Concert Review/Photos: Queens of the Stone/Unlocking the Truth @ the Mann
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
All these years later, they rock just as hard.
[ 7/20 ] Hard to believe it’s been 12 years since I first heard “No One Knows” — and watched Dave Grohl on drums — and instantly became a fan of Queens of the Stone Age. Now, all these years later… they rock just as hard.
The lights dimmed at the Mann Center’s Skyline Stage, and a countdown began on small tiled screens. When we got to zero, five silhouettes took the stage and tore into “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire.” The crowd went wild. That wildness continued as QOTSA moved right into “No One Knows.” Lead singer Josh Homme was the definition of a true rock ’n’ roller — producing razor-sharp guitar riffs with crooning vocals that sounded just as good, if not better, than album quality. Equally impressive were his gyrating hips. It’s no wonder they call him The Ginger Elvis.
The band was cast in near-darkness, and was merely silhouettes behind the dimly lit, foggy stage. While we may have not seen every expression, we felt the energy. As hard as Queens of the Stage came in, they ended just as strongly, closing with “Go With the Flow.” The same returned for an encore: “The Vampyre of Time and Memory,” with Homme on the piano. “The venue said we have time for one more song, so we’re gonna do two,” said the soft-spoken Homme before tearing through “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” and closing with “A Song for the Dead.”
Opening the show was Unlocking the Truth, three eighth graders, yes eighth graders, who left nearly everyone in awe. Also opening was Mrs. Homme herself, Brody Dalle.
SETLIST
- You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire
- No One Knows
- My God is the Sun
- Smooth Sailing
- I’m Designer
- Monsters in the Parasol
- I Sat by the Ocean
- …Like Clockwork
- If I Had a Tail
- Little Sister
- In the Fade
- The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died
- Fairweather Friends
- Make It With Chu
- Sick, Sick, Sick
- The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
- Go With the Flow
ENCORE
- The Vampyre of Time and Memory
- Feel Good Hit of the Summer
- A Song for the Dead
