"But all I had was one glass of wine," Frank Black told the crowd last night when his guitar cut out and his cell phone started ringing during his Pixies' opener "Holiday” to Black's headlining set at New York's Irving Plaza. In a failed attempt to later shut off the phone Black ended up spilling the contents of his jacket all over the stage which he then preceded to list off to the audience as his passport, wallet, and the now infamous cell phone. "It doesn't get much more professional than this," Black joked after the mishap and moved into an acoustic version of "Cactus."
Black joined up with a full band to play new songs "My Terrible Ways" and "I'm Not Dead (I'm In Pittsburgh)," and treated fans with hits from 2005's Honeycomb, like "I Burn Today" and "My Life In Storage." But it was the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind" that was the night's sing-a-long showstopper, proving that you can take Frank Black out of the Pixies, but you can't take the Pixies out of Frank Black. With seventeen albums to date, SPIN.com asked Black where he feels he's at in his career. "I remain occupying the same cultish niche I always have," he said. STORY BY KATIE HEATH. PHOTOS BY ERIC NOWELS
We asked: Do you support Frank Black's solo work or do you prefer the Pixies? COMMENT
Name: Peter Libby
Age: 18
Hometown: Bronxville, NY
Occupation: Student
"I whole-heartedly support his solo efforts. It gives him an outlet to do things he couldn't do with the Pixies."
Name: Tim Erwin
Age: 18
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
Occupation: Student
"I absolutely support him. These last two albums especially, they're amazing, it's the best stuff he's done in decades."
Name: Jamie Fisk
Age: 27
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Clothing designer
"I like his solo stuff, I'm all for that."
Name: Lisa Coyer
Age: 30
Hometown: Long Beach, NY
Occupation: Marketing manager
"I like them both, but I like the Pixies better."
Name: Doug Keyzer
Age: 26
Hometown: Hicksville, NY
Occupation: Special Ed teacher
"I like both. I don't think the Pixies should make more songs."
Name: Cecelia Rembert
Age: 30
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Painter
"I support whatever he wants to do. I don't think he should feel that he should be locked into the Pixies."
Name: Billy Cheney
Age: 24
Hometown: East Hanover, NJ
Occupation: Vet tech
"I support him 100 percent. As long as he's there it's going to be good. Without Frank Black there are no Pixies. I also like his stuff with the Catholics."
Name: Amanda Coyer
Age: 26
Hometown: Long Beach, NY
Occupation: Compliance manager
"Both, but I like the Pixies more."
On stage: Frank Black. Front row: Doppleganger.
Black sings to the Irving Plaza crowd
Eric Eble, upright bassist for opening act, Reid Paley Trio
