The Black Keys & Cage the Elephant Breaks Down the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit

Before you get too excited, they haven’t broken down the Joe Louis Arena yet, but after 12 September it will be a miracle if the stadium survives. What a spectacular concert this is going to be, because you’ve got your good old fashioned garage rock on one side, and some modern garage rock on the other. If this isn’t a garage rock revival I don’t know what is. Watch out Detroit, September is going to be a month to remember.

Let’s start with The Black Keys, a two man band who’s been working their fingers to the bone in order to get some attention. Dan Auerbach (guitars and vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) didn’t exactly walk in the same social circles in school, but music brought them together and thank heavens it did. College dropouts and broke, these two started jamming since high school. Using Carney’s basement as a recording studio, they recorded a quick demo to start promoting themselves for gigs. A small Indie record label by the name of “Alive” was the only company that was willing to sign them at that time.

These two truly had a slow start, given that their first album released in 2002 called “The Big Come Up” didn’t generate many sales. However, it did create a solid fan base which took them to the next level. Mowing lawns to fund their first tour and recording every album in some kind of basement, even after signing with “Nonesuch Records”, placed them in a league of their own. Their 5^th album “Attack & Release” was the first album to see the inside of a professional studio and critics regard it as a masterpiece. The live and raw sound they produced is what makes garage rock such a unique genre.

Cage the Elephant is somewhat of a different story. This 4 piece band came together in 2006 and two years later their debut album “Cage the Elephant” was released and their success grew quite quickly. Just like The Black Keys, they use a mixture of indie, funk and blues in their sound, but their albums are just a little more polished. They also decided to start their careers in the UK which seemed to have helped in their quick shot to fame. Nevertheless, Cage the Elephant sounds great. They have great control over their electric sound and they are breathing new life into garage rock. In 2013 they released their third studio album entitled “Melophobia”.

When these bands come together it’s sure to produce a climax of a different kind. Detroit fans who was so eager to see a decent garage rock show can start lining up, because the walls of the Joe Louis Arena will come down once they start. You don’t get a lot of chances to experience a revival such as this one so don’t miss it. Friday night, 12 September at 8 p.m. history will be made.