By Erin Lee
Photo by Larry Marano
Queens of the Stone Age brought the heat to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida last night. As most concert goers know, bands typically save their most well known song for the end of the show. QOTSA turned that notion on its head by opening the evening with their ubiquitous 2002 hit "No One Knows."I have a personal bias toward their 2013 album ...Like Clockwork. I was pleased to see the band does too, as the setlist contained as many tracks from this album as it did their newest one.Standouts included "My God is the Sun" and "If I Had a Tail."
Singer Joshua Homme addressed the crowd with a mix of witty banter and genuine sincerity throughout the evening."I'm from the desert and I mean this as a compliment. You guys in Florida are fucked up." We all laughed and cheered in agreement. He reminded us there's "no smoking in the theater," while taking a slow drag from his cigarette.
We were encouraged to do whatever we wanted once the lights went down. Later in the set, Josh took to the mic again to share with the crowd that he should say more often how happy he is to be performing for us, and how much he enjoys seeing everyone in the audience "just being free, dancing and being themselves."
Musically the band took us to dark and twisted places, shredding guitars and pounding drums with a steady intensity cutting through the room and enveloping everything it reached. "Make It Wit Chu" carried swaggering guitar solos and a sexy sing along where the frontman remarked: "I think Florida girls are the best in the world."
The band rounded out the set with four tracks from the early days, including "A Song For the Dead."
A defiant mic drop was followed with feedback.
If you didn't leave a Queens of the Stone Age show feeling infinitely cooler, you did it wrong. The vibe is the kind you carry with you walking out of the venue with a little swagger in your step.
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