13 years ago, when I first started listening to The Black Keys, someone attempted to deride them by telling me, "all their songs sound the same." I'll be the first to admit that's kind of true. To borrow a phrase from Pitchfork, guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have a "meat-and-potatoes" approach to rock 'n roll. Thick distortion. Bluesy croons. Heavy drums. It worked back in 2002 when they put out their debut album, The Big Come Up, and it worked this past Tuesday, June 3, when they came to LA for their No Rain, No Flowers tour.
This was my first time seeing the band after over a decade of fandom, and let me tell you, all I needed was a hearty helping of meat and potatoes. This consistent sound allows them to move through all phases of their longstanding history without disappointing the crowd one bit. Auerbach and Carney first revealed themselves by taking the stage in front of an electric crimson curtain, beginning the set as they began the band. Just the two of them.
In this early part of the show, they played through some of their first classics. They mashed "The Breaks," "I'll Be Your Man," and "Thickfreakness" into a single melded jam, reminding the crowd that the foundational chemistry of the project was alive and well. Then, as they moved into their more recent era with "Gold on the Ceiling," the curtain parted ways to reveal a full band and a glittery production rig that captured their new-meets-old aesthetic.
For the remainder of the set, Auerbach and Carney went through the full range of "all their songs sound the same." The pure beauty of their esteemed slow jam "Everlasting Light" was nothing short of bliss. A wash of blue lights cast across the stage, cooling down the energy as Auerbach delivered the sweetest tone of his falsetto, punctuating phrases with clean guitar breaks. A woman next to me burst into tears before the song was over.
Heavier favorites like "Tighten Up," Howlin' For You," and "Lo/Hi" did serious damage, often evolving into full-on jams. To boot, the sameness of their catalog was even more appreciated when they went into a new song, "The Night Before," that will be a part of their upcoming album, No Rain, No Flowers, out August 8. It was my first time hearing it, obviously, but I was happy they played it. It wasn't the "let's get a drink" moment like when many classic bands play the new song.
All that was left was the encore. That last bite of meat and potatoes that you save for the end because you know it's going to be delicious. For a second, I was concerned the bite may not be that good because Auerbach walked out with his acoustic for the first song. I definitely wanted to energy to stay high. But my concern was eradicated when I realized they were playing "Little Black Submarines," the ultimate sing-along song. Everyone in the crowd knew the words, and they weren't shy to belt them.
Expectedly, they closed the show with "Lonely Boy," and the only thing I can say is my belly was full of rock 'n roll by the time they were done.
