PHOTOS: Them Crooked Vultures At Aragon

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on May 19, 2010 6:00PM

Them Crooked Vultures played to a packed Aragon Ballroom last night despite earlier and incorrect reports of sluggish ticket sales. We really enjoyed the supergroup's debut album, and it was obviously that material that drew the crowd even though the audience was clearly split into factions devoted to the group each member of the Vultures is primarily known for; Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters. It made for an interesting mix of people united in single devotion to the almighty riff, bass thump and drum thud.

The core trio of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones was augmented by instrumentalist (and by this time we'd wager honorary Vulture) Alain Johannes and they all came together to deliver crushing rock and / or roll on thunderous lockstep. The only problem was that the band played a two-hour set with only a single album to draw from, necessitating a few too many jam sessions that allowed the audience's focus to wander away from the music and towards the bar or into the swirling tides of idle chatter.

When the band was on, though, they were ON. Grohl and Jones are arguably one of the mightiest rhythm sections out there and even can make even the most minimal material throb mightily under Homme's ghost-witch vocals and cavernous riffs. When it all comes together it's truly entrancing.

The show's setlist, courtesy Greg Kot's review, appears after the jump.

Crooked Vultures, Aragon Ballroom, May 18, 2010

1. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
2. Gunman
3. Scumbag Blues
4. Dead End Friends
5. Elephants
6. Highway One
7. New Fang
8. Bandoliers
9. Interlude with Ludes
10. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
11. Caligulove
12. You Can't Possibly Begin to Imagine
13. Spinning in Daffodils
14. Reptiles
15. Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up