Live Review: Queens of the Stone Age @ The Catalyst 7/26

Nestled in a coastal nook about 30 miles South of San Jose CA there exists a small beach, ice cream, and surfboard community with creative eateries and a proper downtown. Santa Cruz CA also happens to host a hip little joint called the Catalyst Club on Pacific Avenue, right in the middle of that befitting downtown proximity. I am thoroughly surprised that this venue with a capacity of around 800 is still standing after Queens Of The Stone Age tore the roof off of it last night.

Yes, I may be a bit biased seeing that QOTSA is one of my favorite live shows of all time, but seriously, if you were standing within a 3 block radius of the Catalyst on July 26^th 2011, you heard the party roaring inside and were jealous of not being a part of the scene.

One of the legendary heavy rock bands of our generation is still touring to celebrate the re-release of their mythical self titled first album from 1998. This is the second chance I had to catch them within driving distance. The first show in the Bay Area took place back in April and has since been deemed the Rabbitsblack Bay Area Show of the Spring in 2011. Josh Homme and the gang played through the entire first album and followed with a PHAT encore with tracks like “A Song for the Dead,” “Go With the Flow,” “Hangin’ Tree,” and “Burn the Witch.”  After a few beers, “If Only,” seeing a few punches being thrown in the pit, and Josh Homme in uncensored party mode, Santa Cruz has earned BIG points on the cool town list. If you have not yet seen QOTSA live and are a fan of heavy, sexy, and fun rock n’ roll, who are you and what have you done with the cooler version of yourself? GO SEE THEM !!!

Finally, I arrived unusually early for the show since I had to travel from out of town to reach Santa Cruz. This gave me a chance to catch the opening act, and I have to say I was impressed. The group is called Le Butcherettes led by lead singer Teri Gender Bender. Let me just say this… they will get big so if you get a chance to catch them before the starlight, dooo it.