In recent weeks, veteran acts Devo and Echo & the Bunnymen revisited classic albums from the late '70s and early and mid-'80s with concerts in Los Angeles. During their three-night stand at the Hollywood Palladium, the Pixies [ tickets ] brought the concept up to the end of the '80s with a set built around "Doolittle," the Boston-spawned band's 1989 major-label debut, which laid the groundwork for Nirvana's "Nevermind." The tour, celebrating the album's 20th anniversary, hit Europe earlier this fall and is now winding its way through nine cities US cities for 22 shows.

These album-showcasing concerts give fans a chance to see old favorites perform albums from the acts' creative peaks, but they don't allow for a lot of spontaneity and surprises. If you're familiar enough to know the album's running order, you know which song is coming next. That's why you've got to hand it to the Pixies for turning the concept on its backside--or perhaps more appropriately its B-side--by opening Thursday's (11/5) set with a quartet of non-album tracks from the "Doolittle" era before moving on to the main event.

With bassist/backing vocalist Kim Deal happily chirping, "B-sides!" as the band took the stage, the non-album tracks--including opener "Dancing the Manta Ray"--served as foreplay to the big payoff. They're likely known to only the most devoted fans, but had to sound vaguely familiar to everyone in the house since they featured the Pixies' trademark elements--Black Francis' madman vocals, which often collided with bassist Kim Deal's sweet harmonies; stop-start monster guitar riffing courtesy of Francis and lead axe-slinger Joey Santiago; and the steadfast Deal/David Lovering rhythm section. After "Bailey's Walk," the third such obscurity, Deal teased, "Have you guys heard any of these B-sides?" perhaps in response to the crowd's somewhat tepid reception.

When the Pixies' finally tore into "Debaser," five songs into the set, the Palladium floor exploded into a sea of fists pumping in unison with Lovering's drumbeats. Despite the fact that "Doolittle" barely cracked the top 100 of Billboard's album chart upon its initial release, it has a healthy helping of alternative radio favorites, including two top 10 modern rock tracks in "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven." The former, as performed Thursday, revealed itself as such a slice of pure pop genius, it's a crime it didn't crossover to top 40, but timing is everything and "Doolittle" arrived before Nirvana kicked open the doors of the underground to the mainstream. At the Palladium, though, the Pixies were received like returning conquering heroes. The sinister, throbbing "Monkey" had the crowd holding up their digits to match Francis' frantic intonations of numerals associated with "man," "the devil," and "God." The space-age surf anthem "Wave of Mutilation," recently given new live via Rock Band, was also well-received.

While the Pixies sounded as sharp and tight as ever, the band was never visually stunning, even in its prime. Age has taken its toll, with all three male members either balding or sporting shaved heads. Black Francis, a hulking figure with his shaved head, wouldn't have to work hard to transform into Uncle Fester of the "Addams Family" for Halloween, while the once sleek and sexy Deal now looks like an old Goth girl-turned-soccer mom. Perhaps to make up for their lack of visual appeal, the Pixies turned to a number of visual aids projected on a video screen, including a screening of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali's 1929 surrealist silent film "Un chien andalou" before the band took the stage.

Still, as the show wore on, the band pulled out some show-stopping moves. For Deal's lead vocal turn on "Into the White," the stage was completely enveloped in smoke. Later during the encore, Santiago held up his guitar like a riffle and mocked picking off members of the crowd before Lovering tossed him a drumstick, which he used to play some wicked slide riffs. But the most perhaps the most compelling moment came when the Pixies reprised "Wave of Mutilation" in its beautiful slowed-down B-side version, known parenthetically as "UK Surf." Maybe the Pixies' next move should be a tour in which they play all their best known material lounge-style or unplugged. That might serve their aging fanbase well, but will the kids understand?