Last night the Queens of the Stone Age showed the audience at ACL Live why they deserve to be on Austin City Limits Television. Josh Homme and co. are legends in the California hard rock scene. To those in the know this collection of musicians is a supergroup. I'm not going to lie and pretend like I'm a superfan of QOTSA. I've listened to their records and I know their singles but I certainly can't sing-a-long to all of their tunes. After witnessing their performance last night I can tell you that these guys absolutely shred. I watched the guitarists' hands and I tried to keep track of the drum patterns and I realized that the majority of touring bands today couldn't perform in a QOTSA cover band.
Queens of the Stone Age - My God is the Sun video via YouTube
The Queens' songwriting is smart and referential. Almost every song is built around a groove that remains mostly static while the rest of the song changes around it. This isn't the case with every song but it's true of all of my favorites. The line-up has shifted over the years but the six men who performed for ACL TV last night are a well-oiled machine. With songs built around complicated syncopations, it takes a set of musicians with incredible chops to pull it off.
Luckily, you won't have to take my word for it. Last night's performance will be part of the 39th season of Austin City Limits Television, which means it will air in living rooms across this great nation thanks to your local PBS (and viewers like you). Keep an eye on your local listings because you're not going to want to miss these quintessential California rockers.