Queens of the Stone Age, kings of the stage

“It’s not hyperbole to say that QOTSA is one of the hardest working live bands in the business. For all their sludge and skronk and stonerishness and strapping machismo, they’re unerringly precise. They’d have to be. Otherwise neither the hulking, off-kilter black anthems of 2007’s Era Vulgaris nor the incredibly dense stuff of 2002 favorite Songs for the Deaf would sound right — raw, mean, anything but lean.”

Last week’s Club Nokia benefit for cancer-stricken Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O’Connor was nothing short of phenomenal. Queens played L.A. for the first since 2008. Eagles were excellent. Last Shadow Puppets and Alain Johannes played surprise sets. Read bout it here, via Spin.