Metro Theatre, Sydney, 2003
It must have been mid-2003 and ‘Set you Free’ was being played a fair bit on Triple J radio. A friend from work mentioned they were going but neither of us really knew what we were in for. I think like most people, we were blown away by the intense power of just two people on stage. I don’t think I even knew there were only two people in the band before I went to the gig. It was even more memorable because another friend had bought tickets to see Cat Power the same night and has since regretted that decision for ever more.
The Forum, Melbourne, 2004
Seeing the Keys at this gig in late March 2004 was almost purely by accident. It was the night before I was to fly to New Zealand for a year. I was having dinner with a group of friends and two of those friends, Todd and Bec, mentioned they had to go to a gig later. Upon hearing what they were going to see and that they knew it wasn’t sold out, meant I ate my dinner a lot faster. The Forum has to be my favourite venue in Melbourne and the olympian statues that adorn the walls fairly shook that night.
The Kings Arms, Auckland, 2005
Now I’m fairly sure this gig was in early 2005 but it may have been in late 2004. I didn’t know anyone in New Zealand who had the faintest idea who the Black Keys were. I went along by myself and actually walked past Dan talking to some people out front. The Kings Arms is a pretty small venue, but arguably the best for live music in Auckland. It really is just a pub with a long room and bar with the band set up at one end. I do remember a drunk 40-ish woman stumbling onto the stage and nearly knocking over a speaking as the boys played on. Very rock.
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 2007
Unfortunately I was a bit tardy in buying tickets and consequently had to stand in the back area of the ground floor. Kind of a pain as my girlfriend isn’t that tall. I also came to the conclusion that getting your girlfriend to like the same bands as you can be a real mission. Not sure if I liked this Magic Potion tour gig as much as others, maybe because of the cranky girlfriend or maybe because the set just seemed too dominated by power chords and the band lost some of its subtlety behind the biggest wall of sound i’d heard them produce in concert. Nevertheless, I loved the large inflatable tyre backdrop to the show.
Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2008
A storming show in an intimate environment. Read my quasi-review of the show here.
Palais Theatre, Melbourne, 2009
Good show but venue didn’t give the best vibe.
Summer Stage, Central Park, New York, USA, 2010
Read a post about these 2 shows on July 27 and 28 here.
Terminal 5, New York, USA, 2010
Some photos about the lights at the show here.
Related posts:
- The Black Keys’ Australia and New Zealand Tour Dates 2011
- The Black Keys’ Tour Dates 2011
- The Black Keys’ Australian Tour Dates 2012
- The Black Keys Tour Dates 2009
- Dan Auerbach Solo Australian Tour Dates 2009
Want to discuss The Black Keys with other fans? Check out The Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum here
