Archival live video footage of The Black Keys pre-2004 is relatively rare. Now days you can invariably find video footage of every live show posted soon after the event. So when this 2003 show at Lola’s Room was recently uploaded to YouTube by OscarTripe, The Black Keys Fan Lounge had to find out more. OscarTripe explains below how he came to record this show.
What’s great about these early recordings is not just the fact they are in a small room, early in the band’s career, but the fact they are taken on a proper video camera often side of stage with good sound quality. Most stuff that fan’s take now days is from a camera phone being waved in the air with poor sound quality.
Dedicated fans of any band are archivists by default. Whether it be through the photos they take, the recollections they publish or the autographs and memorabilia they collect. Respect to all those who have and do make the effort. Just imagine if Alan Lomax had had access to video/film back in the day – he was just one big, serious fan at the end of the day.
The Black Keys Fan Lounge also recently chronicled fan Chris Johnson’s 2003 video archive of the band.
Please be aware of The Black Keys’ current taping policy doesn’t include videoing shows. Strangely the link to this policy has been removed from the new website upgrade.
OscarTripe explains how he came to video this 2003 show and how only now fans are getting to see it:
Back in the summer of 2003 I was friendly with the ‘Keys. They’d stayed with me on a recent trip through Portland (opening for Sleater Kinney at the Crystal Ballroom) and their tour manager was an old pal of mine.
This time they were headlining their own show at Lola’s Room, a club space directly below the Crystal.
I’d recently picked up a mini DV camera and brought it with me to the show to test it out. Dan and Patrick were fine with me filming, and in fact I recall Dan telling me that he taped the odd show himself.
The boys took the stage very early for some reason—9 PM with no opening act. The crowd was small (30-40) but ravenous.
Between the newness of the camera, my lousy photography skills and all the shots of Old Crow I did with Patrick it’s a wonder the video turned out at all. But I was delighted to find the footage while going through some old tapes recently and am happy to share it with you all.
Videos of songs in set list order:
Busted
Them Eyes
Set You Free
Have Love Will Travel
I’ll Be Your Man
No Trust
No Fun
Related posts:
- Video: The Black Keys With Beck Live 2003
- Chris Johnson’s Live Video Archive of The Black Keys
- Live Video of The Black Keys: The Glasshouse, Pomona, 2009
- Strange Times Live Video
- Listen: The Black Keys Live on KCRW Radio 2003 v 2008
Want to discuss The Black Keys with other fans? Check out The Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum here
Classic. Thank you for posting those! It was all so simple back then… =P
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Keith Strang, Jeff Singer. Jeff Singer said: Rare Black Keys concert footage from way back in 2003: http://bit.ly/bZoblh [...]
[...] The Black Keys Fan Lounge recently featured footage OscarTripe took of a separate 2003 Black Keys’ Portland show here. [...]