The Black Keys North American El Camino Tour is Here!

   
By Brett Stewart

The Keys will hit on a lot of Deep Tracks

  The Black Keys embarked on their “El Camino” tour back a few months ago, taking the Arctic Monkeys along for the ride. The hype surrounding the tour is clear, but can the Keys really stack up to it?
    Having waited in line for about two hours, it felt amazing to rush the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, to try to get as close as possible to the stage; we had to claim our territory. Promptly at 7:30, a surprisingly sober Alex Turner graced the stage, opening with the Monkey’s “Brianstorm,” their famous song about really hating a guy named Brian. With good reason too, I mean, come on, he wears t-shirts and ties. Upon the first note of “Brianstorm”, it was clear this was going to be a rock concert to remember. Likely having little regard for the audience, the Monkeys insisted on as many strobes as the center could muster, so it was quite the experience as Turner bolted around the stage with his showman antics. The Arctic Monkeys were actually a highlight of the show for me, being a huge fan, they performed their hits beautifully. They made sure to touch on newer content from “Suck it and See,” but they also jammed to much of “Humbug” and songs like “Crying Lightning” and “Pretty Visitors” were pleasant surprises. To the crowd’s pleasure, the band also makes sure to touch on their mega-hits, “R U Mine” and “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” The experience will be memorable for Arctic Monkeys fans.
    An hour and a half later, The Black Keys entered behind a large white curtain, illuminated by halogen lights to display their shadows as they walked from behind the stage to their positions. Being a two person band, the Keys put Patrick’s drums parallel to Dan’s center stage setup, instead of the traditional back stage drum setup. Patrick is probably one of the best drummers you will see live. He’s mind blowing, I’m shocked he didn’t pass out half way through the concert.
    The Keys will touch on most of “El Camino,” and much to my surprise, they actually eliminated popular songs like “Gold on the Ceiling” very early in the show. After “El Camino” they get into a lot of deep tracks. It’s probably fair to say that half of the concert is actually deep tracks, as Dan blasts out his blues riffs from one of many Fender Jaguars he seems to take to. It’s fantastic the Keys are actually getting into these tracks, they never got their time in the limelight like songs from “Brothers” and “El Camino” did.
    An hour and a half after they took the stage, the Keys promptly hopped off. The next fifteen minutes were the longest and loudest encore call I’ve ever heard. This made the encore call for Paul McCartney seem like a busy grocery store. Eventually after fifteen minutes of chanting, and me half wishing I had worn earplugs like my friends had, the Keys finally got back onto the stage to finish with their two or three encore songs. Most notable was the final song, “Everlasting Light,” in which two giant disco balls come down from the rafters to shoot colored dots around the entire room. It was visually spectacular, and a phenomenal encore.
    It’s amazing the Keys went from recording in a basement to filling stadiums within a decade. This tour is not something to miss, whether you be a Keys fan, Monkeys fan, or a blues rock fan. In fact, I can’t think of anything negative to say about the show, aside from the Monkeys maybe including major tracks like “Suck it and See” and “Fluorescent Adolescent” in favor for deep tracks. Regardless, that didn’t detract, both bands played their hearts out and the concert was a memorable experience. See this tour.