Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Key Club

Baby 81 was one of the top albums of 2007 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club toured relentlessly in its support. I managed to catch a few of those shows at the House of Blues San Diego, Wiltern, Greek Theatre, Shoreline Amphitheatre and their video shoot for "Berlin" at Little Radio. The announcement of a few final shows to close the touring book on Baby 81 led me to immediately purchase tickets for their show at the Key Club.

The Key Club was beyond packed as I was unable to secure a decent vantage point on the floor which led me upstairs for a bird's eye view. Peter Hayes (Guitars/Vocals) came out with a lone Gibson acoustic guitar as he delicately strummed out the chords of the B-Side "Grind My Bones". Peter's guitar slidework was excellent as always giving the song an enhanced loose vibe that would linger for the duration of the night. Unfortunately, some of the upstairs patrons must have been drinking quite heavily as one audience member was yelling in between each song the same string of profanity laced encouragements. "Complicated Situation" highlighted Peter's guitar abilites mixed with some passionate harmonica playing. The full band joined Peter on stage to a large round of yells and howls from the crowd. Robert Levon Been (Bass/Vocals) triggered some feedback loops that decayed into the dark blues of "Shuffle Your Feet". The fuzz started to rain inside as much as it was pouring outside with the start of "Love Burns". I never get tired of hearing "Berlin" even after the fact that they played it twenty times at the video shoot. "Weapon Of Choice" accelerated the pace of the show and was another clinic in how to effectively play slide guitar. "All You Do Is Talk" had Peter reaching for his violin bow to use on his guitar to start the song. The harmonizing of vocals with Peter and Robert on "All You Do Is Talk" was memorable enough that I didn't have to write it down as a note. "666 Conducer" had a more organic loose vibe to the song with bursts of noise and feedback in all the right areas. "Six Barrel Shotgun" is one of my top five BRMC songs and was stretched out to a mini noise jam. Peter triggered his tremolo pedal to start off "Red Eyes and Tears" before Robert dived into the forboding bass line. "Sympathetic Noose" was played by Robert solo and was followed by the Bob Dylan cover "Visions of Johanna" instead of his other Bob Dylan cover "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll". "American X" was epic as always with an extended feedback ending. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club convincingly closed out their set with a fierce version of "Spread Your Love" and "Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll (Punk Song)". I hope they finish their new album quickly so they can go on tour again.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Setlist at the Key Club (1/24/08)
"Grind My Bones"
"Complicated Situation"
"Shuffle Your Feet"
"Love Burns"
"Berlin"
"Weapon Of Choice"
"Howl"
"All You Do Is Talk"
"666 Conducer"
"Six Barrel Shotgun"
"Red Eyes And Tears"
"Ain't No Easy Way"
"Promise"
"Sympathetic Noose"
"Visions Of Johanna"
"As Sure As The Sun"
"American X"
"Took Out A Loan"
"Killing The Light"
"Spread Your Love"
"Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll (Punk Song)"