As a mate sitting next to me quips: "Sydney's babysitters are making a lot of money tonight."
If the crowd's making you raise an eyebrow in amazement, wait till you see what's going on on stage.
After unleashing that primal, feral howl during opener U-Mass, front man Black Francis dances a little jig during Monkey's Gone to Heaven, takes a phone from his pocket occasionally to snap the front rows, and even smiles during the first standing ovation of the night that came after the thrillingly raucous Vamos.
He still doesn't say a single word to the crowd, but Francis appears to be enjoying himself.
Next to him, guitarist Joey Santiago unleashes one thrilling riff after another - but it's during Vamos that he really gets the chance to cut loose, strangling his guitar and using drumsticks and amplifier plugs to create Rage Against the Machine-style samples.
New bassist Paz Lenchantin - a replacement for Kim Shattuck who lasted three months after replacing Kim Deal - seems to fit right in, bouncing around and jumping up and down during some of the show's more feisty moments.
Surprisingly, when they play Blue Eyed Hex - an AC/DC riff-and-shout-fest from their recent album Indy Cindy - the Australian crowd doesn't seem to get it. Andro Queen - a warped newie reportedly about alien sex - gets the same reaction but its warped space vibe deserves better.
But mostly, the Pixies' Sydney Opera House show is a rambunctious, confrontational blast from the past. Bone Machine, Debaser, Gouge Away, Here Comes Your Man and Where is My Mind? all get wickedly delicious outings, bringing the crowd to their feet and dancing and singing along in unison.
No opening act and little crowd interation - just two hours and 31 songs of pure Pixies, who proved they're still as weird and wonderfully bonkers as their fans.
That standing ovation lasts for minutes - and they deserve every second of it.
Pixies
Where: Sydney Opera House
When: Saturday, May 24
* Chris Schulz travelled to Sydney courtesy of Destination New South Wales and Qantas.
