Queens Of The Stone Age In Auckland

 

Well, Josh Homme and band rolled into Auckland for their first show since October.  Activities got underway early in the day. At 12:30 they gathered at Real Groovy Records for a press conference. All five members of the band were sitting at a table while about 20 “journalists” and a crowd of fans asked questions and looked on.

You can listen to the entire press conference here:

After an extended soundcheck at about 5:30, the band took the stage just after 9:00pm at the Logan Campbell Centre. The venue was like a sweatbox, it’s a wonder no one on stage or in the crowd collapsed from heat exhaustion. Despite technical difficulties and the usual lousy sound at Logan Campbell, the QOTSA put on an impressive show. The regular set lasted just over an hour, with a two-song encore added on.

Click here to listen to the first ten minutes or so of the show.

After the show I spoke to bass player Michael Shuman. He talked to me about what it was like getting back together with the Queens after a long break and about the making of his Mini Mansions album.

Listen here to my conversation with Michael Shuman: