Despite all the previous 11 acts that day starting on time, Lil’ Wayne decided to buck the trend and make his fans wait for his performance genius. Thirty minutes after he was supposed to take the stage, members of his entourage began milling about, taking pictures of the crowd. After ten minutes of this self-congratulatory circus, a chorus of boos rang out from the audience. Finally, Lil’ Wayne took the stage forty minutes late. In a perfect world, this would have meant that he would play a twenty minute set. However, his fair weather fans were easily mollified by his misogynistic lyrics and air humping to “Pussy Monster”. Someone also thought it would be a good idea to let Lil’ Wayne have a guitar. Please believe me, Lil’ Weezy can’t play the guitar any more than Stephen Hawking can sing Opera. Finally, Kanye West, no stranger to making his fans wait, showed up for a duet.

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I lived in Cleveland during the halcyon days following the release of Ohio’s own Black Keys’ critically acclaimed album, The Big Come Up. There was a feeling in the air that the post-punk/garage rock revival might have some legs and the ‘Keys were releasing album after incredible album at an astounding pace. These were exciting times.

As an introduction to the band, let me say that the Black Keys are absolutely authentic. Their ensemble consists of an economical electric guitar, vocals (Dan Auerbach) and drums (Patrick Carney), but their sound is absolutely colossal. Eschewing chichi L.A. studios, they produce their own recordings in Patrick’s basement using ancient equipment and by hanging microphones over water pipes. Hey, Sgt. Pepper’s was recorded on a 4-track. When that wasn’t gritty enough for them, they laid down sessions in an abandoned Akron, OH rubber factory for an album of the same name (2004). If they sound like the genuine article to you, it’s because they are.

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