The Black Keys, St. Vincent
Time Warner Cable Arena
Dec. 12, 2014

If you were at the Bojangles' Coliseum show two-and-a-half years ago, you saw the majority of the Black Keys setlist they performed on Friday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Outside of six songs — four of which are from the band's latest album, Turn Blue — the songs remained the same. It's always bizarre to me when a talented band continues to mine the same ground instead of spreading its wings on a few more rarities and fan favorites.

Casting aside my pet peeve of bands not changing up a setlist, that Bojangles' show also gave singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney time to harken back to the old days and perform a couple songs as a duo. There'd be none of that this time around. The Black Keys have officially transformed into an arena rock band, backed by the formidable bass playing of Richard Swift and keyboard work of John Clement Wood.

But these are minor complaints. The Black Keys put on a solid rock show, complete with 17 moving video screens, blankets of lighting and plenty of singalong choruses to please the throngs of fans filling the venue.

The band kicked things off with "Dead and Gone" from its 2011 album, El Camino. The upbeat groove quickly set the tone for the night as the band would go on to roll through 21 songs of rock infused with blues and soul.

They slowed things down a few times with songs like slow-rolling "Too Afraid to Love You," but even in those moments, Auerbach found plenty of time to unleash guitar licks and solos that served the song while showcasing a bit of his talents.

The band threw in one cover — Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" — while thrilling the crowd with its classic rock sounds and solid musicianship. A good portion of the general admission section of the audience danced for set-closer "Lonely Boy" (no surprise there) before the band returned for a three-song encore closing with "Little Black Submarines."

Quirky, alt-rock St. Vincent opened the night with a 10-song set focused on her fourth, and most-recent, self-titled album. The performance was stellar and polarizing — one guy near me said, "She's awesome, but really fuckin' weird" while another concert-goer, a girl, said she wanted to be St. Vincent.

The Black Keys setlist
Dead and Gone
Next Girl
Run Right Back
Same Old Thing
Gold on the Ceiling
Strange Times
Nova Baby
Leavin' Trunk
Too Afraid to Love You
Howlin' for You
A Girl Like You
Money Maker
Gotta Get Away
She's Long Gone
Fever
Tighten Up
Your Touch
Lonely Boy

Encore
Weight of Love
Turn Blue
Little Black Submarines

St. Vincent setlist
Rattlesnake
Cruel
Marrow
Cheerleader
Prince Johnny
Regret
Birth in Reverse
Digital Witness
Huey Newton
Bring Me Your Loves