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Rating: The Transilvania in Milan had the honor of opening the new European tour of Queens Of The Stone Age. 600 people crammed into a hole to watch the queens, who tested the new album on Italian eardrums. Tickets almost impossible to find and very few seats, at the group’s request, who decided to play only in small venues this year, to have intimacy with the audience. There was intimacy aplenty, my personal space reduced to a minimum, I couldn't even move my arms... at least I had Josh and the guys closer than ever; approximate distance: a spit. The Q.O.T.S.A. line up different for the umpteenth time: that fat sausage of Josh on lead guitar and vocals, with a new, ridiculous haircut. He abandoned the Elvis-style pompadour for little angel curls... an angel getting fat, the gut increased. The impassive multi-talented Troy Van Leeuwen on second guitar, keyboards, and various effects (clearly, always in a suit and tie); on drums always the man with 25Kg biceps each, the very buff and very mean Joey Castillo; on second vocals Mark -Off Wolf And Man- Lanegan and on bass we find the novelty, Dan Druff, an old friend of Homme.
Well, they were fantastic, as always! It's a pity that after Nick Oliveri's exile, the huge hole he left doesn't go unnoticed... like a lunar crater. He was the entertainer, the jester, and the author of the highest tempo songs. Even if a Q.O.T.S.A. concert generally consists of getonthestageplaysaythankyougetdrunk, his absence is definitely felt. Two years ago, at the vox, the power and depth of his bass were such that it was enough just Nick to make everyone's guts dance; and this Dan Druff appears a bit pale in comparison, even if he isn't coping badly at all with the four strings. It would be like Eric Clapton going to Metallica to replace James Hetfield. They played divinely. Precise and impeccable... symbiotic… and for the first time, Josh let himself go into long solos and improvisations of inhuman psychedelia, stuff he hadn't done since the golden days of Kyuss. Queens Of The Stone Age worthy of the word psychedelia, as the Pink Floyd intended it.
Pieces from the entire repertoire, from the first album, with "Mexicola," which recites the legendary phrase "In a world that's full of shit and gasoline", to the second work, "R", passing through the masterpieces of "Songs For The Deaf" plus half a dozen tracks from the new album "Lullabies To Paralyze", like "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane" (thought to be dedicated to Nick Oliveri) and "Little Sister". And there's nothing to be done, the craziest mosh pit in history is only seen during "Song For The Dead". Everyone, from the first to the last, jumps, screams, and pushes with possessed fury.
For those who like hard rock, I highly recommend going to see them at least once in a lifetime, because, even without sets, special effects, or any other form of entertainment besides the music, they manage to create an indescribably magical atmosphere. With them, despite the completely different style, you get the feeling of having ended up at some historic concert of the '70s... like Woodstock or Fillmore East. Perhaps because Queens still live with the mentality and concept of "music" from back then... just think of the Generator Parties or Desert Sessions, i.e., concerts based on jam sessions (improvisations), long days and days, in the middle of the Californian desert, night and day. They know how to really make you have fun, with nothing in particular, aside from the music. They rightly live their job as "let’s enjoy life and have fun", unlike Obituary, "The world sucks. I suck. I want to kill myself"... or Maroon 5, "Why don't we make some really silly songs that young people like and become millionaires?"
Well... Maybe it's because I've been listening to them for almost three years and I've melted by now, but... a great Valentine's Day.
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