After consistently rocking out in his duo, The Black Keys, for 5 solid albums, Dan Auerbach has decided to spread his wings, and take on the world solo and show off his debut release, Keep It Kid. Down for the east coast blues and roots festival, those lucky enough to make it to the Corner Hotel were supplied a quality treat.

Busy from the get go, the crowd was certainly amped for a solid bluesy rock night. And what better place to enjoy this spectacle than what is arguably Melbourne’s best rock venue, the Corner Hotel.
This triple bill was certainly special for all involved. Hacienda, who would open the night, and then return as Dan Auerbach’s backing band, certainly seem to be loving life on this tour.

The deep toned Tony Joe White, was the second in the triplet, and had a very strong crowd support considering many would have been attending solely for the headliner. While at the back of the venue it seemed this was the case with much chatter going on, trying to find any space closer to the stage was near impossible.

Tony Joe White’s set received such a warm response that there was even an encore, showing that he is more than just a support act. After Tony Joe White concluded, there was plenty of movement, showing that the crowd wasn’t there to just secure solid positions for Auerbach.

The curtains closed for the sound check which helped provide some suspense as the banging of the instruments was heard. Once ready, the curtains opened with a roar and Dan Auerbach greeted the crowd with the opening track from the album, Trouble Weighs a Ton.

Rather than going balls out from the start, this quieter opening showed that this is not a Black Keys gig. The set followed with I Want Some More bringing the rest of the band, comprised of Hacienda and Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket, into the spot light and get the rock show happening.

With only one ablum to work off, basically every track got a showing. With no weak tracks in the evening, the highlights had to be I Want Some More, Mean Monson, Heartbroken, In Disrepair and the Rocking Horse cover.

The main thing that really struck a chord through this show was just how unexpectedly unique this set was. While still the same songs from the album, they worked on a completely different level. From the studio, Keep It Hid still seems to hold on to the blues qualities, seen before from Dan, while in the live show the rhythm section comes alive. With two drummers, which can sometime be a little lame and superfluous, this show brought on a level of it’s on and generated some tribal qualities to the blues to give some heavy psychedelic rock jams that take you away to that special place, far far away, that only music knows.

Overall, this show was an absolute stellar performance. Considering this is Auerbach’s solo debut and the amount of time he and his backing band would have been playing together, they were extremely tight and seemed very comfortable on stage. This was a great gig to experience and hopefully it won’t be too long before doing it again.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE