In a realm of TikTok-fueled fourteen minutes of famers or the latest in an endless barrage of auto-tuned monotone and tired trap beat mumble rap, it is refreshing to see an actual rock band play two sold-out shows in a 5,000-capacity venue. At the risk of being painted as an elderly man yelling at the cirrus formations above, it was a breath of fresh air for Queens Of The Stone Age to hit town.
Queens Of The Stone Age
MGM Music Hall, Fenway, Boston
11 June 2025 – Night Two
Words And Photography: Tim Bugbee
These shows were rescheduled when last year’s tour was suddenly scrapped, Josh Homme facing yet another staredown with his mortality. He did not go into specifics but did mention on the recent WTF podcast that it involved skiing and coughing up blood on the snow.
2013’s … Like Clockwork was filled with imagery of physical and mental collapse, with Homme’s travails in his domestic life also documented on In Times New Roman….
I just noticed the trailing ellipses and wonder if that is a subtle connection between the two albums, but Emotion Sickness played early and adding an impromptu three-minute coda after the song had seemingly ended suggests Homme is happy with closing that chapter of his life.
After I Sat By The Ocean concluded, he said, “Love is fleeting. Enjoy it while you can.” 
Embodying an imposing stature, the 6’4″ Homme shows sides of tenderness via his high register vocal range and occasional falsetto. A curveball was tossed when he grafted the chorus of Miss You into the tail end of Make It Witchu after a particularly effective guitar solo.
Queens Of The Stone Age love playing that song and I always thought it was the product of the band’s woodshedding effort with the objective to create their own candidate for a prom theme song. Regardless, the reading tonight was the most entertaining I have seen so far. 
Just before The Sky Is Fallin’, Homme said, “This next song is quite old.”
When the cheers subsided, he remarked, “Wait a minute. How do you know it’s not one of the shitty ones? Let’s hold off our judgment until we get into it. But I’ll tell you what, we’ll try as hard as we can.”
For some people expecting a generous helping of songs from the early records (the debut through Era Vulgaris), the band definitely played a few but unsurprisingly focused on the latter part of their career. Those first five records were made over a less than ten-year span, with only three records coming out in the following fifteen years. 
The band makeup is completely different as well, and when Homme did the band introductions, he introduced guitarist and longtime foil Troy Van Leeuwen first and then made his way to Dean Fertita and the rest of the band.
Only he introduced every single one of them as Troy, finally saying, “And I think you all know who I am. Troy Van Leeuwen.” It was a pretty funny moment but also underscored the fact that he really likes the chemistry of this band and will feature music produced by the combo. And the songs obviously connect with a lot of different types.
Homme surveyed the crowd. “You know what I love about our audience? I look around and see stoners and punk rock kids. Old people, young kids. Goth chicks. Gotta love the goth chicks. We hope to give you a night that you’ll never remember. I mean that sincerely.”
The night roared to a finish with some classic cuts. The bounce of The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret was dedicated to people who cannot keep their mouths shut and the fairly deep-cut Misfit Love.
Homme teased a new song, “This is a new song we’ve never played before,” before launching into No One Knows. For fans who shelled out for both nights, it was a worthy investment, with about half of each set comprising songs that were not repeated.
I did not see anyone filing a formal complaint.
The Kills
Back in 2013, the first time I saw Queens Of The Stone Age, The Kills opened. So it felt familiar for Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince to claim an opening slot once again.
Perhaps it was Dean Fertita who was the bridge, as both he and Mosshart played in The Dead Weather before he joined on with Queens.
Mosshart just exudes rockstar goddess vibes the second she ambles onto stage. Her long legs, arms and hair take on a kinetic life of their own.
Hince is the gritty Brit, slashing guitar chords against pre-recorded rhythms while trying to rein in the chaos. They are clearly enjoying their time once again with Queens, the huge smiles on their faces beaming genuine joy.
Side note. If the band ever decides to play on Halloween as a tribute act, Mosshart would make a killer Jennifer Herrema to Hince’s Hagerty, and the world could always use more Royal Trux.
