Perhaps you’ve heard of that band. You know, the one that’s reforming for a big reunion tour in 2010. Yeah, that band. “The most important American band of the Nineties” or some shit; the one that laid “the blueprint for independent rock over the past generation.” When the news of their reunion broke, staid sources as diverse as The New York Times, The Kansas City Star, local papers, and (gasp) MTV ran stories on it. The band’s first reunion show—slated for September 21, 2010 at Central Park SummerStage NYC—sold out in just two minutes this past Friday, and three additional performances sold out as soon as they were added. That’s right: four shows at a 5,000 person venue that sold out a year before the event.
Oh, and the name of the band is Pavement.
You’d be forgiven for never hearing the name before. The band’s ascension to (indie) stardom since its demise has even taken guitarist and founding member Scott Kannberg by surprise—in an interview with Rolling Stone, he noted: “It’s weird how over the last however many years, Pavement’s become a much bigger thing.” “Weird” may be a valid way of expressing how Pavement became synonymous with “the quintessential American indie rock band,” but I’d like to think there’s a bit of logic in there too.
For starters, the band broke up just as the indie-bubble was beginning to form, way back in 1999 with the launch of Napster, which became a household name by 2000. Adam Brody name-dropped Death Cab for Cutie in 2003, just as Natalie Portman would reference the Shins so explicitly in 2004’s Garden State. That same year, Modest Mouse hit number one in the Billboard rock charts (with “Float On”) and the Arcade Fire became online sensations thanks to a favorable, if notoriously pretentious, Pitchfork review. By the time This Is Next (better named Now That’s What I Call Indie Rock Rock Music!) cropped up in 2007, the bubble had effectively burst into the mainstream. So, whether intentionally or not, Pavement allowed for a decade-long sea change in the music industry to work in their favor, giving nascent fans more time to discover them—and adding to the demand for a reunion show.
But why has this reunion in particular reached such a fever pitch? These four relatively modest gigs have seemingly overshadowed the successful reunion outings of other seminal bands like Mission of Burma, Dinosaur Jr., and even The Pixies. More than anything, it’s the way Pavement has been historicized over the past decade or so, retrofitted into a flagship band by press, labels, and fans alike. Matador Records, for one, played a huge role in this process, issuing deluxe editions of the band’s full-length albums two years at a time (an ingenious touch), a series which AllMusic argues “confirm[ed] Pavement’s legacy as indie rock trailblazers” (or, more accurately, constructed the group’s legacy). A career-encompassing DVD, including footage from their “final” show, was released in 2002. Their albums and songs have been honored with high placements in lists from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, and more—nodding to old fans’ nostalgia while providing a point of entry for new ones. And it doesn’t hurt that since the band broke up Stephen Malkmus (lead singer/guitarist) released four solo albums with backing band the Jicks, Scott Kannberg released two with Preston School of Industry, and Mark Ibold (bassist) began touring with Sonic Youth.
In other words, Pavement has been disbanded for ten years, but their exhibit in the indie rock world has been meticulously curated all the while. Once Pavement became known as a watershed band, the one that represents the “sound” of a genre, winning over new fans is all gravy. Pavement’s music is incredibly accomplished and extremely accessible (which should not be overlooked), but selling out 20,000 seats a year in advance is about more than just songs. Pavement became mythologized somewhere in these past ten years. When you become a myth, you become important. And there are few things people love more than being a part of something important.
Reunite with Dan at dcook@georgtownvoice.com.
