Dan Auerbach @ First Avenue

Going into Dan Auerbach’s show at First Avenue’s Mainroom on Saturday night, I had a few mild reservations. One was about whether on not fans of the Black Keys would show up in the same numbers that they have for his last three or four sold out shows in Minneapolis, and another was regarding how his stellar guitar sound could potentially be overwhelmed by having five other musicians up on stage with him instead of just Patrick Carney behind him on the kit. It turns out that those concerns weren’t really warranted, for the Mainroom was as full as its been for any of the recent Keys performances, and having the full band behind him only fleshed out a fuller sound that Auerbach’s other band has only scratched the surface of. Having the support of a full band also allowed Auerbach the freedom to explore more inventive solos while the group, consisting of the Texas-based quartet Hacienda (who opened the show) as well as My Morning Jacket percussionist Patrick Hallahan, kept the rhythm and melody going behind him. Add to all of that the fact that the tracks the band were playing, from Auerbach’s excellent new record Keep It Hid, are simply fantastic (and sound even better live), and this concert turned out to be the most enjoyable show I’ve seen Auerbach put on since the Rubber Factory tour.

Opening with the bluesy, somber “Trouble Weighs A Ton,” Auerbach immediately set a different tone and tenor to this show from the others, with the band providing backing vocals for Auerbach as they eased their way into the show. Hints of the Keys certainly permeated the next track, the full-on rocker “I Want Some More” (penned by Wayne Carson Thompson, and made famous by Jon & Robin), but with the addition of the fuzzed out keyboard and bass behind Auerbach’s tempestuous guitar licks, it became very clear that this show was going to be so much more than what we’ve seen from Auerbach in the past. “The Prowl” continued the strong beginning to the show, driven at the start by the funky double percussion of Hallahan and Jaime Villanueva, while the creeping keys of Abraham Villanueva really guided the seedy, superb track home. It was obvious at this point that these guys weren’t just hired hands picked to play with Auerbach on the tour just to get wider exposure for their own band, they were a tight-knit unit bound and determined to absolutely demolish First Avenue. And, even though the walls are technically still standing, they achieved their goal in every sense of the word.

They played every song on Keep It Hid during the course of their hour and a half set (save for the 50 second instrumental track “Because I Should”), and damn near every song was a highlight. Current single “My Last Mistake” was sped up and feisty, “Mean Monsoon” had the swampy intensity of classic CCR, and “Street Walkin” was an open jam where Auerbach was able to solo to his hearts content, all while the band supplied the drive and melody to keep up with him. There were also slower, more restrained moments of the set, which, while being no less enjoyable, certainly stood out as songs that just wouldn’t work well in a Black Keys set. Patrick would have very little to do on tracks like “When The Night Comes” and “Whispered Words,” while the full band was able to add subtle elements when and where they could to these rather spare and fragile songs.

But the real highlight of the main set was an absolutely nasty version of “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” that was about as funky and filthy as I’ve ever heard Auerbach get live. The driving double drums kept the time while the band steadied themselves behind Auerbach’s sick riffs. It was a three minute blast of soul and sound that stands alone as the best live song I’ve seen yet this year.

Auerbach also gave an overt nod to his varying influences through the covers he decided to play. In addition to “I Want Some More,” they also gave a blast of energy and ardor to the Rockin’ Horse track “Oh Carol, I’m So Sad,” and closed out their main set with a slow building cover of the Animals “Inside Looking Out” that exploded into a turbulent, frenzied rocker that found the entire band (and a good majority of the crowd) jumping in time with the beat. It was fantastic, and certainly had the exuberance that Eric Burdon intended when he wrote the song over 40 years ago. And, after kicking off the encore with a touching, nearly solo version of “Goin Home” that found the band watching Auerbach in awe, just like the rest of us, they closed out the night with a bouncy and blazing cover of Willie Dixon’s “Hidden Charms” that only solidified the glorious spectacle of the night.

Dan Auerbach’s career has mirrored that of Jack White in many different ways, from their comparable two-piece blues-based guitar and drum bands from the Midwest, and now they’ve both stretched things out in a similar way with a full band side-project. But while the Raconteurs might just represent Jack’s foreseeable future (for who knows if Meg will ever decide to play again), the Black Keys will be back, thankfully. But for Saturday night at least, Dan Auerbach and his wonderful band were all any of us at First Avenue needed for true salvation.

[Review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm.]

Setlist:
Trouble Weighs A Ton
I Want Some More (Jon & Robin cover)
The Prowl
When I Left The Room
My Last Mistake
Mean Monsoon
Oh Carol, I’m So Sad (Rockin’ Horse cover)
Real Desire
Money & Trouble
Street Walkin’
When The Night Comes
Whispered Words
Heartbroken, In Disrepair
Keep It Hid
Inside Looking Out

Encore:
Goin’ Home
Hidden Charms (Willie Dixon cover)

Dan Auerbach @ First Avenue [ZIP]

(Recording by cjohnson224 via Dime a Dozen converted by The Steam Engine)

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Also: Dan Auerbach “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” Video