Blog: The Black Keys Not Ready for Big Time

American rock band the Black Keys put on a great show for D.C. last Friday, but failed to fill all of Verizon Center's lofty seats with their promised "big-venue sound."

The opening act--English indie rockers the Arctic Monkeys--started the night off red-hot with the funky-furious "Brianstorm" from 2007 album "Favourite Worst Nightmare" Bringing in songs from "Suck It and See" and "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," the primates from across the pond thawed through Washinton's wintry weather with stomping versions of "Library Pictures," "Teddy Picker" and the post-punk-revived "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor." After their closer "If You Were There, Beware," front man-Monkey Alex Turner led the group offstage with Marshall stacks screaming distortion and his British-tongued "Thank you Washington" lingering somewhere in the rafters.

Having warmed the stage with their eclectic lyrical wonderland, the Arctic Monkeys set up the blues duo from Akron, Ohio to take to the stage with a vivacity more commonly seen in local Washingtonian venue 9:30 Club. With a maximum capacity of 1,200 occupants, 9:30 would have catered to the rawness of Black Keys riffs far better than that of the space-like vastness that the Verizon Center provides. Opening their set with the super low-fi hit "Howlin' For You," the Keys rocked everyone from the General Admission ticket groupie in the front row to the bleating pair of inebriated rock moms in the nosebleeds of section 409.

With a light show worthy of a roadside carnival and the stage presence of a stilled Ferris wheel, drummer Patrick Carney plays with a novice intensity, seemingly halted by fear and the lack of creative chops. This, paired with guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach's Midwestern wailings and bassy undertones makes for a difficult transition from the road of "El Camino" to the brilliant Hollywood-infested grounds that true indie bands seek. After their encore performances of "Everlasting Light," "She's Long Gone" and mega-hit "I Got Mine," the Black Keys left the arena full of reverberations and good times, thus ending another spot on their 2012 El Camino Tour.

This show gets a "Not bad" rating on the scale from "Spice Girls" to "Undeniably Worth It."