But they haven't lost the humility, a surprising characteristic that shone throughout their live performance at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Surprising given Josh Homme just exudes macho charisma (and there’s obviously been a few corresponding news stories here and there). Seeing them live is reminiscent of Foo Fighters in the way they obviously care so much about the crowd and their live experience.
There are a lot of similarities – they play a long ass set, Homme speaks lovingly to the crowd, picks out youngsters and individuals alike for special praise, credits and jokes with his band members often and Jon Theodore (a la Jon Freese, Taylor Hawkins et al) plays mad drum solos.
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They also sound fantastic – although Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s sumptuous acoustics on a windless evening deserve a lot of credit – and take liberties with their tracks to great effect. One highlight was a near-10 minute rendition of Make It Wit Chu that turned into a cover of Rolling Stones’ Miss You.
The length of their live shows is particularly endearing. Encores kinda suck, but when they turn into hit after hit after hit featuring long solos rather than the standard two tracks, while you rock out in disbelief, then there is something special about them. Their riffs are often characterised by this hypnotic quality that takes you back to the desert generator parties that have garnered so many column inches over the years, drawing listeners into a groove-laden experience. They boast some of the best riffs in the business – Little Sister is basically a classic song purely on the strength of that riff – and their rhythm section, anchored by bassist Michael Shuman and Theodore, adds a robust foundation to the band’s sound that adds so much substance to their live performances.
Also like Foo Fighters, they have a fairly restrained too cool for cool stage presence during songs and a complimentary lighting set up. Although it should be said, it’s always a tad disappointing when the lights a totally new level right at the end of a set, especially with a band with as many iconic songs as QOTSA. We were also admittedly a little shattered not to witness You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar live, given they’ve played it as an audience request in multiple other shows this tour – experiencing how impactful that song is live, we’ll have to save for YouTube binges.
Still, these are very minor criticisms of an otherwise amazing live show. At the core of their musical style is still that heavy, riff-driven approach that harks back to the roots of rock and roll, a near-universally appreciable experience that we can thoroughly recommend to just about anyone these days.
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