With the wham-bam Grammy-scooping double shot of 2010’s Brothers and 2011’s El Camino, the Keys thoroughly rewired the sound of modern rock radio over the next decade, uniting wayward factions of 78-collecting blues traditionalists, frat boys, neosoul lovers, Southern rock die-hards, aging hipsters, and their teenage kids purchasing their first guitars. Band of Horses followed it up with a solid, albeit unspectacular 45 minutes of folk and roots-rock.However, while those aforementioned acts succumbed to prolonged hiatuses, break-ups, or failed Pharrell collaborations, the Black Keys’ proverbial junkyard beater was gradually tricked out into an auto-show-worthy muscle car, complete with hydraulic wheels and neon under siding. The band offered up a pleasing mix of indie and roots rock in its 25-minute set. The band was recently at Empire Live and if the SPAC set was any indicator, that was probably a great club performance. First up was Ceramic Animal, an act produced by Auerbach and signed to his Easy Eye record label. Two opening acts preceded The Black Keys. It works well, and on Wednesday it made for a fun night out. But they also have a heap of undeniably catchy, broadly appealing earworms that they perform with the same level of earnestness and zeal as the blues that first inspired them. Sure, they’re definitely enthusiastic and gifted practitioners of a specific amalgam of garage rock and hill country blues. These tracks, along with the fan-pleasing two-song encore of “Little Black Submarine” and “Lonely Boy,” presented the, ahem, keys to what’s fueled The Black Keys’ popularity and the strong response the group had all evening. We tallied the votes from this year’s Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. The recent single “Wild Child” sounded huge and earned an enthusiastic reaction. “Howling for You,” “Tighten Up” and “She’s Long Gone” from the band’s 2010 breakthrough LP “Brothers” featured some tasty lead guitar work from Auerbach and steady, rhythmic support from Carney. You need hits to do that, and The Black Keys offered up a whole bunch of those to the audience’s delight. With the assistance of some filthy slide work by guest guitarist Kenny Brown, the Black Keys tore through covers of “Coal Black Mattie,” “Going Down South” and “Crawling Kingsnake” with even more vigor than they showed on sturdy renditions of their own songs like “Your Team is Looking Good” and “Lo/Fi.”īeing good at the blues is cool, but doesn’t necessarily pack a large venue. There was a palpable energy to their renditions of standards by Junior Kimbrough, RL Burnside and John Lee Hooker. What became apparent early on was that for all their success, The Black Keys are really just two dudes who really dig playing the blues. From the start of first song “I Got Mine” until the evening’s conclusion over 90 minutes later, the two and their accompanying bassist, keyboard player and rhythm guitarist just got down to business and played lean, tight rock ‘n’ blues music with no accoutrements or histrionics. They both play hard and play well, but there were, excepting some remarks before set closer “Lonely Boy,” no overtures to the fans to sing along and none of the performative physical and verbal shtick one expects from an arena (or, in this case, amphitheater) show. Onstage, Auerbach and Carney cut unassuming figures. Worth noting that the lawn stayed packed until “Lonely Boy” concluded. The crowd: 15,000, ranging in age from Zoomer to Boomer and enthusiastic throughout. Highlights: Black Keys’ “Tighten Up,” “Howling for You,” “Goin’ Down South,” and “Wild Child ” Ceramic Animal’s “All My Loving” Length: Black Key, 1 hour 40 minutes Band of Horses, 45 minutes Ceramic Animal, 25 minutes Where: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Route 50, Saratoga Springs
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