Queens of the Stone Age
13th July 2017
Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Receiving the news that you will be opening for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, at their sold out show; which just also happens to be the first night of the world tour … would be enough to make any band weak at the knees. And if the above did then Eyes No Eyes, held it together last night extremely well as they performed a short but enchanting set to the thousands in attendance
The Auckland based group is still a rather young band made up of well-established musicians from acts such as Couchmaster and The DHDFD’s. They lovingly refer to their music as a combination of a few genres, including ‘sex whisper’; the ambient dark wave nature of their sound very reminiscent of shoegaze artists such as Slowdive and of course My Bloody Valentine for a more common example. Shoegaze has often been referred to as ‘music for dreaming’ and that’s exactly what this is. While many may say it was not high energy enough for a show like Queens of the Stone Age, others would agree that it was just right, the sonic lull of the guitars coupled with the ethereal and trance like vocals of Jessie Cassin ideal on a night like tonight. Finishing with their debut single ‘On TV’, Eyes No Eyes will certainly have made more than one new fan this evening.
Queens of the Stone Age. One could almost end the review right there really as what more is there to say about this prolific rock band who going into their 21st year have slayed at every show they have ever played in New Zealand?
The last time we saw Josh Homme and his merry band of men was three years ago when they performed a co-headline show with none other than Nine Inch Nails. The 2014 show featured giant on screen visuals, the whole performance feeling slick and well-polished. Tonight’s show however gave the immediate impression of stripped back rawness. There was no on screen visuals or fancy backdrops; a standard stage set up with simple spotlights was all that lay before us, and yet with the calibre of the music that we have come to know and love from Queens of the Stone Age what else could possibly be needed. As the band took the stage the crowd sprung to life, cheering with all their heart and soul for these maestros of rock n roll. Josh Homme in a simple bright red button down shirt and black jeans, swayed up to the microphone while simultaneously swinging his guitar strap over his head, many a fan swooning at the sheer sight of him.
The opening notes of ‘My God Is The Sun’ rode across the stage and through the audience, propelling them into movement, all eyes locked on Homme as he crooned into the microphone. However there was an inkling that something wasn’t quite right as the song came to its conclusion, Homme seeming to struggle slightly for breath. Two songs in and Homme smiles at the crowd as he takes a small black comb from his pocket and runs it through his hair; the fans lapping it up. “Why thank you, it’s so fucking nice to see you all” Homme drawls into the microphone in a way that only he can. He would certainly have to be one of the most gracious front men around, consistently thanking the audience throughout the night. Ripping into ‘Feel Good Hit Of The Summer’ and the crowd instantly chanted along as fans front and centre jumped as one while punching the air with their fists, Homme putting his own little spin to the middle of the track as he sang “They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no” while jutting one hip out and shaking his finger at the audience in an exaggerated way.
While Homme is certainly the front man with the charisma, fellow band members such as Troy Van Leeuwen are a delight to behold as he slides around the stage in his well-polished shoes and his trade mark suit, standing still only when playing the slide guitar. Michael Shuman on bass and Dean Fertita on guitar pace about the stage often flourishing their instruments at the audience or holding mini duels with each other. When the four stand together across the front of the stage it makes for one hell of a formidable guitar line.
‘If I Had A Tail’ saw Homme front and centre, acting out the words to the second verse, holding his long arms out, hands on display as he sang the lines “Diamond rings, Expensive holes to bury things” the audience so transfixed by his performance that it was hard to look anywhere else. This was quickly followed by a retro style beige keyboard being rolled up to the front of the stage for Homme to deliver the ballad ‘The Vampyre of Time and Memory’ as a solo, a polarizing song amongst a few fans it was delivered with a delicate thread of sadness rather than the bite we saw three years ago, placing a different spin on the song. Upon its conclusion Homme addressed the audience once again, a slightly more serious tone to his voice. What unfolded was a rather beautiful anecdote of how the band played at the Auckland Big Day Out in 2003 and lost power during their set.
As many who were there will remember, they promised to come back at the end of the day (after the Foo Fighters Headliner slot) and play the full set again, and it was a promise that they kept, delivering a performance that those in attendance will never forget. Homme stating that “we all got shit faced together” “We come from a little big place too on the other side of the world, but at least we can all give a shit together” Homme continuing on to state that there is a reason why the band returns to NZ time and time again and why they chose Auckland to kick off the world tour “Ask Troy, I never say anything nice, but I really love it here”. Any seasoned concert goer worth their weight knows that it is almost a given that every band will always state that they love your country, or that you are the best/craziest/insert descriptive word here crowd they have ever seen – but in that second as Homme smiled, every single person knew that what he had just said was pure truth; and it made the entire night just that much sweeter.
The set list for the evening was almost a greatest hits set with a few new songs peppered throughout, one getting the distinct feeling that due to Homme’s love of NZ he included the popular ‘No One Knows’ and later in the night ‘Little Sister’ even though his desire to play them anymore has begun to wane. The night was not without its hitches; the sound mix (a notorious venue issue amongst fans) was less than ideal and was aptly described by one punter as a “bit of a rollercoaster” with certain instruments being drowned out only to return at too greater volume a few songs later. As cited earlier, Homme, ever the showman was beginning to falter, confessing not long after ‘I Sat By The Ocean” that he was losing his voice but that he was “just going to try and go with the flow” a wry smile playing across his face as he used his apology as an introduction to the final track of the night.
An encore was expected but was in doubt due to Homme’s vocal issues; however he must have had a bottle of magical elixir as the band returned and delivered a blistering performance of ‘A Song For The Dead’, the sex fuelled strut of the guitars thrilling the crowd who threw themselves wholeheartedly into the song. Van Leeuwen let loose on the very edge of the stage; Fertita and Shuman taking flight behind him as Jon Theodore on drums thrashed the kit like there was no tomorrow.
Upon it’s conclusion, Queens of The Stone age bowed and the audience cheered; the eternal bond between the two solidifying just that little bit more.
Were you there at the Logan Campbell Centre for this absolutely brilliant rock ‘n roll performance? Or have you seen Queens of the Stone Age perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Queens of the Stone Age Setlist:
- My God Is The Sun
- Monsters In The Parasol
- Feel Good Hit Of The Summer
- No One Knows
- Smooth Sailing
- Burn The Witch
- Misfit Love
- The Way You Used To Do
- If I Had A Tail
- The Vampyre Of Time And Memory
- Make It Wit Chu
- Millionaire
- First It Giveth
- Sick, Sick, Sick
- Little Sister
- The Evil Has Landed
- I Sat By The Ocean
- Go With The Flow
- Keep Your Eyes Peeled (encore – on the setlist but not played)
- A Song For The Dead (encore)
Eyes No Eyes Setlist:
- St. Guillotine
- Trippy Whisper
- Written In Water
- Sleeper
- Lazy Twins
- On Tv
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