The Black Keys Bring Their Big Sound to a Smaller Venue
The Black Keys. In a small-ish venue. In Minneapolis. On a Saturday night. Sign me up! Minneapolis was the second-to-last-stop in the U.S. for The Black Keys on the ‘No Rain, No Flowers Tour.’ Expectations were high after they canceled their entire North American tour in 2024 and opted for smaller venues on this run. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney did what they do best - destroying a drum kit and an endless supply of guitars for an hour and 45 minutes.
The Heavy Heavy stepped out of a time machine to kick things off. The five-piece band from the UK looked like they had just arrived in Minneapolis after performing at Woodstock. There were vests, overalls, mustaches, beards, and feathered hair - oh my! All that was missing was a band member wearing bell bottoms.
I’ll admit I was skeptical as they started off with “Parakeet,” a jammy tune with no lyrics. That’s a surefire way to lose me. But they quickly found their way to my heart with their glorious harmonies. I’m a sucker for male-female harmonies, and co-founding members Georgie Fuller and William Turner, along with the rest of the band, settled into a vibe that was Fleetwood Mac meets jam band meets folk rock revival meets country. It’s impossible to categorize them.
The entire band was actively engaged in selling their eclectic brand of sauce, which seemed to win the crowd over. The venue was largely full for their set, and I noticed the crowd was paying solid attention to them and not simply talking with their friends. That’s a testament to how the band charmed a crowd that was primed for a rock show with their own modern flower power sound.
Their 40-minute set was lively and made me want to invest in a tambourine. Highlights included “Happiness” and “Go Down River.” They’re ideal tunes for a warm summer night with the sunroof open and the windows down. They also covered Father John Misty’s “Real Love,” which perfectly encapsulates their sound. Georgie’s vocals were particularly impressive, along with her tambourine skills. She can wail, and it was hard to take your eyes off her mountain of curly hair as she floated about the stage. The Heavy Heavy certainly succeeded in warming the crowd up for The Black Keys and their form of a modern rock revival.
The Black Keys first appeared on my radar when they opened for The Black Crowes at the Minnesota State Fair in 2008. Auerbach and Carney took the stage with little fanfare and no bells or whistles. Just the two of them with a drum kit and a guitar on an otherwise empty stage. I remember thinking how tiny they looked up there, but they made up for it with their huge sound. If there had been a roof on the Grandstand, they would have blown it off. I couldn’t believe how loud they were. I was shook. I last saw them at Target Center in 2019 but missed their most recent visit to the Cities when they returned to the Grandstand in 2023.
The Armory was the perfect setup this time around - not too big, but not too small - and it was nearly sold out. The line at the merch table was neverending as people snapped up tees and hoodies with the band’s instantly recognizable retro blocky font announcing “The Black Keys from Akron, Ohio,” across everyone’s chests. I watched a sea of people (predominately men) from my vantage point on the rail proudly wearing new and old merch.
Auerbach and Carney kicked things off with what felt like a throwback to that 2008 State Fair show with just the two of them framed by spotlights at the front of the stage and a red velvet curtain as their backdrop. They tore into “Thickfreakness” and reminded us where it all began. It was electrifyingly down and dirty. They followed that with “I’ll Be Your Man” before opening the curtain to reveal a surprisingly glitzy, retro-themed stage with a five-piece backing band. They launched into “Your Touch” and the crowd was fully activated in headbanging mode at this point.
The tempo was strong as they worked their way through “Gold On the Ceiling,” “Wild Child” and “I Got Mine.” They gave everyone a breather with “Everlasting Light,” which featured a giant disco ball that descended from the ceiling and filled the venue with sparkling rays of silver light as Auerbach showcased his falsetto and everyone who came with a date pulled their significant other a bit closer. This was the start of the more trippy, mellow section of the show that included “A Little Too High,” “Weight of Love,” “Psychotic Girl,” and “Man On a Mission” from their new album. It pains me to say it, but it felt like they lost the crowd here. As they moved from one song to the next, it felt like the crowd was just waiting to let loose, but we had to keep holding back. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they picked things up again with “Next Girl” and particularly with “Tighten Up.” Pardon the pun, but it was a bit of a Lo/Hi, Hi/Lo vibe throughout the show, and the song of the same name (“Lo/Hi”) came after “Tighten Up.” (See what I did there?)
The band slowed things down again with “Too Afraid to Love You” and what I believe was a cover of Canned Heat’s “On the Road Again.” They followed that with the title track from the new album “No Rain, No Flowers” and “Down to Nothing,” off the same album. By this point, I’d lost track of how many different guitars Auerbach had played. They must have an entire semi trailer devoted to his guitars alone. The energy had started to lag again even though the new songs and new album are great pop additions to their catalog and setlist. I’m still baffled as to what happened. The crowd energy just felt dead during certain segments of the set. It be like that sometimes.
Luckily The Black Keys knew to bookend the show with their classics. “Fever” woke the crowd from its brief nap, followed by “Heavy Soul,” which allowed everyone to recommence headbanging. They finished the set with “Howlin’ for You'“ - which gave the crowd a much-needed chance to get involved - and “She’s Long Gone.” Shouting “Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh,” does wonders for crowd morale it seems. “Little Black Submarines” and “Lonely Boy” rounded out the encore and left the crowd sated.
Auerbach was all business during the set in his retro bowling jersey with rolled up sleeves and sunglasses. There was no crowd banter, except to acknowledge that they were in Minneapolis. They put their heads down and worked their way through the setlist and reiterated why they’re one of the best rock duos out there. They’re masters of their craft. There’s no doubt about that. I applaud them for not going off the rails with B-sides considering how deep their catalog is. They gave the crowd a mix of recognizable old and new songs, leaning heavily on 2010’s ‘Brothers,’ which is stacked with hits from top to bottom. So there’s no way to fault them for what looked like a great setlist on paper because it truly was. The venue was the perfect size, too. Maybe it was just me? Maybe I should have had a beer or two. Who knows?
Honestly, I would pay to see them strip things down to the basics with just the two of them onstage destroying the drums and the guitar for an entire set. They’re so raw and powerful in those moments. At least we got a taste of that again last night, but it left me wanting more. I can only imagine how many people went home and Googled how to start drum or guitar lessons after watching Auerbach and Carney put on a clinic. Long live rock and roll. And long live The Black Keys from Akron, Ohio.
