Pixies play 33 songs for 33 rescued Chilean miners

Black Francis and Joey Santiago (left) and the other Pixies played their longest set ever last night
Black Francis and Joey Santiago (left) and the other Pixies played their longest set ever last night (Image credit: MARIUS BECKER/epa/Corbis)

Last night, the Pixies played their first headlining show in Chile, at the Teatro La Cupula in Santiago. Their scheduled performance happened to fall on the very night that the last of the 33 miners who were trapped underground for 69 days were dramatically rescued.

The enormity of the moment - and the coincidence that they were in the same country - wasn't lost on the band, who played a 33-song set dedicated to the miners.

After the gig, Pixies frontman Black Francis said, "We were so moved by this story, by how many lives had been affected by this, and how the Chilean people banded together to support what can only be described as a miracle.

"We wanted to do something to show how affected we were by this, so we played a special set at tonight's show, 33 songs for the 33 miners, the longest set we've ever played as a band. We found out five minutes before we went on stage that all of the miners had safely reached the surface. This was definitely one of the most meaningful shows we've ever played."

Black Francis' introduction can be seen in the above video. While he says he doesn't speak much Spanish, we're not so sure about that. In any event, the 33-song set was a wonderful gesture. Below is the band's full setlist from last night.

Cecilia Ann
Rock Music
Bone Machine
Crackity Jones
River Euphrates
Debaser
Wave of Mutilation
Monkey Gone To Heaven
I Bleed
Caribou
Cactus
Broken Face
Something Against You
Isla de Encanta
Tame
Sad Punk
Hey
#13 Baby
Gouge Away
Is She Weird
Dead
U Mass
Break My Body
Velouria
Dig For Fire
Allison
Ed Is Dead
Mr. Grieves
Winter Long
Here Comes Your Man
Head On
Holiday Song
Vamos
ENCORE:
Where Is My Mind
Gigantic

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.