That Black Keys had just released Brothers and were in the process of blowing up. They were getting more popular daily it seemed. I had been into the band for a couple years and it was great to see such a talented band get the fanbase they deserved. They would sell out the outdoor venue which is a nice accomplishment. It seemed their crowd had sold out the venue in about the same time Wilco did.

The Crossroads is an abandoned parking lot covered with wood chips and surrounded by about a 10 foot high wooden fence. It actually makes for a cool venue I feel even though the place had a ton of people that despise it for various reasons.The Black Keys rolled through on June 4th, 2010 to enlighten the Kansas City audience to their sound.

Brian Olive was the opening act on that night and really failed to impress. Sound issues were present which likely didn’t help. This set a rough tone for the show but it really didn’t take the Black Keys long to jar the crowd out of that lull.

Here is the Black Keys Kansas City poster I missed out on…very cool, wish I could find one now.

They blasted out of the gate with just Dan and Patrick hitting their older albums. Songs like “Set You Free” and “The Breaks” seemed to have and extra blast of power live. Dan Auerbach really impressed me with his vocals on this night too. I knew he could absolutely shred on the guitar but I didn’t know how his vocals would be over a wall of guitar and drums in the open, outside venue. They remained strong throughout the show and really shone on new songs like “Everlasting Light” during the encore.

After about 10 songs the band would expand to four members to play exclusively new material which they would play a block of 6 tracks from Brothers in succession. This block was highlighted by their current single at the time “Howlin’ For You.” They would shift back to the bare bones 2 peice band for some of the best moments of the night with “Your Touch” and “I Got Mine.”

They would close with an encore of “Everlasting Light” and the brilliant closer “Till I Get My Way.” The band would retire from the stage proving that they were worth every bit of the hype. They are truly a great band to see live.

setlist:

Thickfreakness
Girl Is on My Mind
10 A.M. Automatic
Set You Free
The Breaks
Stack Shot Billy
Busted
Everywhere I Go
Strange Times
Same Old Thing
Tighten Up
Howlin’ for You
Too Afraid to Love You
Next Girl
She’s Long Gone
Ten Cent Pistol
Your Touch
I’ll Be Your Man
No Trust
I Got Mine

Everlasting Light
Till I Get My Way