The Black Keys with Eddie 9V at Allianz Amphitheater (August 1, 2026) 

The Good, the Bad, and the Disappointing

I’ve been tracking The Black Keys since a few tracks from Brothers made their way onto my college freshman playlist. I’ve held their gritty, blues-infused catalog in high regard for over a decade, along with Dan Auerbach’s solo work and side project The Arcs. Naturally, catching them live for the first time at Richmond’s Allianz Amphitheater (armed with complimentary tickets and a couple of good buddies) felt like a long-overdue milestone. A summer night concert by the river in cool, overcast weather with a breeze rolling off the James? The setup was immaculate.

The Opener: Raw and Unfiltered 

Atlanta’s Eddie 9V kicked off the evening looking like he strolled straight off the set of Swamp People and into a cowboy hat. With a “what you see is what you get” swagger backed by a tight quintet including guitar, bass, keys, and drums, he won the crowd over instantly. No backing tracks, no gimmicks, just soulful southern blues rock sprinkled with a few goofy jokes. He set a high bar for the night.

The Main Event: High Atmosphere, Low Altitude 

By 8:40 PM, with the sky fading into dark shades of orange and purple, city lights gleaming, and a train rumbling past the tracks, the mood was set. The Black Keys took the stage to roaring applause and opened strong with "Heavy Soul."

Then came "Fever." What should have been an early highlight felt remarkably disjointed, dragged down by sloppy, unfocused drumming. A cover song followed with little improvement, though they briefly found their footing during a high-octane rendition of "Gold on the Ceiling" that finally got the sold-out lawn moving for a brief period of time.

The Verdict: Going Through the Motions 

Just as I thought they’d shaken off the rust and hit their stride, they launched into "Weight of Love," one of the finest tracks in their catalog, and completely sucked the air out of it. The notes were mostly correct, but the soul was missing. There was no juice, no mojo, no special sauce that makes that song what it is on the record. 

The remainder of the set sputtered along with sluggish energy and surprisingly loose musicianship. As a musician myself, I appreciate raw tones, playing styles, and occasional improvisation, but this felt less like live organic magic and more like an unrehearsed rehearsal. The persistent rhythmic issues on the drums, from rushing and dragging the beat to completely missing the timing of fills, made it hard to stay immersed and was downright cringeworthy at times. 

There’s something charming about their garage-rock roots, and the analog, 1970s-style lack of polish might appeal to purists. But for a band with two decades of discography and touring experience, the performance fell remarkably flat. I’ll gladly keep blasting their studio records on road trips and around the bonfire, but as far as their live show goes, one run was enough.