at The Paramount

Since their breakup in 1999, it has been the dearest daydream of Pavement fans everywhere that someday they would reunite, bringing peace to the Middle East, and dogs and cats together to live in harmony. 2007 brought rumors of an appearance at Coachella, and then nothing. The 20th anniversary of the band and of Matador Records came and went in silence. Finally, reports from Brooklyn Vegan in September of 2009 announcing three benefit performance dates (in September of 2010) (which sold out in two minutes) allowed fans a glimmer of hope.

When non-festival dates were released, many wondered what exactly a reunion show for a band like Pavement would entail. There had been no recently released material, with the exception of the Quarantine the Past: Best Of album, and the band made it clear to expect neither subsequent tours nor future material. In the April Spin article “Inside Pavement’s Reunion,” lead singer Stephen Malkmus appeared to understand the desire for this particular tour and encapsulated the sentiment of his fan base perfectly: "Music is about nostalgia. From the minute you hear a song for the second time, you're reliving it.” There is no better summation for what was happening to fans seeing Pavement at the Paramount this past Sunday night.

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