"We are the Black Keys. We are from Akron, Ohio," singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach said at the commencement of this MySpace-sponsored "secret show." The gig, which took place in the tiniest room the Keys have played in some time, was a free concert but you had to show up at the club that afternoon to get a wristband. Plenty of fans didn't make the cut, but those who did were treated to a business-as-usual (and that's meant as a compliment for these hard-working guys) performance by the grungey blues duo, which also includes limber drummer Patrick Carney.

Looking a bit more Grizzly Adams than normal with his lengthy hair and beard, Auerbach tore into the opening tune, "Same Old Thing," with as much abandon as he would if he were playing a far bigger stage. In fact, the Keys translated as well in the Tavern, the site of their first-ever show, as they did at the Agora Theatre, the venue in town they last played at. The studio renditions of the tunes from their new album, Attack and Release, have far more sonic diversity thanks to the production work of Gnarls Barkley's Dangermouse, who threw in an array of samples and found sounds. But live, the guys stripped the tunes down to the core and they flowed nicely with the rest of the set.

Two of the band's best known (and catchiest) tunes — "Girl Is on My Mind" and "Set You Free" — followed "Same Old Thing" and kept the groove going strong. While the band doesn't particularly like being associated with the jam scene (and I spotted at least one "taper" at the show), you can see why that audience has gravitated to its music. As much as it's a homage of sorts to old-school blues, the music has a definite groove to it. That was readily apparent in "10 a.m. Automatic" and "Psychotic Girl." So by the time of the closing number, the band was in a sweaty fervor and the audience, which literally had the Tavern floor shaking, was right there with it. A two-song encore concluded the 70-minute show, and Auerbach left by politely saying, "We'll see you next time." Hopefully, that means another small-hall show isn't out of the question.

Ministry
Agora Theatre, Tuesday, May 6

Ministry's C U LaTouR show at the Agora Theater was a slap to the face. Let me explain. Imagine you've been away for months. Your loved one of over 25 years corresponds through these lustful, adoring letters. Upon arriving home you see your partner grinning seductively from afar. You race toward the welcoming smile to find a blank stare followed by the sharp, burning pain of a slap. You're astonished as you walk away with a pocket of crumpled love letters. Well, that's what Ministry did to its fans on Tuesday. Luckily, a few late-breaking moments salvaged what might have been a night to forget.

The first hour or so of Ministry's performance seethed with less noteworthy songs from the last three Bush-loathing albums. Blasting at chest-thundering decibels, tracks like "Let's Go," "The Dick Song," "Watch Yourself," "No W," "Wrong" and "LiesLiesLies" left a large portion of the crowd despondent. The band separated itself from the gaggle of onlookers with metal fences that only seemed to amplify the questionable enthusiasm from cigarette-sucking frontman Al Jourgensen. Veiled by strobe lights and sunglasses, Al and company appeared halfhearted and detached.

The most electrifying portion didn't come until the first encore. Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory burst onto the stage with tons of energy and devoured the vocals. Jourgensen played guitar off to the side as Burton scaled the barriers, toyed with lights and danced like a savage. Finally the venomous fans ripped the floor apart to classic hits "N.W.O.," "Just One Fix" and "Thieves." It was a brief jolt of excitement that fell flat shortly thereafter. For the second encore, fans were again confused as Ministry erupted with awkward renditions of "Roadhouse Blues," "Just Got Paid" and the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb." The set as a whole revealed an ill-fated end to an era from a band that seems uninterested in pleasing its fans. Too bad we all aren't 15 anymore or everyone may have actually been fooled. — Hannah Verbeuren

The Swell Season
Allen Theatre, Sunday, May 11

Like the perennial underdog, Once, a magical film about two musicians chasing their dreams in Dublin, Ireland, won our hearts with its charm, music and improbable story. Made for a mere pittance amongst friends, the movie came out of nowhere two years ago to catapult its stars, the Frames' Glen Hansard and his partner Marketa Irglova, to a revered status, so much so that the duo, properly called the Swell Season, won this year's Oscar for best original song. That kind of notoriety has now enabled the duo to trade up from dingy clubs to majestic theaters, appealing to a broad, multi-generational audience, and expand its outstanding live show to include members of Hansard's former band, all of which was on full display Sunday night at the Allen Theatre.

The night opened in the purest of forms, Hansard alone with his rickety six-string (the same one that he used at the Oscars), sans microphone and amp, belting out "Say It To Me Now." Irglova soon joined him for "All the Way Down," and the rest of the band finally appeared for a stunningly gorgeous "Lies." Now complete, the Swell Season was very much a band, and not just the duo that triumphed throughout the movie. With Hansard in command, spinning anecdotes between songs and talking about love lost and won, the band sent chills during "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Falling Slowly."

Thankfully, Irglova did get a chance to step out from her piano, switching spots with Hansard to introduce and lead "I Have Loved You Wrong," and also playing "Wicker Man" without any accompaniment. Hansard, too, captivated with his own solo rendition of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" and "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops." But the pair was at their finest when together, singing in harmony and exhibiting the chemistry that can capture a roomful of people. And the two did just that to close the evening, appropriately ending the set with "Once." — Aaron Mendelsohn