Show Review: Queens of the Stone Age ACL Taping

I’ll start off that I’ve always watched Queens of the Stone Age from afar.  Their music hasn’t necessarily always been aligned with my interests, though they’ve had some undeniable jams that I think most people can appreciate.  I headed out to the always incredible ACL Taping on Thursday night to see what the group had to offer live…it was sort of an ACL pre-test.  Read on for my thoughts.

From the moment they opened the show with “Go With the Flow” it was clear to me that I had vastly underestimated the forecefullness of the act.  Even in a stage known for their intimacy, the group pummeled the audience; I think that’s what we all had hoped/expected from the act.  From there they played some other old school hits like “No One Knows,” but they also opened up tracks like “My God Is the Sun” off their recent Like Clockwork LP. 

For all my huffing and hawing abotu how indifferent I was to Queens of the Stone Age over the past few years, I will admit that I walked away from the show rather impressed.  Sure, there was definitely some rock show polish to the posturing of the gutiar players, but I was actually taken aback by the humor and gratitude of singer Josh Homme. He’s been sort of thrown under the bus by the media, but that was not the gracious giant who wowed us with his powerful voice. 

Also, Like Clockwork seems to be an anomaly  in their set.  While some sounds of the desert have made their way onto previous releases by the group, the influences of the band’s enviroment are much more apparent.  I like the use of slide guitar, a broader exapanse in the sound, not to mention the range in Homme’s voice.  All were front and center for the taping, leaving me with the impression that the group are ones not to miss at this weeks ACL Festival.

Thanks as always to the fine folks at ACL Live who allow us to attend such things.