Thursday night outside the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, NY you could hear the mighty roar of the cataract close by. Stepping inside brought a different kind of roar. The Queens of the Stone Age were back, opening their “Villians” tour in support of their new album of the same name. “Villans” is produced by Mark Ronson and It’s been over two years since they toured last and the Rapids sold out in minutes as the fans had high anticipation for this show.
QOTSA did not disappoint, bringing a long list of hits and new album material to the stage. Opening with “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” Lead guitarist/singer Josh Homme stepped up to the mic and belted out the lyrics with backing from bassist Michael Shuman, lap steel/guitar/keyboard player Troy Van Leeuwen and keyboard/guitarist Dean Fertita. This core four have been together for over twenty years and recently added Jon Theodore on drums.
The band is a tight outfit with all members contributing to the heavy riffing rock sound. “No One Knows” and “My God Is the Sun” followed and the band ked and loaded and ready to go. Homme was jumping and strutting between songs with Shuman doing his trademark head banging body shake. By the end of “If I Had a Tail,” the whole band was dripping with sweat and loving the response from the crowd. The band debuted the songs “The Way You Used to Do” and “The Evil Has Landed.” Both were very well received and should be very popular on this tour. “Go With the Flow” closed the show as the band thanked the crowd while exiting the stage.
QOTSA has built a steady following and the fans at the Rapids were one of a few select dates the band decided to do a warm up show before the band goes onto playing much larger venues. Seeing them up close was a rare treat for these rabid fans and a coup for the venue. Over the last several years, the venue has landed warm up dates for fall Out Boy and Disturbed to name a few.
The band return for a two-song encore of favorites “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and “A Song For the Dead.” This was a highlight show of the summer and the fans showed their appreciation with a thunderous thank-you applause.
Stepping outside to the roar of the mighty Niagara Falls seemed pale in comparison. It was a QOTSA concert this night that was the bigger attraction than the Falls itself.
Setlist:
Feel Good Hit of the Summer
No One Knows
My God Is the Sun
Smooth Sailing
Burn the Witch
Misfit Love
The Vampyre of Time and Memory
If I Had a Tail
Make It Wit Chu
The Way You Used to Do (Live debut)
You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire
3’s & 7’s
Sick, Sick, Sick
I Sat by the Ocean
Little Sister
The Evil Has Landed (Live debut)
Go With the Flow
Encore:
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
A Song for the Dead
We would like to thank Marc Violino from the Rapids Theater for the credentials to review the show.
