Pavement played their first show of the year on July 17 at the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party in Oakland, California. The band delivered a loose three-minute cover of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven midway through the set.
The performance marked the group's return to the stage after their appearance at Mexico City's Hipnosis Festival last November. Stephen Malkmus largely abandoned the original lyrics in favor of half-improvised lines while Scott Kannberg joined in the loose rendition.
The event was hosted by filmmaker John Waters and included sets from Wednesday and Vivian Girls. It served as the official pre-party ahead of the main Mosswood Meltdown festival headlined by Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill.
Pavement's run of US dates continued with a show scheduled for July 18 at Revolution Hall in Portland. Additional stops are set for Seattle, St. Paul, Chicago and other cities through the end of the month.