Back home in America, The Black Keys’ career appears to have stalled somewhat, as suggested by disappointing ticket sales for their most recent stadium tour. In the Netherlands, however, their AFAS Live show sold out at remarkable speed. A second date was immediately added, and before long there wasn’t a ticket left for that one either.
The Black Keys seen September 4, 2026 at AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Black Keys return to AFAS Live
Back home in America, the career of The Black Keys appears to have stalled somewhat, as suggested earlier by disappointing ticket sales for their most recent stadium tour. In the Netherlands, however, their AFAS Live show sold out at remarkable speed. A second date was immediately added, and before long there wasn’t a ticket left for that performance either.
The risk of booking the much larger Ziggo Dome and failing to fill it completely, as happened in May 2024, was presumably considered too great. Released earlier this year, Peaches! certainly has a wonderfully energetic sound that at times reaches back to the band’s early period, but it contains only ten tracks and consists entirely of material written by others.
Curious to see how things stand on stage, Blues Magazine attended Friday night’s first show of the Peaches N’ Kream World Tour ’26.
Robert Finley opens the night
There is no coincidence in American soul veteran Robert Finley officially opening the evening at 7:30. He was also on the bill at the Ziggo Dome and has been an important mainstay of Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label for many years.
Finley has become a welcome visitor to the Netherlands, consistently earning admiration with his warm and powerful vocals. It is remarkable to remember that he once found himself on the margins of society through deception, bad luck, the loss of his eyesight and wrong choices.
Auerbach literally took him off the street, introduced him to his band and, within that same month, recorded and delivered an entire album. It is no surprise that Finley previously managed to blow away the judges on America’s Got Talent and even reached the later stages of the hugely successful television show.
Tonight he proves once again that, although well past the age of 70, he has lost very little of his vocal power. “Medicine Woman” thunders through a venue that is already packed early in the evening.
His “Get It While You Can” seems particularly appropriate for the crowds at the bars, where lines and waiting times quickly grow. It is Friday night, after all, and the weekend has truly begun.
The Black Keys return to their roots
Just as Robert Finley’s career has taken an unusual path, that of The Black Keys could also be described as unpredictable. They began as a duo that certainly did not shy away from the rough edges of roots music, then radically but successfully changed direction, and now find themselves returning to the basics.
At around 8:30, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney enter the stage accompanied by several additional musicians.
Where they ended their performance on this same stage fifteen years ago with “I Got Mine,” tonight they open with “Heavy Soul” from debut album The Big Come Up. At first it sounds as though the PA is still being adjusted. The brutally loud sound suggests we may be in for a heavy night.
Little Barrie and Jimbo Mathus join the lineup
New to the ranks is guitarist Barrie ‘Little Barrie’ Cadogan, an experienced musician particularly known from the British rock scene. He previously played with Primal Scream and accompanied Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller during live performances.
American musician Jimbo Mathus, who has regularly appeared on Dutch stages alongside Ian Siegal, is also part of the band.
Auerbach has been through a difficult period after caring for his father at home until his death. Seeking distraction, he called several musicians, including Jimbo, to come to the studio and simply “try some things.” The sessions ultimately resulted in Peaches!.
So after familiar singalongs such as “Lo/Hi” and “Fever,” the show can suddenly jump back to the sixties with the wild “Have Love, Will Travel,” best known in The Sonics’ version, or into the heavy growl of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
“You Got To Lose,” from the latest album, may sound new to the youngest fans, but this performance certainly does not fall short of versions by George Thorogood or, further back, Ike Turner.
Covers and Brothers dominate the set
It is almost remarkable to realize that half of the set consists of covers and tracks from Brothers.
That is fine for an audience that erupts during “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ For You” and is happy to sing along, but for fans who have been there from the beginning, this is not an easy night.
Their highlight arrives early with a gritty version of “Just Couldn’t Tie Me Down,” one of the finest blues songs from the band’s early years, when the influence of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough still dominated the sound.
For those fans it might have been nice to hear Burnside’s “Fireman Ring The Bell,” arguably the absolute highlight of the latest album, but that points directly to the problem with tonight’s performance.
The Black Keys still seem to be searching on stage
Live, The Black Keys still seem to be searching on a stage that is perhaps one size too large. There is not much contact with the audience, and it is difficult to tell whether the musicians themselves are enjoying it all that much.
Of course, “Little Black Submarines” and “Lonely Boy” provide two major trump cards during the encore, allowing most of the crowd to head home happy, but much of it ultimately feels distinctly routine.
Anyone who wanted to see a truly beaming Dan Auerbach this weekend should have headed to Amsterdam venue Cinetol after Saturday night’s performance. That was the setting for The Black Keys’ Record Hang, a DJ set filled with obscure 45s where Auerbach could play the music that genuinely seems to make him happy.
Review by: Jeroen Bakker