Queens of the Stone Age stop hearts at the Mann Center’s Skyline Stage

Few moments make music lovers swoon like the moment when a band goes off book, ditching their planned setlist to play old songs, new songs, and whatever the heck else they want.

The everlasting California desert rock institution Queens of the Stone Age did just that in the middle of their electrifying concert last night at the Mann Center’s Skyline Stage. Opting to skip playing “Kalopsia” from 2013’s …Like Clockwork, frontman Josh Homme announced that the band would instead play 2000’s “In the Fade” to rapturous applause.

Moments like this littered a night permeated by a celebratory atmosphere for many. For the Queens, it’s the last US show for a while on a touring cycle that began last year. Their electrifying performance was preceded by a brutal opening set from thrash metal wunderkinds Unlocking the Truth (those 8th graders who just inked a $1.7 million deal with Sony that you’ve been hearing about) and an equally hard-hitting one from Spinerrette/Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle (a.k.a Mrs. Josh Homme). The Queens refused to disappoint, though, and the near-capacity crowd at the Mann was ever-grateful.

From the stage, Homme pontificated on whether or not this was the best show of the tour. We’re inclined to say that yes, indeed, it was. Check out the setlist below, as well as a gallery of photos from The Key’s Matthew Shaver.

Setlist:
You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire
No One Knows
My God Is the Sun
Smooth Sailing
I’m Designer
Monsters in the Parasol
I Sat by the Ocean
…Like Clockwork
If I Had a Tail
Little Sister
In the Fade
The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died
Fairweather Friends
Make It Wit Chu
Sick, Sick, Sick
The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
Go With the Flow

Encore:
The Vampyre of Time and Memory
Feel Good Hit of the Summer
A Song for the Dead