Fresh off of Austin City Limits, the Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Stone Age brought the fury Monday night to the Verizon Wireless Theater. The speakers poured pure energy for about two hours resonating through the mostly empty second level seats, and fueling what became a packed general admission crowd on the floor.
The atmosphere was electric; the crowd made up of wild animals, riled up before the feast, rudely shoving through the clusters of high school girls with their rebellious boyfriends, while the nicotine fiends filled the air with smoke.
As the Arctic Monkeys took the stage, the tension in the air burst against high-voltage airwaves causing the crowd to explode in frenzy. The indie-rock band from England put on a great show, fueled by around 200 people singing along with lead singer Alex Turner.
With a mixture of hard-pumping punk synergy and moments of cool and calming riffs, the Arctic Monkeys showed that they stand on their own. The stage presence was worthy of a stadium-packed performance and cleaner than any Johnny-come-lately biting off cheap pop-punk lines and emo lyrics.
After The Monkeys finished their hour-long set, piles of high school kids began to recede from the front lines, as the brigade of hard rockers moved forward in their place.
Front man, and redheaded giant Josh Hommes proclaimed, "I’m designer" in the Queens latest release, Era Vulgaris. Chandeliers straight out of Whoville, however, decorated with chains and plastic crystals are a far cry from the enormous and colorful stage setups in years past.
As Queens of the Stone Age took the stage, it was clear that the boys have been sent to bed and the men have come to egg-on the mixture of drunken fools and die hard fans.
As wave after wave of psychedelic metal hit the crowd, my body was consistently forced to submit to the surges of crowd surfers and mildly aggressive pits that would stir up. The stellar set list was mixed with half old hits and half of the new record.
This is the most exciting part about seeing a Queens’ show. The second a person hears a song such as "Misfit Love," or "Sick, Sick, Sick" on the album, he or she knows it’s going to be even better live, with raw fury. The show peaked with "Suture up your Future," a slow song that ascends to a melodic chorus. The Queens closed the show with "No One Knows" for their only encore.
The aftermath of sweaty fans and soaring beer cups, now crushed on the floor, was all that remained. The Arctic Monkeys really got the show started with a crisp performance, but it is clear that Homme and the Queens owned the crowd from the jump.
