Supergroup Them Crooked Vultures land at the Paramount

Concert review

The supergroup concert is either the most genuine or most spurious in pop music. Take, for example, Them Crooked Vultures — lead singer/guitarist Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal), drummer Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters and formerly Nirvana), and bassist John Paul Jones (formerly of Led Zeppelin) — who released their debut last week and played the Paramount Saturday night: Shameless grab or pure love of the music?

The deciding point is if the music's honesty surpasses its vanity. Them Crooked Vultures felt right, like what these dudes should be doing with their spare time. With no time-tested emotional attachment to these songs, reaction was visceral, which made for a curious, attentive audience and a grateful band.

Each band member's influence was evident, synergized. Grohl, planted riserless and so deep on-stage he was almost invisible, played like a caged animal released into his natural environment; Foo Fighters' populism thankfully submitted to Nirvana's glorious aggression. Jones was all dignity, technique, and groove, swapping out four- and six-string basses, contributing brainy, Zeppish prog-blues ambition. (A sign of deference, he was given the first solo of the evening, which he slayed.) Homme was uncharacteristically restrained in his demeanor, almost demurring frontman status, swaggering instead via revved-up guitar and versatile vocals. Rhythm guitarist Alain Johannes, who has joined the Vultures for the tour, was steady, unobtrusive. On-stage, white strobes and smoke machines provided minimalist, dramatic effects. In the audience, plumes of pot smoke, shirtless crowd surfers, and screaming females completed a scene of slightly debauched rockitude.

The music at times suffered from a sameness of cadence — all mid-tempo, heavy-duty, lumbering rock. Still, nuanced songwriting and the sheer ability of three franchise players held interest. Highlights came with five mid-set numbers, "Elephants" to "Bandoliers." They played every song from their debut; with the near-ballad "Highway 1," not on the record, hinting at unreleased material. Just enough improv jamming provided off-the-cuff thrills and proved the guys were enjoying themselves, still shaping the music of this novel arrangement. No encore suggested Them Crooked Vultures would eventually be back to give the crowd what it really wanted: more.

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com