll reunion show (complete with overpriced tickets and overbearing light show), but with a few false starts for old times’ sake, just so you didn’t think you were at a Foo Fighters concert or something.”