The Black Keys roll back to Nashville for a free show

The Black Keys first played Nashville a while ago.

21 years ago, the band trekked from Ohio for a show at now-defunct East Nashville haunt Slow Bar.

"There were probably, like, 15 people there," said Patrick Carney, drummer and co-founding member of the Ohio-born, Nashville-based rock staple.

In the years that followed, Carney and bandmate Dan Auerbach climbed the ranks of Nashville's live music hierarchy, playing at Mercy Lounge, City Winery and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (after a Friday afternoon set in 2005, Carney said the band bootlegged their passes for more money than the gig paid at the time).

And this week — after years of headlining arenas and anchoring festival mainstages — this modern rock staple reprises its days of sweaty, shoulder-to-shoulder shows with a night at the Bell Tower, a standing-room downtown venue that can pack a few hundred concert-goers on the dance floor. Set for Wednesday night, it's the duo's first Nashville gig since headlining Bridgestone Arena in 2019; in 2021, Carney and Auerbach played the Pilgrimage Music Festival in nearby Franklin, Tennessee.

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"It's good to bounce around," Carney said. "Give fans different tastes, different experiences. I remember how long it took for us to finally play, like, 1,200-seat rooms and when we first got there, how big that felt."

Spirts brand Wild Turkey sponsors the free event in partnership with media company iHeartRadio. While ticketing is now closed, fans earlier this month could enter for a chance to win a spot at the show.

The concert comes as part of Wild Turkey's ongoing 101 Bold Nights concert series. In throwing the show, the liquor-maker and radio company each plan to donate $50,000 towards nonprofit label Spaceflight Records and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a charity aiding musician and industry professionals facing financial hardship.

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The ongoing Bold Nights series aims to connect independent artists with mentorship opportunities, label support and live experiences — like opening for the Black Keys. As part of the program, Austin-based outfit Kalu & The Electric Joint plays main support Wednesday night in Nashville

For the band, Bold Nights felt like a "natural fit," Carney said.

"We were given big opportunities by other artists when we first started," Carney said. He added, "When we go on tour and [are] selecting bands to take out, we try to take out at least one band that needs an opportunity like that."

When Auerbach and Carney hit the stage Wednesday, they may kick it back to songs from the early days, the latter said. And next time the band plays Nashville? There may be a few new tunes in-tow.

"We've been working like crazy on a new record," Auerbach said. "We recorded a little bit at Toe Rag Studios in London, Sunset Sound in LA and Easy Eye Sound in Nashville. But we've been working on it for months and we're getting very closed to being finished."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Black Keys roll back to Nashville for a one-night free gig