The Black Keys

Pemberton Stage, Pemberton BC, July 17

Photo: Joshua Peter Grafstein

BY Ashley HampsonPublished Jul 18, 2015

7
A ten-second countdown brought the Black Keys across the Pemberton stage, and without hesitation, they dropped right into "Dead and Gone." The gritty first riffs of "Next Girl" blew across the crowd, and the additional backup of piano, guitar, and bass pushed the sound to unbelievable proportions.
 
Dan Auerbach took the stage time to build up a solo on "Run Right Back," then appealed to the raucous crowd to help with "Gold on the Ceiling." A bit of a consistency problem seemed to plague the set; the pacing of songs fluctuated wildly, often landing on a tempo faster than intended, then swinging back to a slower beat once an appropriate moment to do so could be taken. Even the slower-paced "Too Afraid to Love You" hit a patch that sent it nearly double time.
 
Thankfully, by "Howling' For You" the group seemed to have hit their groove. Dan and Patrick finally shared the stage without their backup for "I Got Mine"; Dan shot off a beautifully spastic guitar solo with that signature gutted sound, tightening their hold on the crowd as the last act of the night on the Pemberton stage.
 

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