Original image of Queens of the Stone Age by There Stands the Glass.
Ushers and security personnel had a rough night at Starlight Theatre on Wednesday, September 20. About thirty minutes into Queens of the Stone Age’s headlining set, frontman Josh Homme encouraged the approximately 5,000 members of the audience to crowd toward the stage.
Homme’s insistence that Starlight’s employees were “working for me” didn’t go well. Scofflaws aren’t welcome at the regimented outdoor venue. I monitored testy skirmishes between belligerent fans and determined staff from my vantage point in a (comped) seat up front for the next 45 minutes.
I eventually retreated to uncontested territory as Queens of the Stone Age revamped the riff-based, swing-inflected classic rock of Cream amid the chaos. Groovy!
I hadn’t understood the appeal of Viagra Boys. Now that I’ve taken in the band’s cheeky visual component, I finally get it. The concert began with Jehnny Beth’s tormented take on industrial rock. My skepticism of the very concept of Big Rock in 2023 was- for the moment, anyway- vanquished.