One of the best things about my job is being able to give listeners an experience they will never forget, and tickets to see bands they love.
Another great thing about my job is being able to experience these things with my listeners.
The Black Keys came to Credit One Stadium on August 30, 2022. For the first time ever, they did a VIP Soundcheck party; not only was I able to attend, but I also had the opportunity to get some of our amazing listeners into the experience as well.
We lined up outside of Credit One around 2pm on a muggy, Charleston Tuesday. As hot as it was, it was well worth it. There was a crowd of about 20 people, ages 4 to 54. We were fans from all walks of life, anticipating the chance to see Dan and Patrick hours before their show. We were not allowed to take pictures or video, but I don’t think I’ll need them to remember how cool it was to sit in the front row of an empty stadium and watch their magic. They started with ‘Fever,’ one of my favorites, and rolled right into ‘Gold on the Ceiling,’ a radio favorite. Afterwards, Patrick handed his drum sticks to 2 lucky fans, and they thanked us for coming out.
The soundcheck made the anticipation for the actual show even higher; I was a Black Keys concert virgin. I went home to change, and came back to watch the opening act Early James. They were definitely entertaining! Check them out: Early James on Spotify
Hometown heroes, Band of Horses, was up next. I had never seen them in concert either and they did not disappoint. The crowd’s energy for them made the performance even better.
Then, the moment we had all been waiting for: The Black Keys. They started with ‘I Got Mine’ from the 2008 ‘Attack & Release’ album, and then they growled their way right into ‘Howlin’ For You,’ one of my personal favorites from their ‘Brothers’ album.
I danced for almost two hours straight. It was everything I expected from Dan and Patrick, and then some. The encore was perfect: They came back with ‘Little Black Submarines,’ which is my favorite BK song. They topped off the evening with their biggest streaming song, and a fan favorite, ‘Lonely Boy.’ It was the icing on the cake.
Check out the setlist, plus my pictures. They are not professionally done, so no judgement! I was doing my best while I was dancing. -Sadie
