Sneak peek?
Could the indie band have a secret warmup gig before Coral Sky?
The Pixies will kick off a seven-week summer tour with alt-rockers Weezer on June 22 at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. The night before, a band calling itself Debaser will perform at Fort Lauderdale’s Revolution Live.
Here’s the thing: The band Debaser doesn’t appear to exist. But “Debaser” is a Pixies song.
Tickets for the Debaser show cost $29 plus fees via Ticketmaster.com and pay-by-phone (866-448-7849) and went on sale to the public on Monday, although Ticketmaster offers zero description of the band on its website. The Revolution Live website and Facebook event page are equally unhelpful, offering just a static image of the word “Debaser” against an all-black background. Local DJ LinderSMASH will open the concert.
The band Debaser is nowhere to be found on social media or Soundcloud. And the Pixies have been known to perform secret, intimate warmup shows on the eve of big tours and festivals, including one before the band’s 2004 reunion at Coachella and a surprise show in June 2015 at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern.
Revolution Live officials played coy about the Debaser date on Wednesday, and one box office rep laughed when asked if Debaser was an alias for the Pixies.
Two publicists connected to the Pixies’ summer tour said the band’s first “scheduled” gig is the June 22 show in West Palm Beach, but said they had no knowledge of a “secret” Revolution Live show.
Revolution Live owner Jeff John also dodged the question on Wednesday, but said with a wink: “Why don’t you spend $30 on a ticket to find out? Read between the lines. Google [the word] ‘Debaser,’ and what’s the first thing that comes up?”
The answer, of course, is the Pixies.
Pixies, among the most influential bands of the past 30 years for their pioneering rock and surrealist lyrics, famously split up in 1994 at the peak of their popularity after acrimony between frontman Black Francis and backing vocalist-bassist Kim Deal (now of the Breeders). The band reunited with Deal as a member in 2004, and stayed together until Deal again left the band in 2013. The current incarnation of the group formed in 2014 with Francis, guitarist Joey Santiago, drummer David Lovering and bassist Paz Lenchantin. The Pixies released their sixth album, “Head Carrier,” in 2016.
For information on the concert, go to JoinTheRevolution.net.