October 2^nd 2009:

Set-List:

Elephants
Dead End Friends

Mind Eraser (No Chaser)
Scumbag Blues
Gunman
Caligulove
Bandoliers
Daffodils
Interlude w/ ludes
Reptiles
New Fang
Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I
Warsaw

Them Crooked Vultures started early and played long, changing up the setlist from their performance at Stubb’s the night before and leaving a wake of jaws on floors from a crowd that was entirely unfamiliar with their sound. Speaking of sound, they were far and away the loudest band to set foot on ACL grounds thus far. 100 yards away, waiting for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to begin on the AMD stage, screaming was still required for any conversation.

Sweaty, crammed bodies in the sweltering Southern heat throbbed in understandable shit-grinning awe as Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones and Alain Johannes ripped through a thirteen-song set that stretched nearly ninety minutes and was packed with more swagger, groove and all-out pounding Rock assault than anyone had dared to expect.

The crowd was a roaring beast of approval from the moment the band first appeared onstage, but the reactions intensified exponentially when it became clear that the sum of the band’s immensely impressive individual parts transcends any possible expectation. This band is the real deal, and I scored the very first interview on the band with frontman Josh Homme.

As for the songs themselves, there was zero filler, zero beer-break ballads. Every moment of every song was somehow captivating, whether it was Jones rocking a 12-string bass as Homme shredded a squealing solo, or Grohl giving his drums a beating like they’ve never seen before. The band reveled in the fact that the crowd had no idea what the hell they were in for, making good on our trust at every given opportunity. Daffodils featured a beautiful keyboard outro by Jones, who then strapped on a keytar for Interlude w/Ludes, a sex-lounge jam that found frontman Homme trading his guitar for seductive poses all across the stage. Reptiles followed, a definite show highlight that brought the group in a tight circle around Dave’s kit, riding tight through several false endings, sharp turns and mindblowing rhythmic interactions through the course of what felt like twenty minutes.

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