Concert review: Them Crooked Vultures at Metro
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/08/concert-review-them-crooked-vultures-at-metro.htmlThe term “super group” gets thrown around way too often in rock, but in the case of Them Crooked Vultures, it applies. The group consists of the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl on drums, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme on guitar, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards. The trio made its international debut and capped off Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago with a 75-minute performance that began at midnight Monday at a jam-packed Metro. Grohl discussed his hopes for the group as many as four years ago, and the three have been working on an album in Los Angeles this year. But the music has been a mystery; none of the tracks has leaked on the Internet, and the group’s future plans are shrouded in secrecy.
After debuting a dozen songs at Metro, the group made it very clear that it’s not only for real, but also has the chance to be the exception to the super-group rule. Most of these Frankenstein projects usually end up being less than the sum of their parts, but Crooked Vultures sounded like it was on to something fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty. Grohl is in many ways the linchpin. One of the great drummers in rock, he was the man who put the wallop in Nirvana, and also anchored the finest Queens of the Stone Age album, “Songs for the Deaf” (2002). His work on this night was astonishing, a clinic in brute force and finesse that was exhilarating and exhausting to observe at close quarters. Homme handled lead vocals and guitar, and was unusually clear-eyed and affable, playing with more precision than he usually musters in Queens. And Jones, whose music with Led Zeppelin is an obvious touchstone for both his bandmates, was a huge presence with his variety of four-, six- and eight-string basses, a match for Grohl’s power and a counterpoint for Homme’s melodies. The group was rounded out by Queens alumnus Alain Johannes on guitar.
The set’s foundation was hard rock and hard edges, with Jones and Grohl going toe-to-toe in the engine room. Homme played more with texture and layering sounds on his guitar, the first memorable riff showing up four songs into the set on “Dead End Friends.” His high vocals were often bolstered by harmonies from Grohl, Johannes and even Jones. There were a couple of red herrings: “Bandoliers”” flirted with tenderness (Homme introduced it as a love song) and “Interlude w/ Ludes” came off as a prank, with Jones on keytar and a shimmying Homme in lounge-crooner mode.
Otherwise, it was wrecking ball time, with the arrangements sometimes taking several turns before resolving. Two epic tracks stood out. “Daffodils,” which hinted at psychedelia with reverb effects on the vocals and a massive bass tone, was capped by a Jones piano solo. And “Warsaw” ebbed and flowed, winding down to a low-key guitar-bass exchange before building back up into a slamming finale. History tells us that super groups usually don’t last very long. But at least this particular one is off to a rousing start.
Them Crooked Vultures set list at Metro:
Elephants
New Fang
Scumbag Blues
Dead End Friends
Bandoliers
Mind Eraser (No Chaser)
Gunman
Daffodils
Interlude w/ Ludes
Caligulove
Warsaw
Nobody Loves Me
