🎧 Downbeat.fm Vol. 6 Track 11

Earlier this year, Queens of the Stone Age released a short 5-song film and EP of them performing in the Paris Catacombs. Yes, those catacombs.

The environment was perfect for the rearranged songs chosen from across their catalog. Josh Homme's vocals and the band's (mostly) acoustic instruments reverberated throughout the catacombs, creating an eerie yet familiar sound.

After the film and EP were released, the band announced a short, intimate 20-city tour spanning 10 countries across Europe and North America. I was lucky enough to get tickets for my wife, two friends, and me for the Austin date.

I did everything possible to avoid spoilers, photos, and the setlist. Besides the songs from the EP, I wanted to go into the experience completely unaware of what was coming, and it was totally worth it.

I don’t want to say too much about the show since it’ll be airing on Austin City Limits on PBS in the new year, but will say they took the 5-song EP and expanded it into an amazing evening of music.

The show was split into three acts. The first act was the songs from the film and EP, then in act two it started to get weird (in a really good way) and the music that you know and love was transformed into a new entity from the band and the local orchestral musicians (tuba, violin, cello, and more).

On more than one occasion I leaned over to my wife and whispered “this is extremely my shit”. I was lost in the cacophony of sounds coming from these two wildly different groups of musicians who were creating something new and amazing.

It was an epic night, and is the greatest live performance that I have ever seen. It’s going to take a lot to top this, if anything can.

Prior to the tour starting the band said they wanted people to dress up for the show - whatever that meant to you. I told my wife and friends that I am looking at this as “goth prom” and my amazing wife indulged my ridiculousness as she always does.

November's Playlist

This month's playlist features The Dodos, Living Hour, Kicking Giant, Abby Sage, VIAL, The Beths, and more!

Listen to this month's playlist on:

Quick Listening and Other Links

Last year I wrote about bands or artists "selling out" and how ""offensive"" it was back in the 90s and we'd dismiss bands that we felt cashed out. As I got older I adopted the belief of "Good for them. Get paid when, where, and how you can." Now bands are selling their music catalogs to solidify their futures. Slipknot was one of the more recent ones, and they sold their catalog to a horrible private equity firm. Private equity firms are a parasite that sucks the value out of everything they touch and leave behind a dead and decaying husk.

Earlier this month Neil Young turned 80, and to celebrate Stereogum asked 80 artists what their favorite Neil Young song was.

Some highlights from some artists featured on Downbeat.fm:

• Matt Berninger (The National) - Without Rings
• Frank Black (Pixies) - Winterlong
• Jim James (My Morning Jacket) - Harvest Moon
• Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) - Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)
• Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) - Ohio
• Patrick Stickles (Titus Andronicus) - Love and Only Love
• Michael Stipe (REM) - Pocahontas
• Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) - Cinnamon Girl

If I had to pick some of my favorite Neil Young songs, these would be on the list:

• Cinnamon Girl
• Harvest Moon
• Down by the River
• Helpless
• A Man Needs a Maid
• Heart of Gold
• Cortez the Killer
• Long May You Run