The Black Keys' US tour made its way back home to Akron, Ohio, last Saturday night to play E. J. Thomas Hall. The Cleveland Plain Dealer says the band turned the venue into "one big juke joint" for the nearly 3,000 fans. Pat and Dan, whose "music brilliantly reinvents the wheel," were treated "like conquering heroes" in this "unforgettable evening." They created "primal rock 'n' roll" that "all but demanded a visceral reaction." The band plays Akron again this Friday, at the Civic Theatre, with another group of hometown favorites, Devo, to raise funds for the Obama Presidential campaign's efforts in the all-important swing state.
The Black Keys' US tour made its way back home to Akron, Ohio, last Saturday night when the duo played the nearly 3,000-seat E. J. Thomas Hall.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic John Soeder says the band turned the venue into "one big juke joint" for the near-capacity crowd. "Hard times call for even harder music," says Soeder, "and it's hard to think of a better house band for this war-torn, economically free-falling point in our history than Akron's Black Keys."
The reviewer reports that the audience treated Dan and Pat "like conquering heroes," to which "[t]he two-man wrecking crew responded in kind with 'Girl Is on My Mind,' dispatched with searing intensity."
Soeder exclaims that the Keys' "music brilliantly reinvents the wheel" and for Saturday's show created "primal rock 'n' roll" that "all but demanded a visceral reaction," which they received. For this hometown crowd, Dan "sang like an old soul unfettered. As for his guitar, he didn't merely play it; he exorcised the instrument, casting forth diabolically catchy riffs and howling solos." It was, says Soeder, an "unforgettable evening," to say the least.
Read the full concert review at cleveland.com.
The Black Keys play Akron again this coming Friday, this time at the city's Civic Theatre, and with another group of hometown favorites, Devo. Proceeds from the event go to the region's Democratic Party and support the Obama Presidential campaign in the all-important swing state. For tickets, visit akroncivic.com.
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