The Best Show Ever

Possibly a bit of an overstatement, but given the circumstances I don't believe I could have been more pleasantly surprised.

Dan Auerbach guitarist from the super duo The Black Keys and his new band the Fast Five were playing with the young, up and coming Kentuckians known as Cage the Elephant in a Lollapalooza aftershow at Schuba's. That venue, which barely holds 200, with either act has the potential to be a great show, but both of them together makes it a no miss, even when you consider that it came at the end of a long hot second day at Grant Park.

Or at least it sounds like a good idea, until you reach the end of Lolla that day and standing in a small room with poor ventilation and a hundred or so sweaty dudes seems only slightly ahead of throwing yourself into oncoming traffic. Maybe a little harsh but coming from the remember we used to be great set, known as Depeche Mode, my level of excitement and energy had just about run out.



Luckily Cage front man, Matt Shultz, would provide enough excitement and energy for the entire room. If you have never heard of Cage the Elephant you may want to check out Paul's Lolla preview to better prepare you for the young hard hitting southern rock band. The stage, or any for that matter, was much too small to contain the band's sound let alone Matt as he jumped on, in and through the crowd, hung from the rafters and frequently stared and screamed through the front row of people. I was now revived and ready to see what Dan and the Fast Five had to offer.

After a short break Auerbach and his band took the stage that was already teeming with there instruments, keyboard, multiple guitars, a bass, and two drum sets, while additional fans filtered in knowing that the main act was about to begin. Dan played a loud energy filled set that extended the excitement in the room set by Cage.

Photos taken by Kristen Waszkowski.

No 40: Dan Auerbach and the Fast 5

Dan Auerbach is probably best know as the lead guitarist from The Black Keys, a 2-piece blues band from Akron, Ohio. After much success with the band, he released his first solo album, Keep it Hid, in February of 2009, which was recorded at his own Akron Analog studios using mainly vintage equipment. The album highlights include "My Last Mistake" and "I Want Some More," but the album is good noise from start to finish. During solo shows, Dan is backed by the band Hacienda, from San Antonio, Texas, and Patrick Hallahan, the drummer from My Morning Jacket, who have recently taken the name The Fast 5.

Being an avid fan of the band The Black Keys and having listened to the new Auerbach album several times before Dan's most recent Chicago show at the Metro on March 6, I expected a good show from Dan with the rest of the pieces just filling in. The performance was much more than that; it was loud and fast just like any show from the Black Keys, but instead of Dan drowning out the rest of the band, the band played together like they'd been on the road together for years. The tracks were longer and the sound was much deeper than anything I expected. They will be a definite stop of mine at this year's Lolla.


Dan Auerbach on MySpace