One of the most beloved and influential bands to come out of the American underground; Pavementreturn to their spiritual home New Zealand in March 2023 to perform two theatre headline shows as part of their wildly acclaimed world tour.
Prolific and revered in their output, Pavement have become a worldwide touchstone for alternative rock music for music lovers and makers alike. The band recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of seminal 1992 debut album Slanted and Enchanted, which coincided with the return to the stage of one of the most pivotal bands of the last 30 years.
Highlighted by a flurry of demand from audiences across the globe, it is their first tour since their 2010 reunion saw them play four sold out benefit shows in Central Park and top the bills of worldwide festivals including Coachella, Reading & Leeds, Primavera Sound and Pitchfork Festival.
The eccentric edge which Pavement weaved into their music in the 1990s marked them out as a unique outfit at the time, and you can still see that oddball individualism on stage tonight. The wide-eyed crowd lap it up as Pavement tear through what amounts to a greatest hits set…
*****5 Stars– NME
Pavement truly delivered. Hopefully, it won’t be another 12 years before they tread the boards together again.
Variety
Playing New York for the first time in 12 years, the Nineties heroes delivered twin-guitar jams, fan faves, dollops of romance, phoneless ballads, top-shelf banter, and much more over four gloriously surreal nights.
Rolling Stone
Pavement is Stephen Malkmus, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West. The band released five era-defining albums – Slanted And Enchanted (1992), Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994), Wowee Zowee (1995), Brighten The Corners (1997) and Terror Twilight (1999) – before disbanding in 1999.
The band’s catalogue has seen a myriad of incarnations and bonus material unearthed, including career-spanning 2010 compilation Quarantine The Past, 2015 rarities collection A Secret History, Vol 1, deluxe editions of the band’s first four studio albums, and a 2019 picture disc commemorating the 25th anniversary of Wowee Zowee.
Music lovers and slackers of Aotearoa rejoice. One of music’s most important bands are coming to a town near you and you won’t want to miss these shows.
Tickets from Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster and Banished Music presale starts
Thursday 17 November 9am – 10pm
General tickets on sale Friday 18 November 9am
Sign up to the Banished presale here