Greatest Cleveland concerts: No. 11 – The Black Keys' secret show

Flashback: Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney formed The Black Keys in 2001 and played their first show at Beachland on March 20, 2002.

• "Right off the bat, they had an excitement around them," Beachland co-owner Mark Leddy tells Axios. "It was a different kind of a buzz than most new bands."

The intrigue: By 2008, The Black Keys had signed with a major label and were tapped by MySpace for the social media site's Secret Shows series.

• Despite their growing popularity, Auerbach and Carney chose the modest Beachland Tavern as an homage to their humble beginnings.
• Roughly 300 people showed up to try and nab first-come, first-served wristbands for the free gig.

What they did: A lucky 150 people witnessed The Black Keys play 17 songs over 70 minutes, including fan-favorite "Thickfreakness," plus new tunes "Strange Times" and "Psychotic Girl."

• The highpoint was a cover of Captain Beefheart's "I'm Glad," driven by Auerbach's soulful voice and Carney's thunderous drumming.

The bottom line: "I run into way more people who say they were at that show than could have possibly been there," Leddy says. "It was just one of those special nights."