As I racked my brain as to the last time I was at a venue like this, I was shocked to realize I had still been in college. I had rented a Zipcar (a Scion xB I believe) with my buddy and drove down to the aforementioned Tweeter Center to meet up and tailgate with some hometown friends. That I have absolutely no clue what band I saw that day is a little disconcerting - as that means I had either A) rented a car for the sole purpose of driving it to a parking lot, drinking, and then returning it to Boston without seeing the show or B) rented a car for the sole purpose of driving it to a parking lot, drinking so much I wouldn't remember who played four years later, and then returning it to Boston. Ahh, college.
(For the record, given that I may or may not have gone in and that one of my high school friends chose the show, I'd say it was either 311 or Dave Matthews Band. Along with the Allman Brothers, Pearl Jam and Tom Petty the former two play Great Woods almost annually - but I'd of certainly gone in for any of the latter three. And would definitely still go in for Pearl Jam to this day.)
The point is, it had been awhile since I'd seen a show at a venue like Iroquois, and that it was The Black Keys (one of my top two yet-to-of-seen-live bands before last night, the other is The White Stripes) made it a nearly perfect night.
The show itself was superb. The Black Keys are sublimely loud live (even more of a blessing on this particular night as the 40 year old men behind me attempted to have a conversation through the entire set) and they did a great job of mixing old hits with the more complex new stuff - which The Morning Benders' bass and key players sat in on. I had wondered if the Keys were going to have a touring band for the newer songs - but why pay for musicians when you can just have a couple guys from the supporting band sit in? And one has to assume it's been a treat for the members of the Benders who've gotten to join the duo on stage.
As I watched Dan Auerbach absolutely punish his guitar, I couldn't help but picture the first unsuspecting friend who saw a guitar in the corner of Dan's room 15 years ago and asked, "Oh, you play? Any good?" To which Dan responded by picking up his instrument and blowing the friends scalp off with some nasty blues riff and distortion. Seriously, the dude can fucking play guitar. As I drum, I usually find myself watching the drummer at shows, but even with Patrick Carney's kit on a lift and positioned at the front of the stage, one can't help but be drawn to Dan Auerbach like a magnet.
Some credit has to be given to the amphitheater though. My girlfriend and I never took a seat once the Keys took the stage, but there's just something about knowing a chair is there if you need it that gives you an extra boost of energy. If you had been as close as we were to the stage at, say, Lollapalooza, you'd have to turn and meander through 1,000 people just to get to a 5x5ft opening, let alone a spot to sit in the grass (to say nothing of the claustrophobia and crowd anxiety that accompany the big festivals). Can't see around the 6'4" guy in front of you? Doesn't happen at an amphitheater. Even if the guy has half a foot on you you've got a foot on him with the stadium-style seating. There's not a bad spot in the house.
Lastly, while festivals certainly have their place and time (The 2008 Sasquatch Festival at The Gorge in Washington was without a doubt one of the top 5 best weekends I've had in my life. Ever.) nothing beats one of your favorite bands headlining their own show, not one stage, of one day, of one weekend. Everyone was there to see The Black Keys - and it showed.
Suffice it to say, I'll be going back to Iroquois next time someone I'm even marginally interested in is playing. Only next time I'll probably show up a little early and join the surprisingly large amount of tailgaters - sans Scion of course.
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