"Homage to Mark Lanegan in his Forever Land"

"When they hit the stage, they're the best rock band in the world. Nobody even gets close. There are amazing live bands that write powerful songs, like Rage Against the Machine. There are amazing live bands that can make the audience go crazy, like The Prodigy. But for musicality and as a musician, you sit and watch Queens of the Stone Age, and you're like, 'That's not fair, what the f*ck?’. Everybody in the band is a f**king badass, and they know it."

Who better than Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters and former drummer of Nirvana, to introduce the review of the Queens of the Stone Age concert in Dublin for the "In Times New Roman" tour? Probably Dave was slightly biased, having been the temporary drummer for QOTSA during the recording of the album "Songs for the Deaf."

But there is no denying the influence and gratitude that even more successful bands (in terms of numbers) have expressed towards QOTSA and, in particular, frontman Josh Homme. To quote one, Alex Turner (frontman of the Arctic Monkeys), after seeking Josh's help in producing the album "Humbug," said, "He came down and sort of got us out of a little rut."

This, besides being the last date of the European tour in 2023, was also the first time the band returned to Irish soil after the death of former member Mark Lanegan, who passed away in Ireland (Killarney) in 2022, granting a very special significance to the concert.

Needless to say, expectations for this concert were extremely high. How did it go?

Performance 

Let's answer right away. The performance of QOTSA, and in particular, frontman Josh Homme, was arguably the best I've ever seen. From their entrance, Josh (vocals and guitar), Troy (guitarist), Michael (bassist), Dean (keyboardist), and Jon (drummer) completely capture your attention. It was 2 hours non-stop of playing and singing with incredible quality and power, not taken for granted considering that some members are in their 50s and that Josh was undergoing cancer treatment just a year ago.

Despite all the members being renowned musicians, there weren't many solos or moments where they showed off their skills. Surely, their songs are sufficient to boast a little bit. I assure you that listening to QOTSA songs on headphones doesn't even compare to the live version. Even the relatively quieter songs have a massive sound that 'slaps you in the face.'

Dave was right when he said they are badasses. Josh, in particular, is certainly a character, sometimes a bit out of the ordinary. He stays relatively still at his station, adjusts his hairstyle, and moves slowly. After seeing him live and knowing that he has helped the Arctic Monkeys in their production over the years, I understand from whom Alex Turner took certain moves and stage presence.

He lights cigarettes between songs. He spits on his hand to lubricate the guitar neck, making it go up and down, alluding to something else. He interacts with the crowd not in the usual way, addressing the entire audience, but he tries to have conversations with individual people with humor, often with very little restraint, making comments about people's outfits like 'look at that girl, I would f*ck her jacket' or 'this is the most p*ssy I have had today' after licking a kitten doll thrown on stage by a fan.

I, like most of the crowd, appreciated it a lot, but I must admit some things he said were a bit over the line. QOTSA, whether you like it or not, is this.

Production

In its simplicity, I greatly appreciated the stage as well. It consisted of three sets of LED lights arranged on three different levels. These lights, in particular, were arranged in a triangular shape, and the effect it gave from my perspective (I was standing a few meters from the stage) was that I was almost being drawn into the stage, creating a great sense of depth. These lights, of course, depending on the songs, changed in effects and colors.

A peculiarity is that the stage was completely open both above and on the sides, so it could easily lend itself to a concert with the audience arranged 360 degrees, although this was not the case. No confetti, fire, or explosions, even though their repertoire would easily allow them to have fun with pyrotechnic elements. I didn't miss it, as they have a very vintage style both in their clothing and movements, so a minimal stage suited them well.

Setlist

Having checked the setlists from previous concerts, I noticed that they vary their song selection a lot from one show to another, without ever sacrificing their most famous songs. With a discography spanning from 1998 to 2023 and 8 albums, they can indeed cover a wide range. It's worth mentioning that the setlist changed so much between concerts that it was excellent for fans attending multiple dates on the tour. For those seeing them only once, it could be a hit or miss depending on personal preferences.

They kicked off immediately with their most famous song, "No One Knows". It's a bold choice as one might typically leave the strongest track for later, but the rest of the setlist was absolutely up to the task. Following that was "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret", one of my favorite songs of theirs. After that, it was a lineup of great hits like "My God Is the Sun", "If I Had a Tail", "Sick, Sick, Sick", "I Sat by the Ocean", and "Little Sister", except three tracks from their latest album "In Times New Roman", which didn't seem to resonate with the audience (in my opinion, "Paper Machete" deserved more).

The atmosphere during "Make It wit Chu" was beautiful, giving people a few minutes to chill after over an hour of non-stop moshing. Very emotional "In the Fade", which in was dedicated to Mark Lanegan, a former member of QOTSA who passed away in 2022. Since the show was in Dublin, on Irish soil, it takes on a completely different meaning, considering Lanegan's passing occurred in Ireland, in Killarney. Last but not least, "Song for the Dead" for an epic finale.

Crowd and Venue

Wow! I had already been to hardcore concerts, and after seeing Slipknot, I thought I had seen it all, but no. I had already sensed from the opening band (we'll talk about them later) that the audience was made of a different kind of crowd and was ready to go hard. Three hours non-stop of pushing, moshing, circle pits, and people crowd-surfing over your head. I have never seen so many people lose their shoes in a concert. 

The crazy thing is that in the front rows, there were girls and guys, men and women of all ages between 18 and 50. It was hot and hard to breathe, but everyone was having the time of their life. I love this atmosphere, but I have to admit that even I, at times, felt like I was having a heart attack. So, my advice to those who want to enjoy the concert standing is to either come prepared psychologically because you won't breathe for 2 hours straight, or give up the front rows and stay a bit further back to enjoy it more peacefully.

As for the venue, I can officially call the 3Arena my second home for how many times I've been there lately. 

A significant drawback, especially now that it's getting cold, is the lack of a cloakroom service for those who buy ground-floor standing tickets. For those sitting, the problem doesn't arise as you can put your jacket on your legs. But for those in the ground floor standing area, you either freeze before entering or sweat once you're inside. 

My advice is to go with a thermal shirt, a T-shirt, and then a heavy fleece. So, once inside, you can take off the thermal shirt and maybe tie the fleece around your waist. Unfortunately, it's challenging to enjoy a concert jumping or going into mosh pits with the anxiety that your clothes might end up on the ground being trampled. They need to find a solution.

Finishing touch

This is one of those concerts that stays with you for a long time, that makes you wake up the morning after with that sense of melancholy that it's all over, and that makes you replay the songs for weeks. I will always have a beautiful memory of this gig. Great news that they will be playing at I-Days in Milan this summer (where we will bring you, Spoiler), with the opening act of the Royal Blood.

 As for The Chats (the opening band), I didn't expect them to have such a following, but most of the crowd seemed to know their songs. An Australian punk band with a very aggressive sound, perhaps sometimes a bit too excessive in my opinion. I found their sound too noisy, and honestly, I struggled to understand the underlying melodies. That being said, I liked them, and they did a great job keeping the audience entertained. I love punk, and it's great to see that there are still young bands keeping this genre alive.

Hot gignwings review

Performance: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Production: 🌶🌶🌶

Setlist: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

Venue: 🌶🌶

Crowd: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶