One would be shocked if there was a complaint to be heard about this past Friday (July 29th) at the Xfinity Center (formerly known as and still called Great Woods among the die-hards) in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The weather was picture perfect, like a dream with a pink sky at sunset and tropical summer temperatures. And just after sunset, Akron, Ohio’s most famous college dropouts, Pat Carney and Dan Auerbach – known to most as The Black Keys, turned the aging, generic amphitheater into an electric wonderland for their fans as they played a tantalizing 22-song set for yet another stop on their Dropout Boogie Tour in support of their new album by the same name.
After a hilarious video introduction that was displayed on either side of the stage on the house LED screens, Carney and Auerbach walked out on stage and got down to business. Carney saddled up behind his kit which was planted just a couple of feet from the lip of the stage. Auerbach shored up his guitar and without wasting any time, the two locked eyes and locked into their well-oiled brand of rock and roll.
The band’s set was basically composed of three parts. The first seven songs ignited a straight-up, blues-infused rock and roll barnburner that included fan favorites, “Howlin’ for You”, “Tighten Up”, “Your Touch” and “Gold on the Ceiling”. The latter sent the audience into an all-out frenzy The hipster-turned-dad rock loving attendees got their ya yas out early before the Keys dialed it down a bit for the middle part of the show.
Auerbach introduced Alabama-born blues guitarist Kenny Brown as he took center stage to join the band for a handful of songs from Delta Kream, The Big Come Up, and a couple of additional covers. The Keys made their love for the blues obvious while cranking out “Goin’ Down South”, “Busted” and “Kingsnake”. Auerbach and Brown seamlessly and tastefully traded licks as Carney continued to stay laser focused on keeping the beat for all involved – including the silhouetted backing band enveloped by the stage-wide LED screen that continuously displayed hypnotic and psychedelic abstract imagery broken up now and again by scrapbook-style imagery or video of the band. There was certainly a lot to take in and though there was plenty to see, it never took away from the genuine audio-delight delivered by the artists on stage.
“Lo/HI” got the last third segment of the show rollin’. Auerbach was truly in rare form. His voice was always on point and his six-string prowess was ever-present. Carney never faltered, as he beat the crap out of his kit. Carney appeared menacing at times, especially during “Next Girl”, where his aggressive style was teetering on the brink of gleeful destruction. “Pistol” and “Wild Child” kept all quite impressed.
After “Long Gone”, the band took a short break before turning for the two-song encore. “Submarines” and especially the blockbuster-hit, “Lonely Boy”, brought the amphitheater’s temperature to a boiling point. “Lonely Boy” had the fans at fever pitch with their singing and dancing in the aisles. The Keys would not have been able to leave the venue alive without playing what some would consider their biggest hit and most-well known song.
At the end of the night, it was clear that these two, small-town, high school friends, seemingly cracked the code on writing simplistic, yet well-crafted rock and roll for the masses. Their friendship and musical partnership seem to have only become stronger over the past twenty years and they have proved this once more on this aforementioned night, as Auerbach and Carney played another blistering set for their loyal fans.
