The Pageant’s recent show featuring Queens of the Stone Age was a retrospective concert, as the band stuck entirely to their first album for the main part of the show. The music from their 1998 album has not lost any of its violent force.
As soon as they hit the stage the band punched out their first song, Regular John, taking no time for introductions. Loud and powerful, the crunching guitars and deep bass made their point quickly – that there would be no rest until they left the building – with drummer Joey Castillo looking something like a maniac ready to kill you with a pair of drum sticks.
Lead singer and guitarist Josh Homme commanded the stage, both in performance and size. His melodic voice was a sharp contrast to the full frontal assault of the guitars, giving the band the vicious but enticing sound they maintained throughout the night. Every song had something that drew you into it. However, never let you get comfortable, mostly because it was busy pounding the inside of your skull with pure rock force.
The dark and heavy sound was maintained throughout most of the night, with guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen adding crunch and power, and occassionally maracas to the mix. Homme’s power was evident as his guitar wailed, ripped and tore through everything it could. Bassist Michael Shuman rocked his head back and forth, sending his hair flying back and forth, barely maintaining its grip on his skull.
The band finished “Walkin’ on the Sidewalks,” their fourth song of the night, off with a long, loud and powerful jam, assailing the crowd with the sonic force of a jet-powered bulldozer.
Then things got weird on “You Would Know,” opening with eerie techno-telephonic noises from Dean Fertita’s keyboards and a relentless riff that made it feel like something in the noise was coming out to get you.
After taking a moment to comment on the audience’s stillness – the crowd did not rock nearly as hard as the music, though that would be asking a lot – Homme and crew got even louder and more furious, with their power going out of control on “Hispanic Impression.” They maintained their power high until a smoke break just before the chilled-out and nearly up-beat “I Was a Teenage Hand Model,” as Homme delivered his version of a croon and a near sing-along chorus and a solo that added more emotion to the song than his vocals ever could.
Having cooled down a bit, Homme chucked his cigarette over his shoulder while stepping back up to the microphone to deliver the closer, “You Can’t Quit Me Baby,” a fitting song to end the set on.
The finale was loud and seemingly never-ending, picking up in power and speed, the bassist and drummer flipping out, while Homme’s fingers flew across his fret board, choosing whether or not to strum at his leisure, until the entire band came together in a crash of pure, unbridled sound, like semi-trucks colliding at full speed.
The encore saw five of Queens’ better-known songs. “Long Slow Goodbye” was the opening song for the encore set, followed by the pulsing, stomping “Burn the Witch.” For the first time that night the majority of the crowd was able to sing along, and did so happily. The radio friendly trend continued with “Little Sister,” and Homme dedicated “Make It Wit Chu” “to the ladies.”
The band closed out the set with a rendition of “Go With the Flow” that was far too intense to ever be accurately committed to record. It is a wonder the Pageant was still standing once they left the stage.
