Back in 2009 The Black Keys had hit a bit of a stride. With tensions having reached an all time high between the garage rock duo, inner politics and personal problems had made continuing as a group difficult. Without ever announcing an official hiatus, guitarist and front man Dan Auerbach decided to sharpen his songwriting chops outside the context of The Black Keys. The end result was his debut solo effort entitled Keep It Hid. The album was just as similar to The Black Keys as it was a departure. Hitting home in all the right places while expanding past the blues/garage rock sound, even dabbling in psychedelia at times.
As most artists do, Auerbach embarked on a nationwide tour in support of the album and made his way to Metro on March 6th 2009. The band Hacienda was the opener for the tour and they would additionally act as Auerbach’s backing band during his set. The band was joined by My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan, as the drummer for Hacienda had to suddenly leave the tour. Hacienda was a force to be reckoned with, a two-drum kit graced the stage and provided for a booming rhythm section that backed Auerbach. Needless to say the concert was loud but more importantly, the band rocked. Auerbach and the band seemed to enjoy themselves, smiling at each other often, and the sold out crowd seemed to reciprocate the feeling in spades.
The Black Keys would eventually reconcile and release the critically acclaimed albums Brothers and El Camino, and go on to reach the stratosphere of musical success. But for a moment fans got to glimpse an Auerbach breaking out of his shell, taking all the hardships in his life at the time, and using music as his outlet. It was a very personal portrait of Auerbach’s life and while The Black Keys are currently in full swing some fans beg to ask, will we ever see this musical side of Auerbach again?
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