Concert Review: The Black Keys at Music Midtown in Atlanta
Upon first look at The Black Keys’ stage setup, fans weren’t too sure what to make of the eclectic mix of props. On stage right, a wise old Native American Statue stood proud and tall. To stage left, a two-storey Goodyear tire with “Black Keys” as the brand name.
Whether or not the props made sense, it surely didn’t matter because this was the band that so many fans at Atlanta’s Midtown Music Festival wanted to see. Coldplay, who? Now, I might be a little biased, but The Black Keys are so bad ass that even Coldplay’s Chris Martin was compelled to give a shout-out to them during their headlining set.
Lead Singer/Guitarist, Dan Auerbach, and drummer/producer Patrick Carney opened with “Girl Is On My Mind,” “The Breaks” and “Everlasting Light,” three crowd pleasers that worked to build up momentum for a blistering performance of “Next Girl.” Let me tell you, I’ve always cranked up the volume on this one, but to feel the bitterness and the resentment behind the lyrics with fellow fans is an experience within itself:
I wanted love
But not for myself
But for the girl
So she could love herself.
My next girl
Will be nothing like my… ex girl
Damn.
The darker the skies and the brighter the stage became, the more the ground beneath our feet shook. No two guys can fill an outdoor music festival with their sound like these guys. There’s so much swagger behind the Black Keys’ edgy sound that the raw grit and dirt stick to all those within range. Patrick’s pounding drums and Dan’s fearless guitar work are able hypnotize a crowd already in a rock trance.
With flashes of a cocky smile, as if he knew he was rocking our socks off, Dan was eager to “keep it moving right along because [he] liked where this was heading.” The boys rounded out the set with “Ten Cent Pistol,” “I’ll be your man” and the popular “Your Touch.”
I would have loved to have heard “The Lengths” and “You’re The One” but why risk mellowing the energy of such an amped crowd? The boys ended too soon with the thunderous “I Got Mine,” and speaking for all those present at Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival, we definitely got ours.
