Shows > Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures Rock The Roxy
By Johnny Firecloud
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Last night’s surprise warm-up show at the Roxy by Them Crooked Vultures was a deafening barrage of pure rock ecstasy that lives up to the archives of praise they’ve quickly amassed in these tubes. Only a few hundred crammed inside the tiny club for a smaller rendition of what’s to come tonight at the band’s Wiltern show, which coincides with the release of their phenomenal eponymous debut album today.
My hearing is a constant state of distant, impossibly high-pitched whirring, my senses are jarred and surging adrenaline has given way to the onset of a musical hangover.
The performance was fantastic. Here’s what you need to know, at least for now:
Setlist: Elephants / Dead End Friends / Scumbag Blues / Gunman / Highway 1 / New Fang / Caligulove / Bandoliers / Mind Eraser / Daffodils / Interlude w/ Ludes / Reptiles / Nobody Loves Me / Warsaw
Non-album track Highway 1 was played – an eerie, echoing psychedelia whirlwind countering Grohl’s immense pounding and skittering backbeats. If you’d like some lyrics, I got what I think is the first verse shoved in my hand on my way out the door:
The sun sets on Highway 1
Saturn will devour his son
Ghosts on the run forever
There’s no Hell
There’s no Heaven
We must go home, home my brother
Wrong once before
Now wrong another
Saturn will devour his son
As the sun sets on Highway 1
More lyrics:
There was a marked growth in confidence among the entire band, having road-tested the songs. The first two times we saw them, back during our trip to Austin City Limits in October, the band was still trying to keep up with the spazzing robot riffs, the tempo changes, the succession of sudden back doors that are precisely what make them so hauntingly badass.
Them Crooked Vultures’ debut album is in stores today, and in honor of the occasion, we’ve got one more exclusive clip from our interview with Josh Homme in Austin, where the crooked frontman explains the pressures and need for secrecy as the project came together. Check it out:
See the rest of our interview with Homme here, and our in-depth review of the debut album here.
UPDATE 11/18: Photos from the band’s show at The Wiltern last night have been posted to Antiquiet’s Facebook Page.
It’a amazing how Grohl express himself much better on the drums then singing or writing.
Waiting for Brasil dates.
Alright, a fansite it is
Fansite yes…but a big reason I check this website daily haha.
Damnit, I wanna read the review but I don’t wanna because I’m going to try and get in to the show tonite and want to be surprised….but the pix as usual are stellar. JPJ on his various instruments……fantastic.
Yeah I’m kinda worried I won’t be able to find a ticket outside, but I’m gonna try anyway. Commando style. 100 bucks and a pocketful of determination. Plus, the Rock Gods are in my favor. I pay my dues. Nervous though…..
I REALLY NEED TO SEE THIS FUCKING SHOW!!!!!!!
Wish me luck.
Not sure how to contact you zoopster but i have an extra ticket. $110 and its yours. Normally i’d give it away at face value but i got laid off last week. Let me know if you’re interested.
Thanx for the review, Johnny. It was great seeing you last night… the gig was fricken’ amazing. And now… I finally get to listed to the songs.
See you there tonight (any chance of aSkwerl sighting?).
peace, my brothers.
i’ll be there tonight. would have been at the roxy if not for some bad clam chowder.
@gamejerk: awesome. Just sent you an email. I will take it!!!!
gotta be careful with that clam chowder……..
Great to see you as well Cosmo! Kudos on holding out until you had the album in your hands. I couldn’t have done it.
I’m still holding out! I was gonna buy the album today before the show, but I think I want to go in with no preconceptions, so I will wait until after. Either way I know I’m gonna be blown away. See you all at the show. Antiquiet, I owe you guys big time.
Still got permasmile from last nights show. Amazing and ferocius. Great seeing/meeting everyone.
shit I thought I spelled that wrong………”ferocious”….. yessssss.
It’s like these motherfuckers are physically attacking you with their music. CD more than stands up compared to the stellar live versions. Digging the production as well.
posted some photos from the wiltern show to our facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/antiquiet
Wish I could have gone, but had a bad bad case of the flu. JPJ would be pissed if I shit myself in front of him.
Hope your feeling better too Skwerl.
Laughing at the bad clam chowder thing…sorry:-).
[...] Photos by Antiquiet [...]
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