How was my last day at the Osheaga festival to end? With a kick ass concert, of course. The Black Keys closed the festival on Sunday evening. The duo from Akron, Ohio performed another great show at the Scène de la Rivière.
The stage was plunged into darkness. Succeeding the English group Alt-J, the Black Keys’ singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney appeared on stage. The crowd was ready to have fun to the fullest. The massive rock duo rocked the stage. There was a lot of smoke to create atmosphere. The lighting was well-thought out and changed color depending songs.
Sometimes rock, sometimes blues, The Black Keys really let off steam on stage. Then there were these powerful beats. They kept getting stronger. The intensity kept increasing. I wondered how someone can play the drums that intensely without ever missing a beat. Patrick Carney masters his instrument. It was simply phenomenal. I do not know the reason, but the drums are always the first instrument I notice; they always have my attention. It must be the strength of sound. My heart was captured several times during the festival, and that night was one of those times. I love to hear these powerful beats. The more volume, the better.
I must mention the singer’s great voice. He sings well live which is nice although it was sometimes hard to hear him because of the instruments. I also discovered another outstanding whistler — like Edward Sharpe. Auerbach whistled at the beginning of the song Gold on Ceiling and the crowd was enthusiastic. The singer and guitarist were energetic. The sound is heavy rock. The large and noisy crowd was asking for more every time. People clapped their hands in time with the music. The guitar effects were never-ending. Auerbach vibrated his guitar whenever he had the chance. The demonstration became a bit repetitive, though.
The arrangement of the songs were well done and very effective. There was a nice use of the piano and the organ. Auerbach thanked the crowd as much as he could. He interacted with the crowd a few times which is great. He seemed delighted to be on stage and asked the spectators’ help for the song Tighten Up. The crowd wanted to have fun and meet the demands of the singer.
The Black Keys songs are made to wiggle to. People danced in small groups. Auerbach was dynamic although he showed some signs of fatigue towards the end. This is quite understandable after 90 minutes of pure energy. I was a bit tired towards the end too, but it was a beautiful evening dotted with clouds. The weather was good and all the elements were there to make this evening a memorable closing. I cannot believe that all this ended, but all good things must end.
