On April 3, snow pelted the Twin Cities for the second day in a row, the roads became ice the side walks became ankle deep. However, this didn’t stop the true Minnesotans from coming to The Palace Theater to see one of Rock and Rolls biggest names, Dan Auerbach, and his band, The Easy Eye Sound Revenue. If they could make it from Nashville, we could come out in numbers. Auerbach is touring his latest album “Waiting on a Song”. His St. Paul date was one of the last shows of the tour.
As the GA floor started to become cramped, Shannon and the Clams didn’t hesitate hitting the stage. The crowd gathered close to the stage for warmth but more importantly to be a apart of the excitement . The four piece band got the audience moving with their innovated sound. A sound that made it seem like Eric Burdon and The Animals and The Beach Boys had a baby and it grew up listening to indie rock. Needless to say, they were very successful in warming the crowd up from the cold and for Dan Auerbach.
The stage was set and the lights went down. Dan Auerbach and The Easy Eye Sound Revue, busted through the first three songs off his album “Waiting on a Song”. He then spoke saying “I can’t believe you guys came out. If this was Nashville it would be shut down for a week!” Seven songs in Auerbach called Sharon Shaw from The Clams back up to the stage to sing. She floored the audience with her two songs and left us wanting more. Auerbach then played two more songs before calling out his next guest Robert Finley, an old blues man from Louisiana. Finely had not played music for years but instead was a carpenter. Sadly, he lost his sight and became blind. However, there is a happy ending to this story. In 2015 a non-profit called “Music Maker” which gets pioneers of southern music recognition and helps them out with everyday living, found Robert Finley busking outside one of his shows. They took him in and pretty soon he was connected with Dan Auerbach. The two made a fantastic record together called “GOIN PLATINUM”.
As Finley took the stage the crowd cheered, not really knowing what would happen, but to put it short he stole the show. Dressed in a sparkling green dress shirt with leather pants and a leather vest. The man rocked these hard blues songs and danced better than anyone in any pop video ever. After his second song he told the crowd how grateful he was for Auerbach. Then they brought a stool out for him and he said “I don’t dance till I’m tired… I dance till I’m satisfied.” After three songs he was helped off the stage and the crowd gave him an explosive aplause. They were so loud that I’m sure the restaurants next door felt it.
Near the end of the show Auerbach introduced the rest of his band. Very quickly, with a few hints you realize that the his band is no ordinary band. The drummer, Gene Chrisman, was Elvis Presley’s and Aretha Franklin’s drummer. Bobby Wood also played keys with Presley. And Auerbach’s bass player, Dave Roe, played with Johnny Cash. The band was immaculate.
As the show winded down Dan Auerbach and The Easy Eye Sound Revue closed the set with their hit song “Shine of Me”. The song got everyone moving and singing and was a fantastic way to close the set. However, like most shows that wasn’t it. For the encore, the keyboardist, bassist and mandolin player walked back out with none other than, Robert Finley. Finley came out and sang a gospel song, than apologizing to going to church, but he made it clear that he wasn’t embarrassed to go to church. Finley sang one more song off his record “GOIN PLATINUM” called “Get It While You Can” a fast paced blues song that let the high caliber band jam. It truly was a spectacle to see and more importantly hear. Auerbach closed the show with a solo acoustic song called “Going Home”.
After that the stage was empty and the lights came up. The crowd was excitable and cheering as the made their way back into the blizzarding Minnesota spring. It isn’t very ofter you get to see a big name like, Dan Auerbach, in a small place like that. It is even less often you get to see a band with such an impressive resume.
