Robert Plant and Jimmy Page surely would have approved.
And had they been alive to see it, I’m betting iconic bluesmen Junior Kimbrough and Son House would have left smiling, too.
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The Black Keys more than successfully transitioned their gritty, blues-styled rock from its humble beginnings in an Akron garage to a sprawling Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Sunday night, lighting up a near-capacity crowd with their raw, fierce and sweaty delivery of 21 songs that spanned the band’s 11-year career (with extra emphasis on its latest album, “El Camino”).
Granted, there’s an intense, magical quality to guitarist-singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s intimate theater and club shows, something befitting a duo that’s always gravitated toward, and paid tribute to, rough-hewn blues in garage-rock form.
But as Auerbach wailed at one point, “Strange times are here.”
So, the band’s first bona fide arena tour – with a hefty assist from bassist Gus Seyffert and keyboard player John Wood – has Auerbach and Carney playing in front of a monstrous video screen while entertaining 10,000-plus people every night … and uncorking as much energy and musical chutzpah as they did when they were just a couple of hard-rocking dorks on a mission rather than budding global superstars.
From set opener “Howlin’ for You” to encore-closer “I Got Mine,” the band comfortably rolled out its reinvention of the blues for a mostly young arena crowd that may never have heard of Son House or John Lee Hooker, and may not care whether it’s described as rock-infused blues or blues-hued rock. All they knew – and perhaps all they need to know – is that it’s real, primal and darned catchy as evidenced by thunderous renditions of “Ten Cent Pistol,” “Money Maker” and “Your Touch.”
(If there was a downside, it’s that Sunday’s show was too short at just 1 hour, 25 minutes. I overheard one concertgoer asking a friend as they were leaving, “Do the Black Keys have kids? It’s only 10:30.”)
The unassuming-in-appearance-but-deadly-on-guitar Auerbach even has taken a shot at reinventing pop with songs from “El Camino” such as the pretty “Dead and Gone” and soulful “Nova Baby,” wrapping hooks and handsome vocals around driving guitar lines and Carney’s ferocious drumming. And the album’s first single, “Lonely Boy,” makes an almost perfect set-ender, a rollicking ditty that inspires audience participation and caterwauling.
He’s even come up with a wave-those-lighters-and-glowing-cellphones moment for arena audiences, thanks to the spare first half of “Little Black Submarines” that puts Auerbach in the solo spotlight.
But as always, The Black Keys do most of their damage on stage as a dangerously compelling duo, with Carney’s sledgehammer beats propelling Auerbach’s fuzzy and infectious riffs and leads on fan faves such as “Thickfreakness” and “I Got Mine.” Shedding the bass and keys seems to inject both musicians with an extra shot of verve, pumping up the volume perhaps in way that recalls their roots as a two-man operation.
Just as Led Zeppelin refashioned American blues music in its own inimitable British way some four decades ago, The Black Keys have retooled the genre for the new millennium and for arena audiences while still retaining its old-school charm. So it’s no surprise that the first song to blare over the PA system after the concert ended was Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On,” a tip-of-the-hat of sorts to Plant and Page.
It’s more surprising, perhaps, that this ballooning, popular movement is led by two guys from Akron, Ohio – a bespectacled Buddy Holly look-alike on drums and a slight, bearded guitarist who’s nothing but polite on stage.
But aren’t unlikely rock heroes the best kind?
See more of Paul Jendrasiak’s photos from the concert here.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
I have loved – LOVED – The Black Keys ever since the first moment they hit my ears. We have a group of hoopers and a lot of us absolutely LOVE to hoop to their rhythm. It’s dripping with raw sexuality and the beats are incredible. Their music is a driving force that moves my soul on so many levels. I am always saying “they are my Led Zeppelin” (I was sooooo pissed I couldn’t find my Led Zeppelin shirt for the show, as I, too wanted to show that connection and pay my respects) – this is our very own panty dropping blues rock, baby – and I hope they never stop!!
Although I have never had the opportunity to see them in a more intimate setting (and, am dying to), the show was still absolutely fabulous. It’s amazing to see them come so far!!
Keep on rockin, boys!!