Last weekend, veteran desert-rockers Queens of the Stone Age played at Boston University’s Agganis Arena alongside British rock duo Royal Blood. Despite only dropping their debut album three years ago, Royal Blood is no stranger to performing alongside rock stars, having toured with the Foo Fighters in 2015. After picking up some valuable road experience from the Foos, the band went on to win the “Best British Group Award” at the Brit Awards, and later release their second record in 2017. By joining Queens of the Stone Age for the “Villains Tour,” Royal Blood continues to build upon their already impressive rock-resume, and after the Agganis show, they added yet another line of references to their CV. Likewise, Queens of the Stone Age has shown that they’re still capable of producing groundbreaking new music with the 2017 release of their seventh studio album, Villains. Scoring high praise from music critics all-around, Villains is undoubtedly one of the band’s best records to date, with credit given in part to producer Mark Ronson for helping them to adapt their signature sound into one that is noticeably poppier and smoother.
By 7:00pm, the sold-out arena was packed and buzzing with excitement as Royal Blood took to the stage. Ordinarily, rock fans don’t encounter many two-piece bands, and it’s even less common that one of these bands are able to entertain an arena full of people, but that’s exactly what they did.
Already well on their way to mastering a formidable stage presence, Royal Blood walked on to their entry music. Vocalist Mike Kerr addressed the crowd with a quick hello, then dived into the first song with drummer Thatcher. After an explosive opening, Kerr took a moment to share his genuine pleasure and excitement about playing the sold out arena, then introduced Thatcher, and the two charged into hit single “Little Monster.” Embellishing upon the already action-packed song, Thatcher took the crowd for a ride on a heart-thumping two minute drum solo. Doused in colorfully strobed lighting, the band powered through the first half of their set, eventually stopping as Kerr eyed a new instrument. “I like to call this a keyboard,” joked Kerr as he set down his bass and said, “That’s what we’ve been calling it at least. This is a new song called “Hole in Your Heart,” bare with us!” Afterwards, Kerr switched back to bass, and the band continued their set with “Figure It Out.” Other highlights from their set included the two members taking turns playing solos, Kerr leading the crowd in an orchestral cacophony of cheers, and Thatcher surfing through the crowd like a modern Poseidon. At the end of their set, the band stayed humble, thanking the crowd, and introducing the night’s main event, Queens of the Stone Age.
Just shy of 10:00pm, Queens of the Stone Age strutted on stage, led by the one and only Josh Homme. Setting the tone for the night, the band opened up with a diverse yet carefully chosen selection of songs including, “If I Had a Tail,” “Monsters In The Parasol,” and “My God Is The Sun,” before dipping their toes into new material with of of Villain’s most upbeat and danceable tracks, “Feet Don’t Fail Me.” In between each song, Homme injected some of his humor and charisma with transitions, ranging from witty one-liners like, “You paid, we’re here, let’s fuck,” to longer spun-out rants like his introduction to “No One Knows,” where he said, “We travel, we travel, we travel every day for 22 hours. But for two hours a day it’s this. Thank you for this. So dance, drink–––and I hope everyone gets laid tonight. Because life is hard, but if I’m not mistake it’s Saturday fucking night. And you know what that means, right? It mean anything could happen. Anything, anything at all.”
Aside from his witty transitions, Homme dominated the stage with his immense presence, fueled by the rest of the band’s powerful performances, particularly the non-stop drumming of Jon Theodore. Despite being the newest member of the band, having only joined in 2013, Theodore was treated with the same status as his senior bandmates, and given plenty of opportunities to show off his skills through jaw-dropping drum solos. Likewise, bassist Michael Shuman and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen were given leeway to showcase their impressive musicianship, including Shuman’s wild stage antics and Leeuwen’s mastery of the lap steel guitar.
At one point, Homme began sipping tequila, and invited a doubtful fan to find out for himself what he was drinking, passing the glass into the floor. And to his amusement, the fan verified the contents of the drink, and then handed it back, to which Homme responded, “You guys must be crazy to give it back! This show’s just gonna get worse and worse. Just kidding–––I’m a functioning alcoholic.” And after spinning a tale about his dog Bob, Homme transitioned the band into a wild performance of “Domesticated Animals.” Other highlights from the setlist included the playful, “Make It Wit Chu,” in which Homme led the boys and the girls in a sing-off to let loose, the new album’s title track, “Villains Of Circumstance,” and fan-favorite, “Go With The Flow,” to end the set. After a 2-minute breather, the lights came back on for two more songs: an unexpected “Un-Reborn Again,” and the band’s unofficial anthem and classic closer, “A Song For The Dead.” Overall, between the fresh sound Royal Blood and the always evolving sound of Queens of the Stone Age, the crowd was was given more than their fill of guitar solos, drum fills, and bass lines, resulting in an epic night of rock and roll.