Seeing a band scheduled for two consecutive nights can be nirvana for die hard fans, but for those without that sort of disposable income, it can also pose the question of which night will yield the better show. Granted, many concert goers are also at the mercy of their daily schedules, but trying to figure out whether a band is a better band the first night or the second night, even without factors like a band member’s tenuous health (see: last month’s New Pornographers two-night residency) can be nerve-wracking. The Black Keys singer/guitar virtuoso Dan Auerbach broke it down simply on Monday night: “We’ll play better tonight and we’ll play more songs tomorrow night,” he said.

While interesting that he thought he’d play better when a few songs earlier he said that he was going to enjoy shaking off the rust for the first night of their east coast tour, the Black Keys had complete command of the sold-out crowd.

The Black Keys’ multi-faceted sound has aspects that can appeal to fans of multiple genres. However, at their core, The Black Keys are a blue-collar working man’s band. Not only do both Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney look like they could be your mechanics, the giant Michelin in the background should’ve tipped the audience off to the Keys’ roots. In addition, Carney pounds the drums with such strength and precision that the tips of his drumsticks had completely broken off. This straight-out-of-the-garage aesthetic also kept their extended instrumentals from turning into overlong jam sessions. Still, both men are masters of their craft and Auerbach in particular can make his guitar wail like it’s just been left on the side of a cold rainy highway. There’s even a slight psychedelia to his guitar solos which were perfectly accented by the roving light show.