The Black Keys scheduled a special holiday home town show at the Akron Civic Theater. I made the road trip and on the way saw Left Lane Cruiser in Fort Wayne.
Dan's dad Chuck had a pre show party at his house and invited me to join them. Dan made a brief appearance with his wife and baby daughter. Chuck made a sausage and pepper dish that everyone enjoyed.
Jessica Lee Mayfield and Beaten Awake opened.
audio only
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Remember When Stack Shot Billy Busted Strange Time Oceans & Streams Your Touch The Breaks Set You Free 10AM Automatic No Trust I Got Mine
E: Everywhere I Go Uncontrollable Urge Have Love Will Travel
Dan's dad offered me a ticket to Lallapalooza in Chicago.
I met Chuck and Mary at the ticket office. It took a little while to find them on the guest list, but we got our credentials and went into the fest.
Chuck explained he had no idea if I would be able to get backstage access, but I just hiked along with them. Jamie was working as the tour manager and Chuck was able to get him on the phone to meet us and get us backstage. We hung out in the VIP area and talked for about an hour, waiting for the show. MIA had just finished performing and most of the people in that area seemed to be with her. I think Southern Comfort must have been a sponsor and they were offering drinks. I don't recall anything other very special than some shade and some places to sit.
When the show was ready to start, I was able to follow along to the side stage access. We were on a second level platform. My recording starts with some conversation with Chuck.
audio only
Set I
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Just Got To Be 10 AM Automatic The Breaks Stack Shot Billy Busted Set You Free Everywhere I Go Your Touch Grown So Ugly I Got Mine No Trust Have Love Will Travel
The Black Keys did a tour sponsored by Camel Cigarettes (RJR Tobacco). The venue listed the show, but we had no idea how to get tickets. It turned out to be a free show, and you had to get there early to get a ticket. A friend and I got there in the early afternoon and were first in line. We got our tickets and then worked our way into the club before the show to hear the sound check.
Dan came and chatted with us a for a couple minutes after the sound check. We reminded him of his comments to us from their last tour thorugh MN when he said "they'll never have the big tour bus". Here he was with a huge production traveling with several buses. The tobacco people had tons of signage they were putting all through the club. The put up a special smoking lounge out back of the club and had extra deluxe toilets brought in for the lounge. There was a staff of about 10 handling video and sound production. I don't know what they did with their recordings, but I've never seen any released. Free cigarettes were being handed out.
One of the tobacco reps had a handfull of after show passes. We got some and went to the meet and greet after the show and got a free cd. Pat and Dan were signing them and we were able to chat a little more.
Set I
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Just Got To Be 10am Automatic The Breaks Stack Shot Billy Busted Everywhere I Go Set You Free Your Touch You're The One Elevator Grown So Ugly No Trust Have Love Will Travel
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Just Got To Be The Breaks Stack Shot Billy Busted You're The One Elevator Set You Free Your Touch Strange Desire The Flame 10AM Automatic No Trust Have Love Will Travel
At the Majestic Theatre in Madison WI. I met up with Brenn and Joe of Left Lane Cruiser and bought them tickets to see this show.
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Set I
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Just Got To Be The Breaks Stack Shot Billy Busted You're The One Elevator Set You Free Your Touch Strange Desire The Flame 10AM Automatic No Trust Have Love Will Travel
encore
Grown So Ugly
Til I Get My Way
The Black Keys at the Randoph Street Festival in Chicago IL.
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Set I
Just Got To Be Girl Is On My Mind Thickfreakness Stack Shot Billy Busted Strange Desire > The Flame 10AM Automatic Grown So Ugly Your Touch You're The One Set You Free No Trust Modern Times
I had lots of trouble with my gear the night before.
I recorded this show with my mini dv recorder, but audio only. I don't think I could shoot video because of security.
Nathaniel Mayer opened again, but I didn't get any recording.
And this is the end of all the 2005 recordings. Lots of shows, lots of miles. 2006 only gets bigger.
Set I
01 Girl Is On My Mind 02 Thickfreakness 03 10AM Automatic 04 She Said, She Said 05 Them Eyes 06 The Breaks 07 Busted 08 Stack Shot Billy 09 Grown So Ugly 10 Everywhere I Go 11 Set You Free 12 No Trust 13 Til I Get My Way 14 applause to encore 15 Work Me Baby 16 Have Love Will Travel
- lots of problems - space in nj3 and then low battery missing first track, 2nd track is cut final song of set (Have Love) is cut missing 2nd encore (Heavy Soul)
audio only
Set I
No Trust Girl Is On My Mind Thickfreakness 10AM Automatic She Said, She Said The Breaks Stack Shot Billy Busted Grown So Ugly Everywhere I Go Set You Free Hard Row Have Love Will Travel Work Me Baby Til I Get My Way Heavy Soul
I followed the Black Keys for ten shows from New York to Toronto. This was the final night before heading back home.
audio only
Set I
01 No Trust 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 Thickfreakness 04 She Said, She Said 05 10AM Automatic 06 The Breaks 07 Busted 08 Stack Shot Billy 09 Grown So Ugly 10 Everywhere I Go 11 Set You Free 12 Hard Row 13 Act Nice And Gentle 14 Have Love Will Travel 15 applause to 1st encore 16 Work Me Baby 17 Til I Get My Way 18 applause to 2nd encore 19 Heavy Soul
The line for the show stretched out over a block. As I stood waiting to get into the show, Dan comes out of the theater and walks my way. No one recognizes him. He's got a hoodie up over his head. I say "hey, Dan" as he passes. He looked up and smiled. The other people in line around me didn't figure it out until he was well past us.
Set I
No Trust Girl Is On My Mind Thickfreakn ess 10AM Automatic She Said, She Said The Breaks Busted Stack Shot Billy Grown So Ugly Everywhere I Go Set You Free Hard Row Have Love Will Travel
I parked on the street by my bed and breakfast and had a ticket on my windshield in the morning. I had no idea what for. The ticket and all the signs were in French. Never paid the ticket. I don't ever plan to drive there again.
Set I
01 No Trust 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 Thickfreakness 04 She Said, She Said 05 10AM Automatic 06 The Breaks 07 Busted 08 Stack Shot Billy 09 Grown So Ugly 10 Everywhere I Go 11 Set You Free 12 Hard Row 13 Have Love Will Travel 14 applause to 1st encore 15 Work Me Baby 16 Til I Get My Way 17 applause to 2nd encore 18 Heavy Soul
Two years earlier, I started recording live shows after seeing that the Black Keys allowed audience recordings. I thought it might be a fun hobby. On their website, they posted that they would like a copy mailed to their booking agent. I had always done this, burning a copy and mailing it to Boche at Billions in Chicago. At some point, I started mailing copies to Dan's dad, Chuck. At some point, I commented to Patrick, that his dad might like a set of the live shows I had, and I mailed him a collection of all the Black Keys shows I had.
My equipment was amateur. My technique is lacking. My editing skills improved over time, but were always poor. I enjoyed it. It was fun for me. I enjoyed sharing and trading.
The highlight for my taping efforts was Pat selecting a song from my recordings and releasing it on the You're The One Single. It was a free, promotional release. I imagine it went mostly to radio stations or press or whoever else they send those things out to. Pretty cool to see my name on it. Pat sent me a message that this was happening and that I could request a copy from their management. I did. Even more special, it's a Junior Kimbrough cover.
Set I
01 intro 02 No Trust 03 Girl Is On My Mind 04 Thickfreakn ess 05 She Said, She Said 06 10AM Automatic 07 The Breaks 08 Busted 09 Stack Shot Billy 10 Grown So Ugly 11 Set You Free 12 Everywhere I Go 13 Hard Row 14 Have Love Will Travel 15 applause to encore 16 Work Me Baby 17 Til I Get My Way
01 intro 02 No Trust 03 Girl Is On My Mind 04 Thickfreakn ess 05 10AM Automatic 06 She Said, She Said 07 The Breaks 08 Busted 09 Stack Shot Billy 10 Grown So Ugly 11 Everywhere I Go 12 Set You Free 13 Hard Row 14 Have Love Will Travel 15 applause to encore 16 Work Me Baby 17 Til I Get My Way
The Black Keys at the Ram's Head in Baltimore MD. I remember this club being in a new entertainment district. Everything all shiny and new, but I didn't like the sound. I kept moving around trying to find a good spot to listen and record.
Set I
01 No Trust 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 Thickfreakness 04 10AM Automatic 05 The Breaks 06 Busted 07 Stack Shot Billy 08 She Said, She Said 09 Everywhere I Go 10 Set You Free 11 Grown So Ugly 12 Hard Row 13 Have Love Will Travel 14 applause to 1st encore 15 Til I Get My Way 16 Work Me Baby 17 Heavy Soul 18 applause to 2nd encore 19 I'll Be Your Man 20 No Fun
I was following the Black Keys on their east coast fall tour. This was the fourth of ten shows.
I drove from Minnesota and for this one night, my wife Kristen was flying out to join me. The show was sold out. I had purchased all my tickets in advance, but we made plans for Kristen to fly out to see this show later. I emailed Dan's dad, Chuck, to see if she couldn't be added to their guest list. He made arrangements and I picked up Kristen at the airport and we found our way to the club.
There was a line to get in and we chatted with the kids around us. Kristen laughed as one boy said he was their biggest fan, and this was his second time seeing the band. I'm sure he is. I hope everyone out there has a band they look up to as their biggest fan.
Kristen wanted a seat and we went to the balcony and sat in the front row. It was a great spot to watch. I saw Patrick talking to friends and I went over to say hello and thank him for getting Kristen non the guest list. He said it wasn't a problem and then wanted to go over and meet Kristen. We talked for a bit and then went back to his friends, one I think was in the service and being deployed the next day or very soon after.
It was a great show. They came out for three separate encores.
Set I
01 Thickfreakness 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 10AM Automatic 04 She Said, She Said 05 The Breaks 06 Busted 07 Stack Shot Billy 08 Everywhere I Go 09 Grown So Ugly 10 Hard Row 11 Set You Free 12 No Trust 13 Have Love Will Travel 14 applause to 1st encore 15 Work Me Baby 16 No Fun 17 applause to 2nd encore 18 Heavy Soul 19 applause to 3rd encore 20 Til I Get My Way audio only
The Black Keys at the Theater Of Living Arts in Philadelphia PA.
audio only
- there's a recording gap between the 2nd and 3rd songs due to battery failure.
Set I
01 No Trust 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 Thickfreakness 04 10AM Automatic 05 The Breaks 06 Busted 07 Stack Shot Billy 08 Grown So Ugly 09 Hard Row 10 Everywhere I Go 11 Set You Free 12 She Said, She Said 13 Have Love Will Travel 14 applause to encore 15 Work Me Baby 16 Til I Get My Way
The second show on this east coast road trip was in Brooklyn NY at the Warsaw. I already wrote my memories of the night on the last blog for the opener.
Set I
01 Thickfreakness 02 Girl Is On My Mind 03 No Trust 04 10AM Automatic 05 The Breaks 06 Busted 07 Stack Shot Billy 08 Grown So Ugly 09 Hard Row 10 Everywhere I Go 11 Set You Free 12 She Said, She Said 13 I'll Be Your Man 14 Have Love Will Travel 15 applause to encore 16 Work Me Baby 17 No Fun
I decided to follow the Black Keys on their fall east coast tour. I'd see 10 shows from NYC to
Toronto Canada.
The first show at Irving Plaza had a different opener than the rest. The Mighty Imperials opened in NYC. A couple of the members of this band started working with Dan later with the Arcs and other recording projects. The rest of the tour had Nathaniel Mayer opening.
I had known Dan's dad, Chuck, through the Black Keys forums online and he asked me to call him when I got to the show. He was there attending too. He told me Dan had been working with him the day before at an antique show in the city. He also said that Billy Gibbons was backstage with Dan at the moment and Chuck was anxious to get back to the green room. It was nice to meet Chuck in person.
On my way to New York, I drove through Akron and saw some of the neighborhoods and sights mentioned by Pat and Dan in their interviews. I remember having a burger at Swenson's.
Set I
01 intro 02 No Trust 03 Girl Is On My Mind 04 Thickfreakness 05 10AM Automatic 06 Hard Row 07 The Breaks 08 Grown So Ugly 09 Set You Free 10 She Said, She Said 11 Everywhere I Go 12 Busted 13 Stack Shot Billy 14 Have Love Will Travel encore 15 I'll Be Your Man 16 Heavy Soul
The Black Keys opened for George Clinton & the P-Funk Allstars for Northwestern University Dillo Day Mayfest. My brother and I decided to try to attend this unticketed event. There was no security and we were able to walk right in to the festival. Unfortunately, there was security at the stage, and I only got the first five minutes of video. I do have the entire show audio.
Set I
Thickfreakness 10AM Automatic Girl Is On My Mind She Said, She Said The Breaks Them Eyes Grown So Ugly Busted Stack Shot Billy Set You Free I'll Be Your Man No Fun No Trust Have Love Will Travel applause before encore Heavy Soul
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I had no idea how bad it was going to get.
I walked into The Social in Orlando FL in the late afternoon and found the Black Keys on stage doing a sound check. The bar was empty, except for the bartender and the soundman. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy seeing Dan give me a nod from the stage. By this time, it was my 20th time seeing them play over 18 months in 9 different states.
I saw them the night before at Skipper's in Tampa. I'd just come from a week long vacation in the Bahamas with Kristen. She flew on home and I got to enjoy a couple days in Florida attending shows.
The Social was near a town square and I had spent a couple hours that afternoon checking out the vendors goods and services. I remember having some boiled peanuts and having a chair massage. After the sound check, I had time for a good meal before coming back for the show.
What I didn't know, was that my business partner had used this week to plan his takeover of our business. When I returned, the first thing he did was demand that I sell my half of the business to him or he would have his lawyer file to dissolve our corporation. On the one hand, I was more than happy to part ways with this sociopath/psychopath. I had many sleepless nights contemplating the potential jailtime/fraud that he put our business at risk for earning more money. His greed, ability to lie, and manipulate people was boundless. On the other hand, I walked away from a very successful business for much less than it was worth. You do find out the friends and family that at are really there to support you in times like these.
I'm so glad I had music to retreat to during these dark times. This process took months to resolve in the middle of 2005, and for several years, the consequences lingered.
Anyway, here's the Black Keys audio at The Social in Orlando FL
Set I
Thickfreakness Girl Is On My Mind Grown So Ugly 10AM Automatic Do The Rump Them Eyes The Breaks She Said, She Said Set You Free Act Nice And Gentle Hard Row All Hands Against His Own No Trust Have Love Will Travel applause before encore I Cry Alone Heavy Soul
