Not since their 2002 jaunt in promotion of the sunk-without-trace Title TK album have the legendary Breeders hit these shores, and many a crusty Lollapaloozer were ready to pack out Richard’s on Richards on Friday May 23rd for their belated return. This show joins the lamentable trend of super-early shows which make way for chachi-infested meat markets after 10pm; catching the opener would have meant missing dinner, and I don’t like missing dinner. Sadly, I even missed a song or two of the Breeders, but what I saw certainly impressed. Many trusty fan-faves were hauled out, including (predictably) most of Last Splash: a driving “New Year,” a wistful “No Aloha,” an enthusiastically-received “Divine Hammer.” Energy high-point of the night was doubtless the distorted thunder of the “Cannonball” chorus, sung by Kim Deal through an overdriven 50s-style mic. “Pod” was also generously sampled, including a raucous rendition of their Beatles cover “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” the poppy little pill “Fortunately Gone” and the ever-weird “Iris.” There was also some great stuff from the new album Mountain Battles. Typical of the self-effacing Gen-X goofball charm the Deal sisters displayed all night, Kim introduced that album’s first track “Overglazed” by mentioning how they kept screwing it up at Coachella, but were pretty sure they had it down now. Rendition of a track from the B-side of that album (“Here No More”), a wistful hillbilly ballad showcasing the sisters’ mellifluous harmonies, demonstrated the breadth of writing on this effort and the band’s hard-won maturity. The set closed out with “I Just Wanna Get Along,” sung by Kim's sometimes troubled sister Kelley. In the context of all her harrowing legal and rehab journey, the song came across as a poignantly apt parting shot. Posted: Jun 3, 2008