The Black Keys, Modest Mouse, & Repeat Repeat | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
The Black Keys, Modest Mouse, & Repeat Repeat performs at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH
"The Black Keys is an American rock back formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The group began as an independent act founded after the duo dropped out of college, and they eventually emerged among a second wave of popular garage rock revival artists from the 2000s. After signing with indie label Alive, the group released its debut album, The Big Come Up (2002), which was recorded in Carney's basement. The record forged the group's raw blues rock sound and earned them a new deal with Fat Possum Records. Over the next decade, The Black Keys built an underground fanbase through near-constant touring of small clubs, frequent album releases and music festival appearances, and extensive licensing of their songs. The third album, Rubber Factory (2004), received critical acclaim and boosted the band's profile, eventually leadng to a record deal with major label Nonesuch Records (2008) in a professional studio and hired producer, Danger Mouse, a frequent collaborator with the band. The group's commerical breakthrough came in 2010 with Brothers, which along with its popular single "Tighen Up", won three Grammy Awards. Their 2011 follow-up El Camino received strong reviews and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 charts, leading to their first arena concert tour of the band's career." (Discotech, 2019)
Concert Notes: The Black Keys proudly exclaimed that they were from Akron, Ohio and then proceeded to rock the crowd's face off. Every soul in the stadium was standing and singing along to every song. They definitely made all Akronites/Ohioans in attendance feel a sense of pride. During every solo that Dan busted out, the crowd got rowdier.
"Modest Mouse formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington. and over the last decade has become the indie rock standard; one of few bands capable of treading the narrow path where massive popularity is possible without sacrificing longtime fans." (Modest Mouse, 2019)
Concert Notes: Modest Mouse got the crowd to their feet, to a now mostly packed audience, with their one of their opening numbers, “The World At Large”. As this was my first Modest Mouse show, I was surprised to see two drum kits on the stage (I clearly did not do any research prior). Two drum kits definitely round out the sound as I sat in the stands, and they were super in sync.
"On their new album Glazed, East Nashville’s *repeat repeat deliver a batch of songs entirely true to the album’s title: sugary and sticky and impossibly shiny, all glistening harmonies and candy-coated hooks. But beneath the gloss lies something more jarring and jagged, a raw vitality generated by the Nashville band’s buzzy rhythms and blistering guitar work. Fortified by the distinctly thoughtful songwriting of husband-and-wife duo Jared and Kristyn Corder, the result is an album that finds an unlikely power in irrepressible sweetness." (Repeat Repeat, 2019)
Concert notes: Repeat Repeat played to a mostly seated, half-seated stadium. This was unfortunate to see because I seen them play two other times and they are fucking awesome. It sucks because it seemed as though people were still rolling into the stadium as if most of them were coming from work, stuck in traffic, or just getting snacks and booze. I actually spoke to a guy in the bathroom and he thought that 3 bands on a bill is too much (who would have thunk, I thought 4 was a stretch). I proceeded to make a case for supporting opening acts, as a quick experiment. The guy just shrugged and finished drying his hands, then we parted ways. Lighting could have been better for their set too as it was mostly dark and spotty.
Concert Notes & Photography by Jamal Lawson