The Cure had been around for a decade by the time the Pixies coalesced in Boston in 1986, making the English post-punk band led by Robert Smith something akin to an older brother to the alternative rock group fronted by singer-guitarist Black Francis.
“We’ve crossed paths with them a lot over the years in different contexts,” says Black Francis, the stage name adopted by Charles Thompson all those years ago for his role in the Pixies.
Thirty years ago, they shared a bill for the first time, the Pixies opening for the Cure on a U.S. tour that included a sold-out show at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 8, 1989.
There, the Pixies played a 25-minute set that included songs such as “Debaser,” “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” and “Gouge Away” from the just-released second Pixies album “Doolittle,” before a set by Love and Rockets gave way to the Cure, and two-and-a-half hours of songs such as “Pictures Of You,” “Lullaby,” and “Fascination Street” from its album…
