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Darkness can descend like a sheet of fear-inducing nothingness, or it can be a dense, complicated, and utterly tangible shroud. When the lights went down on the house music before Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's set at La Zona on Friday night, the curtain of blackness was like a wall of anticipation crashing down.

As Peter Hayes, Robert Levon Been and Nick Jago took the stage to screams and applause, the kerosene stage fog seemed to come alive with an ominous red light.

Appearing to all the world like the kind of outlaw bikers that inspired their band's name (see Brando's The Wild One), the trademark motorcycle-like growl of guitars roared to life on the stomping "Berlin" from their newest effort, Baby 81. The howl and whine continued through "Lien on Your Dreams" and the delay heavy "In Like the Rose". They played an 18 song set heavy with obvious fan favorites, while members of the crowd sighing with relief when the song they had been yelling for finally came up.

Classics like "Punk Song" at times felt rushed or off-kilter, but newer gems like "Need Some Air" were imbued with a healthy dose of energy and road-tested to near perfection. After clambering back down from soloing atop his amp stack, singer/guitarist Been thanked the boisterous Austin crowd for their longtime support.

BRMC left the crowd with the atmospheric, somewhat melodramatic, "All You Do is Talk," but for a band that embraces hefty sentiments and an edgy, grimy take on the rock scene, it was a fitting end to the show. The message was clear: we live in dark times but you can still find a little bit of salvation in a lot of rock and roll.