The Black Keys / Peaches 'n Kream World Tour '26 / Stage AE / Pittsburgh / 8.3.2026

The Black Keys have been touring their latest album, Peaches, for the better part of this year. I caught them in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and here are five things that stood out.

1. The full band makes a huge difference.

I know this isn’t exactly new, but seeing The Black Keys with a full band really drove it home. The sound is so much more complete and full. At this point, live reproduction of some of their albums really benefits from having more people on stage, and they’ve got a great mix of players filling things out. I’ve got to admit: I haven’t been super into The Black Keys for the last ten years or so. They’ve put out several albums in that time, and I actually liked quite a few of them, but for whatever reason, they had become an afterthought for me. Over the last few months, I started revisiting the band and, well… there are way too many great songs to keep ignoring their later work—or the band in general.

2. Dan Auerbach’s guitar tone is seriously underrated.

I found myself multiple times throughout the night, and with multiple guitar changes, thinking, damn, that sounds good. That “lawsuit”-era Ibanez SG copy that’s been a staple of his rig for years sounds absolutely incredible. There’s nothing overly complicated about what Auerbach is doing, but the tone is huge, gritty, and immediately recognizable. It’s the kind of sound that makes you appreciate how much the right guitar, amp, and player can bring to a song.

3. Simple can still work.

The visuals weren’t complicated. You’ve got the band’s name, some almost lava-lamp-like lighting, and not much else. And somehow, I found myself watching them more than I expected. To me, this was a perfect example of something simple but effective that every band playing a room this size should be thinking about. I’m not someone who needs a massive production for a band like The Black Keys, but when a band puts some thought into how the stage looks and uses it well, it’s absolutely appreciated.

4. The songs hold up better than I remembered.

There’s a difference between liking a band’s songs and remembering just how many good songs they have. Seeing The Black Keys live for the first time in quite some time really drove home how deep their catalog is. With the beefed-up sound and production, those songs came through in a way I hadn’t experienced from them before. The newer material fit naturally alongside the older songs, and the whole set made a strong case for revisiting the albums I’d let slip into the background.

5. Jack White was wrong—and so was I.

And then there’s the elephant in the room. At one point, Jack White tried to tell you The Black Keys were lame. I’ll be honest: I bought into that a little bit. He was wrong. And, apparently, so was I.

I went into this show thinking I’d probably have a good time. I left thinking I need to see them again. Next time they’re in town, I’ll be there.

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