The American rock band The Pixies performed in Tel Aviv Tuesday night.

The Times of Israel reported that though the band didn’t greet the audience with pleasantries, they demonstrated an enthusiasm for performing in Israel.

For their first time in Tel Aviv, there was something close and intimate about the show, an instance of music being played to an appreciative crowd, and the Pixies played like they knew it.

The Pixies cancelled an Israeli show in 2010 after the Mavi Marmara incident. At the time the band attributed the cancellation to “events beyond all our control.”

Though many critics of Israel cited the cancellation as an indication that Pixies were boycotting Israel, Adam Shay noted recently that there was “no mention was made of a boycott or any ideological justification.”  The Pixies performance in Israel this week confirms that.

Last summer, R & B superstar Alicia Keys played for a sold-out crowd in Tel Aviv despite a campaign to dissuade her from appearing in Israel. Numerous popular acts – most notably the Rolling Stones – have performed in Israel or are scheduled to.

[Photo: Ilans68 / YouTube ]