Photos by Diogo Portugal, Words by Max Stewart
Sometimes life hands us the unexpected, both wonderful and tragic. In the case of Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age‘s new record (In Times New Roman…), difficult personal moments over the last few years have led to powerful songs, a renewed life outlook, and a tour in which the band is in top form. When QOTSA announced a show at Atlanta‘s legendary Fox Theatre, there was no question that I was going to attend. As a fan of the band since middle school, I had somehow always had a conflict in seeing them live, so I absolutely sprung at the opportunity to catch them at one of my favorite hometown venues.
As it turns out, life had different plans for me on that Friday night in August. At around 7:00 pm, my wife, mother-in-law and I were about to head out for our final planned outing before my wife was to give birth to our first child sometime the next week. As she was getting ready, my wife went into labor and we headed to the hospital to welcome our newborn girl, Josephine. It was a miraculous and unanticipated left turn in the evening’s plans, and we will always remember the night Josie came into the world as Queens played across town. I look forward to bringing my daughter to see the band one day and recounting the drive to the hospital as I narrowly avoided potholes and weekend warriors roaming the streets.
As we got to the hospital, I was dodging the bombardment of texts and videos from friends at the show. The general consensus was that Homme and the band are as locked in as they ever have been, and that he has channeled the abrupt waves of life’s difficulties into an awe-inspiring live spectacle. The setlist was wide-ranging and included staples such as “No One Knows” and “Little Sister”, as well as arguably the best modern rock track with drums at the forefront, “Song For the Dead”. The new songs fit perfectly amongst the night’s raw sonic tapestry, and the energy in the majestic and ornate room was magnetic. We can only hope that the band has serendipitously discovered a joyful new chapter through this tour and new record.
Thank you Queens for the reminder that the unexpected turns in life are part of the beautiful journey. Our little queen looks forward to seeing y’all down the line.
