Photo: WENN
Having made a miraculous recovery from the escapades of the previous night (which saw him taken down by some sort of mind-altering virus and rushed off in an ambulance*), Jack White and his extensive posse of cohorts are in the ruddiest of health tonight.
Bathed in an icy blue light, they weave their way through a set consisting of material drawn not only from Lazaretto and Blunderbuss, but all of Mr White’s previous projects too. The hefty line up (which brings together drums, bass, piano, organ, theremin, peddle steel, not one but two fiddles and, of course, some ferocious guitar) provide arrangements that are predictably full blooded and, as you might expect, their contributions are felt all the more keenly when they tackle once minimal White Stripes favourites such as 'Hotel Yorba', 'Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground', 'Ball and a Biscuit' and 'Seven Nation Army'.
That said, despite the consummate skill of this current line up (which is now mixed gender, the whole alternating boy/girl schtick form the last tour having been dropped) the most thrilling thing about watching them play is their perfectly cultivated looseness. Jack isn’t just the frontman, he’s the band leader in the traditional sense, giving people their cues, dictating the tempo the suit his whims.
It’s an approach that works fantastically well with the new material. The siren screech that underpins the hook of 'High Ball Stepper' is made all the more gratifying for the meandering breakdowns between refrains, whilst songs such as the eponymous effort from the new LP have that stuttering stop start structure in their DNA anyway.
It’s a high production affair, from the enormous moving bars of light that hang above the stage to the sartorial elegance of the roadies (who are kitted out in ties and braces to match the group’s aesthetic) but ultimately it’s a showcase for the simple things that make live music spell binding – spontaneity and a sense of shared energy.
*Don’t worry though. It was all part of a highly conceptual secret gig.
Jack White played:
Sixteen Saltines Astro (The White Stripes song)
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (The White Stripes song)
High Ball Stepper
Lazaretto
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes song)
Temporary Ground
Ramblin' Man / Cannon / Ramblin' Man / Cannon
Icky Thump (The White Stripes song)
Missing Pieces
Three Women
Love Interruption
Blunderbuss
Top Yourself (The Raconteurs song)
I'm Slowly Turning Into You (The White Stripes song)
Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys cover) (snippet)
Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes song)
Encore:
Just One Drink
Alone in My Home
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) (The White Stripes song)
Hello Operator (The White Stripes song)
Would You Fight for My Love?
Broken Boy Soldier (The Raconteurs song)
Blue Blood Blues (The Dead Weather song)
Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs song)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes song)
