“Now this motherfucker can play guitar!” a wobbly, dancing Millennial shouted deep into the Black Keys‘ Friday night time present in Park Metropolis, drunk off their dirty rock and loads of beer. It seems the person was an ideal summation of a crowd stuffed with too-cool Sundance attendees letting their hair down, shifting and consuming prefer it was a basement get together, and the Keys had the suitable sound to let unfastened.

A part of the night’s attraction got here from the placement: Park Metropolis’s latest music mecca, the Marquis. A 1,200-person venue boasting state-of-the-art audio design and an intimate stage for big acts, the freshly rehabbed area had fantastic acoustics in a comfortable setting. Regardless of an official opening over New 12 months’s Eve weekend, the Keys’ set felt like a bluesy baptism for the renovated venue.

In one among their first reveals since asserting their upcoming twelfth album, “Ohio Gamers,” the Akron duo appeared energized by the prospect of an upcoming file — and, possible, a tour to go together with it. Frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s silent communication appeared as sharp as ever, as their performances of the songs felt each hotter and dirtier in live performance. Targeted on vibes as an alternative of precisely recreating their information, the pair breathed recent life into their greatest hits: “Gold on the Ceiling,” “Howlin’ for You,” “Tighten Up” and encore nearer “Lonely Boy,” all of which was singalongs.

But issues bought much more electrical every time Auerbach promised to take the group “all the way down to the basement,” pulling out their deeper cuts with heavier licks. Opening with the loud and crashing “I Acquired Mine,” the band reveled in a few of their primal songs, which allowed them to open up and experiment with their musicianship reside.

Given how the Black Keys’ music harkens again to an easier time of rock ‘and’n’ roll, Auerbach and Carney are formidable musicians, creating a beautiful racket that, at its finest, all the time appears on the verge of chaos. The tall Carney is all limbs behind a minimal equipment, enjoying precisely what the tune wants, thumping away with a way of dynamics that many drummers bash by with out a care. Auerbach is bathed in rawk power, his sun shades hiding the soul in his honeyed vocals, with guitar solos completely becoming the tunes.

Their boundless enthusiasm stored deeper cuts like “Wild Baby,” “Fever” and new single “Stunning Folks (Keep Excessive)” hurtling alongside. The duo is presently backed by a strong quartet of musicians that add depth to every tune, but it could be thrilling to have a phase of every present with simply Auerbach and Carney collectively, reminiscent of their explosive early performances.

“Rock ‘and’n’ roll won’t ever die,” yelled an optimistic fan after the home lights went on on the finish of the night time. It was reckless abandon one won’t anticipate from a night out at a movie competition. Though Sundance through the day was anchored by a dialogue-free art-house movie a few group of Bigfoots vomiting and farting, the night was devoted to the decidedly easier pleasures of huge amps and booming drums. In any case, typically you simply need to hearken to a motherfucker who can play guitar.

The Black Keys will play one other set on the Marquis on Sunday night time. “Ohio Gamers” shall be launched on April 5.