Alt-rock trailblazers find a groove in Las Vegas Strip venue

The throughline is the Pixies are playing Encore Theater for the second time in two years on Friday and Saturday night. I remark to the band’s guitarist that my most recent visit to Encore Theater was to see Sir Tom.

“Wow, OK, I have seen Tom Jones twice in Vegas, when he was at the MGM Grand,” Santiago says. “He was (expletive) great, just great.”

I said there had been talk among Jones’ longtime fans that the Welsh superstar should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“He’s not in yet?” Santiago says. “Then I don’t feel so bad, because we’re not in, either. I think he should be in — he should be in before us.”

What about entering together, Pixies and Tom Jones? The post-awards jam alone would be enough reason to endorse the dual induction.

“That would be awesome,” Santiago says. “Right now it seems kind of stupid (laughs), but if we get in, I’ll say, ‘This is a smart move!’”

It’s not as if the Pixies are actively seeking the call of the hall. The band is occupied on its current world tour, which runs through the end of November. The alt-rock trailblazers are making their Encore Theater debut as they close in on their 40th anniversary next year.

The band out of Boston broke around the time of such contemporaries as Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. All would feel the influence of the Pixies’ hard-edged rock sound.

“Here Comes Your Man” and ‘Letter to Memphis” were hits on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. Their music was woven into “Fight Club” and the albums from their commercial peak are still strong enough to build a show around.

But the set list is loose. In fact, it is nonexistent.

“We actually don’t have a set list,” Santiago says. “We just stopped using them, like over 10 years ago. We are way over set lists. Anything goes now.”

The band will play a different set of songs at each show. Friday will focus on 1990’s “Bossanova” and 1991’s “Trompe le Monde,” and selections even older than those. “The second night will be the general set, which is whatever we want to play.”

Some cuts from “Doolittle,” the band’s breakout 1989 album, and the band’s latest, “The Night the Zombies Came,” are in contention for Las Vegas. Co-founder Black Francis wrote all the tracks, aside from “Hypnotised” and “I Hear You Mary,” which he wrote with Santiago. The album is the first Pixies release to feature bassist and backing vocalist Emma Richardson, replacing Paz Lenchantin in March 2024.

The Pixies’ rebirth dates to 2oo4, when the band reconvened after splitting in 1993, so long ago that Francis informed Santiago of the decision via fax. The premiered in Las Vegas at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in September 2010. The band returned to the theater four years later. They have scooped up new fans on this journey.

“We now have parents and kids coming in,” Santiago says. “I never thought this would happen. I see a father come in with his son or daughter, and think, god, why are they here (laughs). But there are new generations who love the shows and keep up with us.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.