With Jim Beam cans armed in one hand and a cigarette in another, eager fans fidgeted occasionally as they lay sprawled on the lawn of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, waiting for the duo from Akron, Ohio to show up.
Right after the support act ended, stage technicians, donned in smart suits, KISS face paint and 80’s hairdos (possibly celebrating Halloween in spirit even while working), began setting up the space for The Black Keys while fans started pouring in to the seated area and lawn of the venue. “Beautiful people from Melbourne! Get off your seat and stand up, here are The Black Keys!” the announcer proclaimed, cuing lots of cheering and screaming.
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney emerged from their silhouettes behind the panoramic projector screen, both proceeding to take their places centre stage. Kicking off with ‘Howling For You’, with black and white images of the duo reminiscent of motion picture projector slides flashing onscreen, they got the audience in the mood for a night’s worth of good, bluesy rock tunes.
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Unlike other gigs where the band has to initiate awkward conversations with, or cue the audience to “MAKE SOME NOOOOISE”, The Black Keys spoke very little on stage, relying solely on their music to speak for themselves and to the audience. This was evident during ‘Little Black Submarine’, where the audience knew exactly when to chime in. Soon after the first half of the song ended, Dan switched guitars and rocked out to the heavy-sounding second half of the song, causing the audience to stir and jump on their feet. Even with their nondescript, anti rock star image that had the most down-to-earth appeal, both Dan and Patrick created a fan-idol chemistry rarely seen at music gigs these days.
“Just a couple more, let’s make them good ones all right?” Dan said, before starting on the introduction of ‘She’s Long Gone’, with screams from a nearby group of frantic females in response. The duo showed that they weren’t only heartfelt lyricists, but were excellent with their technical skills as well. Songs such as ‘Nova Baby’, ‘Girl Is On My Mind’ and ‘Ten Cent Pistol’ proved that they were also able to display a good balance of both.
Coming out for the encore, The Black Keys got their disco on with a bright disco mirror ball illuminating the stage. The last two songs of the night were ‘Everlasting Night’ and ‘I Got Mine’, and halfway through the second song the band name shone big in the brightest fluorescent lights. For the duo who emerged from the most humble beginnings, they held their humble own throughout the celebration of their success, ready for those flashing lights.
