I remember seeing the Back Keys back at a half-full Skipper’s Smokehouse in 2005. It was raw, unhinged, blues-licked rock n’ roll by two on-the-rise instrumentalists who were on the verge of combusting; Dan Auerbach raged guitar and howled grit-smeared sweaty soulful odes of love, pain and heartbreak while drummer Patrick Carney thrashed his kit with flailing-armed vigor. I’ve seen them a few times since, the venues and audiences growing in size each time as their style palette has grown broader and more radio-friendly while a few aux players have been added to give the instrumentals a fuller and more finely-textured sound to accommodate. This go-round, the Keys are officially holding their own in arenas, backing Danger Mouse-produced eight LP and No. 1 charter Turn Blue. Avant rock songstress St. Vincent warms the stage. 8 p.m., Amalie Arena, Tampa, $35-$75.
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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2014.