Without even notifying me or asking what URL or domain name i would prefer, Movement Minneapolis owners/operators Adam T. Glass ["T" = Thor, T-Rex, The Man, etc.] and David Dellanave purchased www.authenticstrengthtrainer.com and surprised me with an email during the NHL All Star Fantasy Draft telling me to 'hurry up and change the password' and to enjoy the new Word Press site.
Many thanks mates. I am very much looking forward to hanging and training come early March, when i visit Minneapolis for the Gym Movement level II & III education courses.
This blog will now serve as a page which houses 'hey look at my other site' posts and stream of thought not always related to training. Like today's post.
"An English afternoon"
I visited my local comic shop today. It was in between the rail station and the wine store, and, well, i had 20.00 smoldering in my pocket and my only brother's birthday coming up in a few weeks. I purchased Alan Moore's "V" for Vendetta for Joseph Raymond Williams, born 1984. And knowing his tastes [he works at a bookstore and is as paranoid as i am], he will enjoy it.
Yet before i wrap it in today's news and fork it over to him, i am going to read it. And as i type this, "OK Computer" floats from my meager speakers, and some light snow has arrived, falling into the street and melting but dusting the huge piles of snow plowed here and there after Wednesday's two-pack of storms. I have not had a bottle of wine to myself in quite sometime. The last few times i imbibed i was sampling various brands of bourbon, which i have come to enjoy the taste of in the last few months. Prior to having a glass of Blanton's after having my arm tattooed in November of 2008, i only knew of bourbon as the stuff i drank when i was in the service which mixed well with Cola and delivered me to an escapist state right quick. These days i can detect subtleties and notes less than obvious in brands such as Eagle Rare, Blanton's, Basil Hayden's and even Knob Creek.
Alas today is not a whiskey day. With the metabolic flexibility testing i am running for the next week or so, my food intake is animal free or light animal matter, and before i enjoy an exact repeat of last night's evening meal, a glass or three while reading "V" For Vendetta sounded like a wonderful idea. After Alan Moore's book i may activate "The Filth and The Fury", which is in wait on my DVR.
Looking back across the pond has long been a hobby of mine. Today satisfies the urge and rewards the efforts of late, shoveling, selling training, etc. Tales for those "who don't turn off the news", indeed.
Best,
Eric "Will" Williams
Ardmore, PA
20110127
Have you enrolled in my new class yet?
Visit the web page for the designer who created the slick looking logo you see here on my page. Jason and i have known one another since high school and he came through big time when i asked him to reinterpret my old company logo. Jay lives in Ardmore and lifts weights and surfs when he is not busy aiding merchants with brand identity and other design requirements in this world of eCommerce and customer service.
Thursday debrief
I got to the studio on time. Early, in fact. Yesterday's two pack of storms derailed any hopes i had to train clients, and around 730PM last night i had the itch to get out of my home. I woke up earlier than usual today and was out the door as soon as the dishes were done.
Towards the end of December i offered a deal to people on my mailing list. Purchase ten 45 minute sessions at Kettlebells 4 U to be used before April and receive 8 sessions free. Yup, i sold a few packages.
So these folks train with me twice a week for 9 weeks. Pretty good deal. here is what The DA has done in 8 sessions with me and a few workouts each week on his own.
Since January 4th: Body weight down 4.6 pounds.
Neck down half an inch [.5"]
Shoulders down 1.75"
Chest down 1 1/18"
Navel down .25"
Waist up 1/8"
Hips up 1.25"
Left thigh up .25"
calf .5"
Right thigh even
calf up 1/8"
Left arm up 1/8"
forearm even
Right arm up 3/8"
forearm down 1/8"
So he lost some inches, lost some pounds, and the leg and arm measurements moved him towards symmetrical numbers left to right. He trains using the Gym Movement protocols and the kettlebell is his primary tool. We have altered his lifts in that he now pays attention to the elements of effort as yellow and red lights for his sets. He has a 'beefed up' selection of drills. DA rolls into work with a VW Passat full of motivation. Dude regularly has about 9 bells on him. He'll go to the park at lunch and swing, snatch, etc. DA has a great physique. Tall, abs, broad shoulders, etc. He has been away from free weights for sometime, so in keeping with degrees of contra specificity, we test many free weight exercises before we test the kettlebell as a tool. His barbell work is nice. Deadlifts, push presses, push jerks, hang cleans, all test well and look fast and effortless. The cable stuff we crush, rows, pulldowns, pressdowns, i needn't teach him anything about the lifts-he understands that many lifts can be considered straight lines and it is safe to ditch anything which does not improve the route the weight takes on it's designated path. We have ditched tension and breathing as feed forward mechanisms and use them as 'yellow' and 'red' lights.
So the DA, ditching the elements of effort, has done cool things with his body and lifts in about four weeks. He uses asymmetrical foot position and various leads and speeds for his primary kettlebell drills, clean and push press, double KB suitcase deadlift, double snatch, bent rows, etc. He is happy, i know he is, and that is the most important factor. I aim to make sure that most, if not all, of the list below is in play when someone coughs up 500 sheckles to train with me.
Are/were you in pain? Is it worse/better?
Are you happy?
Can we prove that what you are doing works [body measurements and traceable data from workouts]?
Can i have more money?
Drop a line, let me know what improvements you have made recently. And they needn't be numerical! Are you not in pain anymore? Did your kid finally stop stealing money out of your wallet? Is your workday more productive for any reason at all? Holler at this white guy.
New Classes start soon: Tuesdays, Lower Merion High School
It is no secret that personal training can cost a penny or two more than your mortgage payment for 10-20 sessions. Heck, at my studio in Paoli, PA i charge 8% more for one hour of private instruction compared to 5 weeks of Main Line School Night.
I am not a stranger to the costs of learning. I pay a coach to teach me things. I am traveling to Minneapolis in the beginning of March to learn about pain and nutrition from three of the biggest brains i have ever met. This trip alone is costing me 3G and a few days of missed sessions. Yet, it is important to me. It is important that i lean what i can about how to avoid, recognize, manage, and eventually resolve pain issues as they relate to orthopedic and musculoskeletal anatomy.
Now, armed with that knowledge, with the knowledge that a single hour of my personal time cost more than five hours of group instruction at the lovely and expansive Lower Merion High School, i hope to see your name on the list within 12 hours.
Click through to enroll!
My snow days were wonderful, and i hope yours were as well.
Cheers!
Will
20110124
2+2=5
After leaving the previous post up for almost a week It appears that some people of influence had taken a look at it, judging by the feedback the post received on Facebook and on an Internet forum which promotes itself as "overflowing with foul mouthed ignorance". A fiercely accurate description!
Here is something lighter and chronologically appropriate, as I just finished reading "Nineteen Eighty-four" and have decided that I should share with you what Radiohead shares with me. And this is not even one of their better songs.
Check out this video on YouTube:
Will Williams
Authentic Strength Training
610.883.7455
Sent from my iPhone
Here is something lighter and chronologically appropriate, as I just finished reading "Nineteen Eighty-four" and have decided that I should share with you what Radiohead shares with me. And this is not even one of their better songs.
Check out this video on YouTube:
Will Williams
Authentic Strength Training
610.883.7455
Sent from my iPhone
20110114
Guest post by my business associate, a "MUST READ"
Make up your own mind. Gary certainly did enough thinking to formulate his own opinion.
Wonderful job, GB, thank you for this.
"My 95 these to the Russian Kettlebell Challenge"
I present this for your consideration and possibly for your amusement. Again, I have no intention to change the RKC System. I am more than happy to walk away quietly into the night. Many of the things I list below where things that always bothered me but I dismissed them and went against my gut instinct. Other things have come out as I’ve grown as a trainer and RKC has grown as a commodity. RKC II was a huge eye opener for me. I was really shocked at how many people were injured and how many didn’t move very well.
Wonderful job, GB, thank you for this.
"My 95 these to the Russian Kettlebell Challenge"
This is an e-mail I sent to a DD executive that I believed might listen. He did listen and did agree with some but not all. Apparently some of this was forwarded to the Great One [Pavel Tsatsouline, the man who brought the kettlebell to the United States, and gave it a bad name- Will]. This was sent in November.
I present this for your consideration and possibly for your amusement. Again, I have no intention to change the RKC System. I am more than happy to walk away quietly into the night. Many of the things I list below where things that always bothered me but I dismissed them and went against my gut instinct. Other things have come out as I’ve grown as a trainer and RKC has grown as a commodity. RKC II was a huge eye opener for me. I was really shocked at how many people were injured and how many didn’t move very well.
Movement:
What I’ve seen over the last few years in myself, my clients and my fellow RKCs is that a majority of us were starting to move worse as our training progressed.
If a system (RKC) is so traumatic to the body that it needs a system (CK-FMS or Joint Mobility/Fast & Loose) to correct it, how good is that system?
It is inefficient to train in a system that needs high maintenance. Ten minutes of movement prep and joint mobility before a fifteen minute workout doesn’t work for most people.
Fast & Loose drills “shake out” residual tension. They wouldn’t be needed if there wasn’t residual tension.
CK-FMS wants to show me videos of babies moving around. Great, if you want to base a training system on a newborn’s motor learning then you have to acknowledge two things.
Babies learn without coaching or reverse engineering.
They also learn from gross movement first then fine (maybe the movement prep should be at the end?).
It seems like everyone has a problem with one or more of the following: “dorsiflexion mobilization”, “t-spine mobility “, “gluteal amnesia” and “valgus collapse”.
Outside of the get-up the RKC System keeps the ankles pretty rigid (even with squats???), maybe that has something to do with a lack of ankle mobility?
Sitting in a hunched over position at a keyboard will definitely lead to t-spine immobility. That shoulder position seems eerily similar to that of the two arm swing. Could too many two arm swings lock up your t-spine?
We had the best solution for gluteal amnesia, tough love. A good swift kick in the ass took care of that (or a love tap from Toomey). I haven’t seen anything else that tops that, the rest of it is too complicated.
Using the squat as an afterthought may have something to do with higher incidences of “valgus collapse”.
Reverse engineering what the strongest do naturally should mean finding out what makes each person the strongest. The strongest do what they do naturally, because it is NATURAL to them. That’s what makes them the strongest.
The Get-up is a mess. It’s a fun exercise that has many benefits. It doesn’t need to be micro-managed,
Doing a get-up with 75% of your body weight will exposed some imbalances and weaknesses without the high hip bridge.
Is weighted joint mobility a good idea?
All of the FMS tests are unloaded for a reason, using a loaded movement as a diagnostic tool can be dangerous.
It is the only three dimensional movement in the RKC system and they are trying their hardest to make it two dimensional.
Instead of a new topic about rolling patterns, I’ll include this hear. My son rolled with both his arms and legs at the same time from the beginning. He did everything he had to do to roll over.
It is being lost as a great strength exercise.
Using it as a “smoker” (i.e. THE FURNACE) is stupid and dangerous.
Staying in a loaded half kneeling position for an extended period of time is going to hurt.
Slowing it down is just the same as speeding it up. Fatiguing the stabilizers while in motion with a weight overhead doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
Teaching/Training: I don’t see RKC candidates being prepared very well to train the general population. If a candidate has no other professional fitness experience, all they are really qualified to do is to prepare someone for the RKC Certification Course.
Wall squats are harder for anyone to do than anything in the RKC curriculum. It’s not a progression if no one can do it.
There’s too much emphasis on the swing and the get-up. If somebody comes to you for an intro and all you teach them in one hour is two exercises (and chances are you won’t fully cover both of them), then you are going to have a frustrated client.
“All you need is swings and getups” is ridiculous. That would imply that every human being on this planet with their own different histories, injuries and stressors would need the exact same two exercises. If that’s true, the CK-FMS is not necessary. Just teach everyone the swing and get-up and they will be all set.
The RKC Core Six have so many requirements now that most human beings would not be able to “do them right”.
As the system has “progressed” it has done so at the sake of scalability and accessibility.
I believe that so many standards are being set not for safety or performance but to make it seem like the RKC Instructor has a keen eye for detail and has some intuitive knowledge of the human body.
The general population has no interest in being a power-lifter. They don’t need to train to be one. Most of them want to look different.
An exercise system that makes their goal “incidental” isn’t for them.
Being told that they can’t move towards their goal until they’ve meet certain standards isn’t for them either.
RKC Course Volume: This actually never sat well with me when I’ve went through it or when I’ve been back to assist. The RKC Certification Weekend violates many of the safety guidelines it professes.
It doesn’t take two thousand swings to learn the swing, it is used throughout the weekend to “smoke” people or punish them.
Candidates are taught that it is harder to make someone stronger than to just make them out of breath. They spend a majority of the weekend fried and not stronger.
Using the swing or other exercise as punishment is dangerous, degrading and unproductive. Even the US Army would agree with that.
Do not use extra training and instruction as punitive measures. You must distinguish extra training and instruction from punishment or even the appearance of punishment. Soldiers should have extra training or instruction only as long as they need it to correct deficiencies. If they perceive the training or instruction as punishment, all training and instruction will be degraded and their value jeopardized.
-US Army Field Manual 27-1 Chapter 7
The15:15 VO2 max protocol is about as simple as it gets. Practical application isn’t necessary and considering the volume that the candidates do, it is excessive and dangerous.
The snatch test is a joke and equally dangerous.
The whole weekend, instructors will stress that form is paramount to safety yet they will allow some pretty creative snatches during the test.
Why keep increasing the number when people aren’t even going to do them right?
You want to look for “a base level of conditioning and shoulder mobility”.
Isn’t the entire weekend a test of a base level of conditioning?
Shoulder mobility can be tested with one press each arm or a get-up.
What happens if they fail the test? They have proven to lack sufficient conditioning or shoulder mobility yet they still continue with the rest of the weekend.
The Grad Workout is a lot of fun to participate in and watch. It can be responsibly designed and potential for injury can be reduced. I can also be incredibly dangerous. Shouting out “you are still being tested” doesn’t help much to reduce the risk; the workout should be designed to be challenging yet still safe.
CK-FMS: is too complicated and convoluted. I have no observations, only questions.
How many people have actually met the requirements?
How long does it take for the CK-FMS talk to fizzle out on the forum after each new cert?
How many candidates actually leave understanding what they’ve just been taught?
How many candidates not having met the requirements and without an adequate understanding of the material are now running around claiming they can prevent injuries or improve athletic performance?
HKC is the greatest marketing I’ve ever seen. People are paying $500-$600 to learn three exercises. Awesome.
Responsibility: For years I have heard members of the RKC criticize the professional fitness community. I hear about how fitness professionals are “stupid”, “dangerous” and irresponsible.
Many RKCs aren’t qualified to train people professionally.
There is no requirement for an RKC Candidate to know anything about the human body nor do they have to have any experience as fitness professionals. This is fine as long as you aren’t touting them as the elite of their field (that they just joined).
Being hazed for three days straight while having your movement nitpicked to exhaustion doesn’t qualify someone to be a fitness professional and surely doesn’t make them one of the best. (I say that from experience, RKC was my introduction to this profession. I had much more to learn after that weekend).
More and more candidates are going into the weekend with less than one year of experience training with kettlebells. Many have been using them less than six months. I didn’t send any of my clients to the Downingtown RKC this year because they probably know more about training with kettlebells than some of the candidates.
This is just some of the stuff I’ve had bouncing around in my head and in multiple drafts of my over-dramatic resignation letter that I know nobody wants to read. I can’t teach the system as it is anymore and I surely can’t hold people to standards that I believe are either dangerous or ineffective.
Gary J. Berenbroick
Owner, Instructor
17 S. Valley Road
Paoli, PA 19301
(610)647-4956
info@kettlebells4u.com
Call or e-mail to set up a free consultation and introductory session. Private, semi-private or group training is available with Main Line Life's 2008 Best Personal Trainer on the Main Line.
20110111
Single leg squats at 257.4lbs of bodyweight
In my last post i said that i would not post until i had done something phenomenal in the gym.
I did something phenomenal today.
Listening to frankie Faires and Adam Glass teach 'how to lead a movement' helped me figure out what to do about this curious right leg that i own. The right leg which has a moody tibial tuberosity [?], a really talkative quadriceps group, and a surgically repaired hernia at its origin. I am right handed. I do all things with my right hand. For awhile i was convinced that it was my responsibility to balance out my asymmetry, and that working on small movements was going to get me 'centered'. Well, now that i know what i know now, it appears more realistic that i can get closer to centered by training in asymmetry. And the guiding light is The Test.
My left leg can do anything. It can pistol [single leg squat]
It can shave, sign a check, and even cook dinner.
But its brother can not do jack. It cannot lunge, pistol, pick up chicks, or do laundry after a rough night.
Until today!
The Gym Movement 'order of operations'-
1. Test the test and establish baseline Range of motion/dynamometer reading.
2. Pick a movement, test the movement [unloaded]
3. Change the movement to see if the movement can test better
-Change the speed
-Change the lead.
-Change the position
4. Test the tool [kettleweight, barbell, etc.]
5. Test the load.
6. Test the reps.
7. Scale and drill
8. Test the recovery between sets.
"Change the lead"
A movement can be lead, or cued from a sensory standpoint, from different body parts. Example? Sure. My pistol has, in the past, been cued from the hip. Pull the hip down, cramp the hip muscles, and press up from the heel. This does not work on the right leg. My left leg pistol is effortless, the definition of "quality movement". My right leg pistol was constantly failing and though it tested well, it was an incomplete rep.
Thanks frankie, thanks Adam. I changed the lead of my right pistol to begin and finish with my head, and today i got a set of two. And it tested well.
To pistol right, i elevate my heel roughly two inches from the floor, and look towards the ground beneath me fast while descending. Once i hit the bottom i look at the ceiling and ascend. Simple, effective, and customized to my needs. No local muscular focus, no feed forward tension, no driving through the heel. A simple angle change did the job. And with the education i received at the Gym Movement Biomechanics Level I course, i can guide myself towards better, using my own system.
I am the textbook, the subject, and the lab.
Now go read this:
http://www.adamtglass.com/2010/06/06/i-am-stuck-but-i-am-getting-better-everyday/
I did something phenomenal today.
Listening to frankie Faires and Adam Glass teach 'how to lead a movement' helped me figure out what to do about this curious right leg that i own. The right leg which has a moody tibial tuberosity [?], a really talkative quadriceps group, and a surgically repaired hernia at its origin. I am right handed. I do all things with my right hand. For awhile i was convinced that it was my responsibility to balance out my asymmetry, and that working on small movements was going to get me 'centered'. Well, now that i know what i know now, it appears more realistic that i can get closer to centered by training in asymmetry. And the guiding light is The Test.
My left leg can do anything. It can pistol [single leg squat]
The Gym Movement 'order of operations'-
1. Test the test and establish baseline Range of motion/dynamometer reading.
2. Pick a movement, test the movement [unloaded]
3. Change the movement to see if the movement can test better
-Change the speed
-Change the lead.
-Change the position
4. Test the tool [kettleweight, barbell, etc.]
5. Test the load.
6. Test the reps.
7. Scale and drill
8. Test the recovery between sets.
"Change the lead"
A movement can be lead, or cued from a sensory standpoint, from different body parts. Example? Sure. My pistol has, in the past, been cued from the hip. Pull the hip down, cramp the hip muscles, and press up from the heel. This does not work on the right leg. My left leg pistol is effortless, the definition of "quality movement". My right leg pistol was constantly failing and though it tested well, it was an incomplete rep.
Thanks frankie, thanks Adam. I changed the lead of my right pistol to begin and finish with my head, and today i got a set of two. And it tested well.
To pistol right, i elevate my heel roughly two inches from the floor, and look towards the ground beneath me fast while descending. Once i hit the bottom i look at the ceiling and ascend. Simple, effective, and customized to my needs. No local muscular focus, no feed forward tension, no driving through the heel. A simple angle change did the job. And with the education i received at the Gym Movement Biomechanics Level I course, i can guide myself towards better, using my own system.
I am the textbook, the subject, and the lab.
Now go read this:
http://www.adamtglass.com/2010/06/06/i-am-stuck-but-i-am-getting-better-everyday/
20110105
Free Personal Training in January has begun!
And this is what i did today:
Clean and Jerk [split jerk]
Volume 3,545lbs.
Intensity range 60-77%
Density 27.24%
16:50
T-Bar Rows, left hand supinated, right hand at a tapered grip position:
Volume 4,850 pounds
Intensity range 58-83%
Density 45.52%
7:35
Dumbbell Press
Volume 1,350lbs.
Intensity 66-83%
Density 24.69%
5:00
1 arm rope pressdowns, from 1/2 kneeling and standing
Volume 4,545lbs.
Density 37.60%
6:15
Nothing impressive, but it all felt good.
Clean and Jerk [split jerk]
Volume 3,545lbs.
Intensity range 60-77%
Density 27.24%
16:50
T-Bar Rows, left hand supinated, right hand at a tapered grip position:
Volume 4,850 pounds
Intensity range 58-83%
Density 45.52%
7:35
Dumbbell Press
Volume 1,350lbs.
Intensity 66-83%
Density 24.69%
5:00
1 arm rope pressdowns, from 1/2 kneeling and standing
Volume 4,545lbs.
Density 37.60%
6:15
Nothing impressive, but it all felt good.
20110104
"Torch Song"
Today i posted a PR in my single kettleweight clean and push press. The movement tested well, and the 44lb. bell tested better than the 53 or 35 pound kettleweights, so, in accordance with the test, i tested my reps with the 44lb.'er. High rep tested well. I started the clock. When i finished, i had performed 119 reps [59 right, 60 left] and was in no pain. Though, the fatness under my shirt was stinging the heck out me because, as a fat man, i am unfamiliar to exercise.
(total work done)Volume = 119 reps/5,192lbs.
(relative difficulty)Intensity = 50%
(work/rest ratio in percentages)Density = 49.87%
This was a volume/density improvement over any numbers in the kettleweight push press since i began training again in June. When i refer to a PR, or Personal Record, what i mean to say is that i have improved myself and my performance with quantifiable data resulting from training a movement that tested well using biofeedback in the Gym Movement protocol. In this instance, i pushed 5,192lbs. of kettleweight in less time than i have before. That is why i listed it as a volume/density PR, or, a total poundage improvement in less time. It is also known as PREveryday, or as i call it, Gangster.
Hank Williams is telling me that the memories will always last, and that he could never be ashamed of me. This is good news as i have recently eaten my way up to 259lbs. and if i do not stop, you may soon see me in the WWE. I am hardly kidding! How else will i feed myself if i am not getting paid $10,000.00 per body slam?
September 29th- 239lbs.
Today- 259lbs.
Try not to vomit on your type pad. I had no choice but to make this public, or else i will continue to order pizza and eat cupcakes. I am going to stay dark for a few days/weeks. If you do not see me posting on Facebook or here on the blog, it means GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING. It means i am off my ass making things happen. If i do something truly sexy in the weight room i will let you know.
In the meantime:
(total work done)Volume = 119 reps/5,192lbs.
(relative difficulty)Intensity = 50%
(work/rest ratio in percentages)Density = 49.87%
This was a volume/density improvement over any numbers in the kettleweight push press since i began training again in June. When i refer to a PR, or Personal Record, what i mean to say is that i have improved myself and my performance with quantifiable data resulting from training a movement that tested well using biofeedback in the Gym Movement protocol. In this instance, i pushed 5,192lbs. of kettleweight in less time than i have before. That is why i listed it as a volume/density PR, or, a total poundage improvement in less time. It is also known as PREveryday, or as i call it, Gangster.
Hank Williams is telling me that the memories will always last, and that he could never be ashamed of me. This is good news as i have recently eaten my way up to 259lbs. and if i do not stop, you may soon see me in the WWE. I am hardly kidding! How else will i feed myself if i am not getting paid $10,000.00 per body slam?
September 29th- 239lbs.
Try not to vomit on your type pad. I had no choice but to make this public, or else i will continue to order pizza and eat cupcakes. I am going to stay dark for a few days/weeks. If you do not see me posting on Facebook or here on the blog, it means GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING. It means i am off my ass making things happen. If i do something truly sexy in the weight room i will let you know.
In the meantime:
20110101
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are
The Black Keys
Aragon Ballroom, uptown Chicago, new years eve.
Dan Auerbach takes the stage and he represents with a shave and a haircut.
Thickfreakness
Girl is on my mind
10AM Automatic
The Breaks (I knew it)
(Intro)Stack Shot Billy
(Another beautiful intro) Busted
Act nice n' gentle
Strange Times
Encore
I have seen the Black Keys play twice before, once as recently as July in Philly.
Unlike July, however, my date and i were on time for the opening band and, though the "line ride" took around 20 minutes, nabbed a good spot upstairs and stayed in the same spot for the entire two hours. We did not purchase drinks or visit the lavatory.
The two men, and the party that later joined them, were on-stage from 1120PM until 1230. This show really belted me with the new material. The setlist from their Penn's Landing show in July reflects a similar order to the plugging of the songs from their May 2010 release "Brothers" on Nonesuch Records. They were, again joined by two additional gents playing bass and organ, as they were in July (denoted in text). From my 6'3" visibility i agonized as the opening band nailed their instrumental responsibility, and still offered not one appetizing verse with regard to vocal integrity. It sounded bad, and what's more, the singer/guitarist wore his hair long and unshaven looking very much like Dan Auerbach's shaggy unshaven self. After the act departed, the Black Keys were onstage in less than 20 minutes, a great courtesy that i would like to thank them for.
Dan walks out on stage clean shaven with short hair, stopping me in my thoughts before i spoke of the irritable similarity i associated to the opening singer. And then they ripped a hole in the night.
The Black Keys
Aragon Ballroom, uptown Chicago, new years eve.
Dan Auerbach takes the stage and he represents with a shave and a haircut.
Thickfreakness
Girl is on my mind
10AM Automatic
The Breaks (I knew it)
(Intro)Stack Shot Billy
(Another beautiful intro) Busted
Act nice n' gentle
Everlasting Light
Chop n' change
Midnight!!!!!! Balloons drop, Patrick gets off the drum kit and Dan pops champagne into the first row, etc. Next girl
Howlin' for you
Tighten Up
She's Long gone
Ten cent pistol
I'll Be Your ManStrange Times
Encore
Sinister Kid [also from "Brothers"].
Your TouchI have seen the Black Keys play twice before, once as recently as July in Philly.
Unlike July, however, my date and i were on time for the opening band and, though the "line ride" took around 20 minutes, nabbed a good spot upstairs and stayed in the same spot for the entire two hours. We did not purchase drinks or visit the lavatory.
The two men, and the party that later joined them, were on-stage from 1120PM until 1230. This show really belted me with the new material. The setlist from their Penn's Landing show in July reflects a similar order to the plugging of the songs from their May 2010 release "Brothers" on Nonesuch Records. They were, again joined by two additional gents playing bass and organ, as they were in July (denoted in text). From my 6'3" visibility i agonized as the opening band nailed their instrumental responsibility, and still offered not one appetizing verse with regard to vocal integrity. It sounded bad, and what's more, the singer/guitarist wore his hair long and unshaven looking very much like Dan Auerbach's shaggy unshaven self. After the act departed, the Black Keys were onstage in less than 20 minutes, a great courtesy that i would like to thank them for.
Dan walks out on stage clean shaven with short hair, stopping me in my thoughts before i spoke of the irritable similarity i associated to the opening singer. And then they ripped a hole in the night.
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