Queens Of The Stone Age Are The Feel Good Hit of The Summer’s End At Stage AE Pittsburgh

By Alan D. Welding on September 15, 2013

The last time I witnessed Josh Homme and company it was at the tight quarters of Club Laga in uptown Pittsburgh with original bassist Nick Oliveri, with guest vocalist Screaming Trees legend Mark Lanegan, as well as former drummer Joey Castillo. That was nearly twelve years, three official releases, and a ton of other projects ago. And Josh Homme’s creative hive of talent has just never not let up that entire time.

First becoming fascinated with Homme’s skills, like many others, in the band Kyuss, I have come to truly appreciate his evolution over time. Last night was a nice encapsulation of that evolution by the signature sounds represented by the set list (see below). With the help of long time guitarist, (since 2002 and also backing vox, keyboard and percussion) Troy Van Leeuwen, guitarist/keyboardist Dean Fertita, bassist Michael Shuman, and new drummer Jon Theodore, Homme brought the goods as always and totally got the Pittsburgh crowd rolling early by delving into early QOTSA right away. With quips like, “My friend backstage told me this crowd was really drunk. Which is great ‘cuz we’re drunk too!” he quickly endeared himself to the drinking town with a football problem (although lately it’s been a baseball problem as next door PNC Park was packed with the Pirates pulling out another win and fireworks going off throughout the set).

The visuals on the big screen were truly amazing and lent themselves to the whole experience as I took in the sights of people truly getting their groove on to that special blend of rock mix that only Queens brings. Highlights of the evening were certainly, “Burn The Witch”, “The Sky Is Fallin'”, “No One Knows”, “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer” and “Song For The Deaf”. The show was a superb way to end the outdoor summer shows and hopefully it will not be so long before QOTSA visit us again.