Queens of the Stone Age - Post-Concert

[andvari7]

Good evening,

I just came home from a Queens of the Stone Age concert in downtown Saint Paul, and I would like to talk about it.

Prologue:

Like everybody else on Earth, save for you retired types, there are aspects of my job that I do not like. Chief among these is the travel; if I had more work in Minnesota, or if I lived in Madison, I probably wouldn't be griping about it so much. I accept that 50-75% travel is an occupational hazard, but it does get tiresome. Actually, what's more annoying than the actual travel, is the manner in which I have to coordinate my recreational activities. So, when QOTSA releases a new album, produced by Mark Ronson, of all people - we'll get to that - and announces a date in the city in which I have lived for the last year, I make the time.

The concert was held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, which is connected to the Xcel Energy Center, where the Minnesota Wild played tonight - against the Indigenous Persons Blue Jackets, I believe - and it was a sold-out crowd.

The Opener:

A two-piece band out of Brighton, in the south of England, called Royal Blood, opened the show, with their own riff-driven rock. The bassist/vocalist had a stereo setup, with the main bass track, which was heavily overdriven (think Lemmy X3), on one side, and a processed signal (basically, a Digitech Whammy), handling what would be the guitar. He had a good sound, and used Fender Jaguar and Starcaster basses. The drummer was tight, and powerful. It's so easy to either get too carried away, or go full-on Meg White, when the setup is that minimal. But it wasn't stripped down, by any means; these two guys filled the Roy. I had no expectations for the band, and I left a fan.

The Main Event:

As previously stated, QOTSA released an album called Villains on August 25, and it was produced by Mark Ronson - yes, that Mark Ronson. I wish they picked a better producer; someone who could have brought out the dry, earthy distortion that they can do oh so nicely. The set opened up with If I Had a Tail, from the previous album. It wasn't the best of starts - very poppy, very disco. Actually, I don't know why I mentioned that, considering Mark Ronson didn't produce ...Like Clockwork. Anyway, they get to the Ronson tracks, and, happily, they are made much better in the live context. Yeah, they played the hits, as you'd expect, but they weren't the crowd favorites. Sick, Sick, Sick, off of Era Vulgaris, took that crown. No self-titled album tracks.

What I liked:

Great setlist, covering the majority of their catalog, and deep cuts.
Quality musicianship
Good audience response
Great opening band
Clever lighting - there were these clear, flexible poles on stage, with the LEDs at the base; the band played with them throughout the show.

What I didn't like:

The strobe lights. While I don't have epilepsy, I don't care much for constant strobe lights.
It was a generally safe show. It wasn't sterile, but it wasn't the insanity the band brought ca. 1998-2003. I think Nick Oliveri, or the absence of, played a major role in this opinion.
The mix - actually, no. True, the drums were considerably louder in the mix, and the vocals were sometimes inaudible, but I wear earplugs to concerts, and fairly high attenuation plugs, at that. All concerts sound wrong; that's why I'm not deaf.

Conclusion:

It took me thirteen years to get an opportunity to see these guys. I'm glad it was worth the wait. I just wish it were a bit more raucous, a bit more dangerous.

Thank you.

[Harry_Manback]

I caught them last week in SLC (my fifth time?). I hated the venue and the mix wasn’t great.

I agree with your assessment - they’re very pollished at this stage, for better or worse. Super tight and great musicians all around. The new songs sounded beefier live (I’m not crazy about Villains). It’s nice they mix in 2-3 deeper cuts but I would have liked more. Tough cuz they have such a deep catalogue with so many staples.

Glad you liked the show.