Just weeks after their successful Australia and New Zealand tour, Queens of the Stone Age are currently touring Canada, playing a mix of capital and regional cities around the country with UK group The Struts.
In Ontario, The End Is Nero tour is hitting four shows around the Province, with the first in Oshawa – about an hour from Toronto – taking place last night.
Toronto is likely missing out on this tour as they were last there in August performing with Phantogram at a venue that often has an exclusivity clause. Though fans outside Canada’s most populous city are no doubt pleased to see them play more intimate shows in their neck of the woods.
The band are conscious of the smaller size of the cities they’re visiting, with frontman Josh Homme saying to the crowd last night, “I hear you’re a working class town”. Later in the set, this would lead him to tear up his setlist, saying “we’re here for you, not us… we want to make a special bond with you tonight.”
The band would go on to play requests from the crowd, as well as some off-setlist picks of their own. “Tit for Tat”, as Homme put it. After all, as he reminded us, they are a hard working band themselves.
At one point, Homme asked the crowd to choose between “If Only”, “Sick, Sick, Sick” and “Medication” – as fans had signs up for each. The second was chosen, before he tore up the setlist. They then played “Time & Place”, one of the best tracks off the new record, which wasn’t on the setlist either.
One thing that I always love about a QOTSA show – and tonight was no exception – was not just how tight the band is, but how well they transform their catalogue live. It all sits together beautifully. And Homme remains one of the best frontmen in the business.
The band stayed off script for the encore, starting with an incredible version of “God is On The Radio”, which they dedicated to the late Mark Lanegan. This was a choice Homme said they made for themselves. And then they played “Mexicola” after an audience request, which they played for us.
The night ended with “Go With The Flow” and “A Song For The Dead”, which ensured the 21-year old Songs For The Deaf was the most played album of the night. Though they gave a good amount of love to the brilliant In Times New Roman, too, of which Homme reminded the crowd, “our new record is good mother-fuckers”! And he’s not wrong.
Nights like this affirm the band’s status as one of the world’s best rock bands – and a fan friendly one at that. And getting to see them in the relatively intimate Oshawa venue (Tribute Communities Centre) – with a third of the capacity of their last Toronto show – only adds icing on the cake. Ontario fans will have three more chances to see the band, as the tour continues tonight in Kingston.
SETLIST
Regular John
No One Knows
The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
Paper Machete
Smooth Sailing
My God Is The Sun
Emotion Sickness
I Sat By The Ocean
Carnavoyeur
The Sky Is Fallin’
Villains of Circumstance
Better Living Through Chemistry
Sick, Sick, Sick
Time & Place
Make It Wit Chu
> Miss You (The Rolling Stones, snippet)
Little Sister
Encore:
God Is In The Radio
Mexicola
Go With The Flow
A Song For The Dead
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Queens of the Stone Age continue their Canadian tour tonight in Kingston, before heading to London and Ottawa – all in Ontario. They then move onto Quebec, New Brunswick and Halifax. For full dates and details head to https://qotsa.com/tour/.
Photo by the author.
