A Night with the Black Keys

Having attended a number of concerts and music festivals, I would have to say that the Black Keys concert that I attended on November 3 in London was one of the most impressive. The Black Keys are known for their heavy, bluesy sound that is able to attract listeners of all different musical interests. The crowd was definitely diverse and reflected the universal appeal of the band’s music. The concert was held at the O2 Academy Brixton, which proved to be the perfect place for them to play. Not only was the inside of the venue aesthetically appealing, but it was also spacious and gave every member of the audience a clear view of the stage. The entire floor was slightly slanted, so wherever you chose to stand, there was a guarantee that you would be able to see the band.

I knew to expect great musicianship from the band, but I was not expecting the show to be so energetic and engaging. When they opened with “Thickfreakness,” one of my favorite songs, I don’t think there was a single member of the audience who was standing still. Their sound penetrated every corner of the room and no one stood a chance against the perfectly synchronized drumbeats and flawless riffs. Though on their albums the music is powerful, in concert their songs seemed much heavier. The actual chords still maintained the blues element of the music, but the energy definitely leaned more heavily toward the rock-based influence. I don’t know if this was only because the music was louder than I’ve ever heard it before, or if the band’s physical presence had that strong of an effect on the music.

photo credit: Lauren Sakioka

The lead guitarist, Dan Auerbach, put on a performance like I’ve never seen before. His whole body was moving with the music and he was totally consumed by the sounds that his guitar was producing. It was very inspiring to see someone who so obviously enjoys what they do and had as much fun playing for us as we did watching. Part-way through the show, a keyboardist and a bassist joined the drummer and guitarist on-stage, and a huge disco ball descended from the ceiling. Despite all of these additional elements, the guitarist and the drummer were still the obvious focal point of the performance. Instead of the disco ball and the added musicians becoming distractions, they were really able to enhance the performance and draw the crowd in even further.

For the most part, the other concertgoers were friendly and just genuinely interested in the music. However, a certain group of people took it upon themselves to start a mosh pit. I truly wasn’t expecting to see this kind of behavior result from the Black Keys’ music, but I guess some people were more physically inspired by the music than others. Overall, for being such a famous, widely appreciated group, the Black Keys were able to deliver a truly intimate, personal performance. I definitely plan on trying to see them again in the future.

--Madeline Turner UCSB