Queens Of The Stone Age and Royal Blood – Madison, Wis. May 22, 2018
It seemed only appropriate that after the Royal Wedding last weekend, I would go see Queens and Royal Blood. (OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but what the hell.) This was a concert that I wanted to go to but kept trying to talking myself out of it. The setting seemed really cool; a small municipal stadium on the isthmus of Madison, two great bands and what would be my first outdoor show of the year. However, having just seen Queens at Riot Fest about eight months ago, I told myself I would only go if the weather was good and if I could find a ticket for less than face value, (which was pushing $50 with the fees). After a rainy cold Monday, the Tuesday forecast was for skies to clear in the late afternoon and temperatures to warm up. By afternoon, skies were blue and temps in the low 70’s. I procured a $25 ticket on Craigslist and I was off to the show. I found street parking and a nearby dive bar where the bartender and patrons were very friendly. Burger and fries, three IPA’s and a shot each for me and the bartender and I was handed a bar tab of $15.00. So my objective of keeping costs down during my current live music binge continued to pan out.
Breese Stevens Field was a good place for Queens Of The Stone Age to play because it looks like it may have been built during the stone age. It is a small granite stone masonry building, nestled in an old part of the city with industry on the Lake Monona side, a residential neighborhood on the Lake Mendota side and two tall residential buildings on either end. It is an oblong shape for football and soccer. The seating section is probably no more than 20 rows deep and extends around half the stadium. It is in beautiful condition, and has a soft artificial turf field that was very comfortable for standing. There was a fenced off area at the front of the stage, “The Ring,” where tickets were $20 more. I found a nice spot right up against the Ring barrier near the side of the stage. I stayed there for all of Royal Blood and most of QOTSA before I wandered off around the field to get a different sight perspective.
Royal Blood was great. They are a duo that play drums and bass, but the bass is played like a lead guitar. They played a tremendous set. This was the first time I saw them live. QOTSA was fantastic. When I saw them last year at Riot Fest, I was probably a good 50-60 yards from the stage so it was awesome to be up close for this show. I don’t remember Josh Homme talking to the crowd much (or at all) at Riot Fest, but at this show he was rather personable in his own hard-ass way. He told stories of spending time in Madison. I wasn’t sure if that meant he went to school at UW, or lived there for some other reason or if he was just making shit up. He talked about playing in Madison with Ween and bar tending at a bar that was behind the now defunct Smart Studios. (Though some great bands have recorded at Smart Studios, he did not say he ever recorded there and I found no history that would suggest that he did.) The building on the stadium end opposite the stage had many people enjoying the show from their balconies. At one point, Josh had the stadium crowd turn around and wave to all those people and he told them that we were all coming over after the show, “so get the chips and dip ready.” About three songs into the show while he was talking to the crowd, he stumbled on his words, and then added, “I’m fucked-up already, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try hard.”
Their set was not very long, 14 songs and maybe 80-85 minutes and no encore. Based on some social media comments, some people felt ripped off by the short show. Having seen them last year at Riot Fest, I wasn’t surprised. They headlined Day 2 last year and left the stage with 15 minutes remaining in their set time. Having gone to Riot Fest for five straight years, they are the only band I’ve ever seen that did not fill their allotted time. I know I felt a bit ripped off last year, but I was OK with it this time around. The show was an early start, no doubt due to the stadium being in a residential area. Royal Blood went on at 6:45 and QOTSA went on around 8:00 and were done before 9:30. I was back in my hotel room by 10:00, which is not bad at all for a week night show. As far as I was concerned, it was a perfect spring night in an awesome setting with some incredible music. I cannot think of anywhere else I would have rather been.
Queens Of The Stone Age set:
2. The Way You Used to Do
3. You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire
4. You Can't Quit Me Baby
3. I Only Lie When I Love You
