A double dose of rock came through CMAC last Saturday night for the last actual concert of the 2025 season. The Black Keys and Gary Clark Jr. played to a very strong crowd. This was my very first time taking in The Black Keys. I have seen Gary Calrk Jr. perform numerous times since my first introduction to him back at a small club in Williamsville, NY in 2011.
First up was Clark Jr. The 41 one year old multiple Grammy Award winner dished out a seven-song hour long set. Those tunes consisted of some standards like the opening track “Catfish Blues” to a cool tune called “Feed the Babies.” Due to Clark’s solid playing on the 6th string, his notoriety has risen considerably since my first time seeing him 14 years ago. King Zapata accompanied him on guitar and traded off leads and rhythms the entire night. They made for a perfect duo. The set closed with Clark Jr.’s most popular song in “Bright Lights.” After the performance, the crowd gave the band a much deserving standing ovation.
The Black Keys took to the stage at 8:30pm. The band hails from Akron, Ohio and there were things shown throughout the show saying as much. On August 8, 2025, the band released their 13th studio effort called ‘No Rain, No Flowers.’ The duo consists of Dan Auerbach on guitar & vocals and Patrick Carney on drums. The two took to the stage and played the first 2 songs before the curtain behind them rose and a full backing band accompanied them throughout the rest for the set. For “Everlasting Light,” A disco ball dropped as the lights shined off that and the metallic streamers they had for a backdrop. Auerbach showed his guitar prowess throughout the show but for me, it was no more evident than on the back to backs songs of “Lo/Hi” and “Weight of Love.” Auerbach showed some true wizardry on the guitar. For “Next Girl,” the band used some interesting graphics on the video screen that took you back to the late 70’s or early 80’s. Auerbach did some whistles to start off the track “Tighten Up.” Carney was as solid as they come and really was the driving force throughout the show. As stated before, the call letters of WTBK Akron was showing up on the video screen backdrop throughout the show. The band played 4 new tracks off of ‘No Rain, No Flowers” including the cool song “Down to Nothing.” The band came out to do 2 encores including “Lonely Boy.”
I will say, I didn’t know what to expect from The Black Keys. I came away from the show with a new appreciation as the band really impressed me. They delivered the songs with energy and precision. Also, something else I took away from the show is that I didn’t see an overwhelming amount of people holding their phones during the show either. It shows that deep connection between the band and its fans. Even though it was the 1st time seeing The Black Keys, I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Setlist:
Thickfreakness/The Breaks/I’ll Be Your Man
Your Touch
Gold on the Ceiling
Wild Child
I Got Mine
Everlasting Light
Man on a Mission
Weight of Love
Psychotic Girl
A Little Too High
Next Girl
Tighten Up
Lo/Hi
Too Afraid to Love You
On the Road Again (Canned Heat cover)
No Rain, No Flowers
Down to Nothing
Fever
Heavy Soul
Howlin’ for You
She’s Long Gone
Encore:
Little Black Submarines
Lonely Boy
We would like to thank Jordynn Gould from CMAC for the credentials to review the show.
