The Black Keys in Brooklyn, New York

Written by: Arianna Conti

The Black Keys circled their Peaches N’ Kream World Tour back to New York four days after their sold-out show in Port Chester at the Capitol Theater, and the city welcomed them with two sold-out shows at the Brooklyn Paramount. The Brooklyn Paramount has been considered a favorite amongst locals, having just reopened to live music in 2024 after its curtains closed in 1962. The sloped floor leaves no bad spot in the house and, being only a block away from the subway, it’s no surprise that the venue hit their capacity of 2,700 guests on a Monday night. 

The show opened with Miles Kane, formerly of Arctic Monkeys and the Rascals. The English rockstar played his first ever solo show in New York by supporting The Black Keys, which doubled as his final stop on tour with them. His three man band, consisting of one bassist and one drummer, with Kane on guitar and vocals, rocked the stage for roughly 40 minutes. His grungey/funky sound was a hit with the crowd, as each song garnered more applause than the last. Kane’s collaboration with Daniel Auerbach (half of The Black Keys duo) on his 2025 record, Sunlight in the Shadows, was the perfect recipe to warm the crowd up for The Keys, and an excellent move for his career.

Initially, only Auerbach and Patrick Carney, the men who founded The Black Keys in Akron, Ohio  and brought it around the globe, were on stage. They revved the crowd up with some favorites before bringing in Eric Deaton (bass, doubled as the bassist for Kane) and Barrie Cadogan (guitar). Two guitarists on stage meant two things; lots of pretty guitars for the remainder of the show, and solos that ripped even harder live. The way that Auerbach and Cadogan bounced off of each other electrified the room. Finally, the group added its final members, Jimbo Mathus (keyboard), a percussionist (the drummer from Miles Kane’s set), and a third guitarist, totaling seven musicians on stage.

Something that sets this psychedelic rock group apart from the rest is their reliance on good sound rather than gimmicky theatrics, although their use of trippy hydro-dip backdrops was unique and enhanced the experience. This concert was for people who wanted to hear good rock music, and the band absolutely delivered. These were the kinds of guys you wanted to grab a beer with after the show, and that’s not just because of their stylistic and coordinated decision to wear indoor sunglasses. 

Dabbling in genres ranging from blues, to funk, to psychedelic rock, the band has not only changed the order of their setlist every night, but has played multiple songs in keys that differ from their recordings. Everlasting Light was one that had the crowd roaring from start to finish, some noting that they preferred the live version opposed to the recording. The transition from Wild Child to She’s Long Gone caused an eruption across the floor, and it fooled next to no one into leaving at the chance of missing a more-than-likely encore. Resulting in an almost two hour set and enough guitar crunch to make you want to headbang, fans exited the show saying that this was “the best that they have ever sounded live.”