Get Behind Me Now, Anyway
Hey Soul Mates,
last night was a cool night at the Greek Theater. We went to check out one of the hottest and oddest couples in rock history. For the uninitiated, imagine if Sonny and Cher said they were brother and sister. And imagine if they loved the blues and feedback. And only dressed in red, black or white. And imagine Cher was virtually rhythm-free, but surprisingly watchable. And that Sonny, moustache and all, was a musical genius. Well, that would be them.
This one's for my buddy, Mike.
The White Stripes kicked off the set with The Hardest Button To Button. Rudimentary drummer Meg White and her shrieking little brother Jack (tricked out like a 4 year old in a cowboy suit from Hell) played amidst a backdrop of palm trees, oversized floating apple (a motif from their album art) and instruments in their trademark Red, White & Black. Yes, lots of instruments. Jack shifting from guitar to guitar to piano to marimba to mandolin and back. It looked like there was junk on stage he didn't even get to before the night was done.
Their set continued with their unique take on the blues and classic rock sounds, with songs like Hotel Yorba, Jolene, & Black Math. Don't quote me on the setlist or it's order. There were a half-dozen songs I didn't recognize being a WS neophyte. Early on, Jack White sat down and pounded at the piano on their latest single My Doorbell. My Doorbell is a wonderfully catchy modern blues about waiting & waiting for that special girl to ring (what else?) his bell. It was the first song they performed from their new disc Get Behind Me Satan. The album is filled with these songs of emotional and sexual frustration. He longs for teases: from this girl to Rita Hayworth to an actual ghost, even to his "sister". Jack White really wants to you understand that he has "the blues" and that these various women are the cause of it all. How primordial.
Eventually, Jack took to the marimba - like a madman. He only used it for the new song The Nurse, but he played it with virtuoso flourishes. The nurse in question, is another one of Jack's female tormentors obliterating his heart. The rock show continued with Little Ghost, a slice of Appalachian folk with Jack on mandolin and the Whites sharing lead vocals. Now, how many rock acts play marimba and mandolin in the same set, if at all? Zero. This is part of the genius of the Stripes. The blues, country, bluegrass, Americana, classic rock: these two get it. As my friend Steph likes to say they are "going to the well."
Ball & Biscuit was the musical high point of the set. Here, the Stripes revisit, deconstruct and bionically rebuild delta blues mythology into a metal-infused behemoth. They are not only heirs to Son House, but Led Zeppelin as well. My jaw dropped watching the furious guitar playing. Jack powered through the solo sections with what should be called reckless abandon. But the whole damn show is about reckless abandon. There is no other band out there (on a national level) taking as many artistic risks or liberties than the White Stripes.
Another highlight was Death Letter. I'd be willing to bet there are few acts pulling off a century-old song as defiantly and singularly as the White Stripes tackle this one. Meg's vocal spotlight, the ultra-creepy Passive Manipulation (with Meg on tympani) showed up twice in the set. They also played There's No Home For You Here and the whole of the Greek Theater joined in the massive sing-a-long of the gentle You've Got Her In Your Pocket.
It's quite a treat to see a favorite album's tracks brought to life. Especially when the material is still so fresh for my ears and the artists'. Get Behind Me Satan is already the best thing I've heard all year. And after seeing much of it performed live, it's going to take a freight train of an LP to derail the Stripes.
Jack is clearly a brilliant, petulant child playing with his toys. He even grabbed a Jack White-esque doll from atop an amplifier and made it "walk" to his pedal boards to begin the feed back for the riveting Blue Orchid. He seemed very comfortable performing, but didn't say a whole lot between songs. He inhabits his own universe and the stage is his room. For much of the show, it's as if he's invited us over to play tea party and his tea party rocks!
The White Stripes' nearly 10-song encore began with Jack alone at the piano singing his country ballad I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet). That was followed by a loopy trip through their breakthrough hit Fell In Love With A Girl; Burt Bacharach's I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself; and Red Rain from the new disc which brings together the classic sound of slide guitar with toy xylophone. And yes, it really rocked. This was the last show of a four night stint at the Greek, so they let loose for the encore.
The emotional crest for the show was their second to the last song Seven Nation Army. Heavy on the guitar and loads of strobe light. Strobe light. I hadn't seen strobes at a show in I can't remember how long. But it was effective. The White Stripes are a spectacle; a force unto themselves. Much has been written about how unlikely they are. True, but this duo is destined for the Rock Hall in my estimation. If they come to your town, put the parents to bed and run out to see them.
The non-musical highlight of the night? When we pulled into the parking lot of the Greek, a car jumped in front of us to get a plum space. With my window rolled down, I blurted "That John C. Reilly-lookin' dude just took my spot!" It was John C. Reilly. And yes, he and his girl heard me. Nothing but love, Mr. Cellophane. Nothing but love.
Love, Power, Peace
last night was a cool night at the Greek Theater. We went to check out one of the hottest and oddest couples in rock history. For the uninitiated, imagine if Sonny and Cher said they were brother and sister. And imagine if they loved the blues and feedback. And only dressed in red, black or white. And imagine Cher was virtually rhythm-free, but surprisingly watchable. And that Sonny, moustache and all, was a musical genius. Well, that would be them.
This one's for my buddy, Mike.
The White Stripes kicked off the set with The Hardest Button To Button. Rudimentary drummer Meg White and her shrieking little brother Jack (tricked out like a 4 year old in a cowboy suit from Hell) played amidst a backdrop of palm trees, oversized floating apple (a motif from their album art) and instruments in their trademark Red, White & Black. Yes, lots of instruments. Jack shifting from guitar to guitar to piano to marimba to mandolin and back. It looked like there was junk on stage he didn't even get to before the night was done.
Their set continued with their unique take on the blues and classic rock sounds, with songs like Hotel Yorba, Jolene, & Black Math. Don't quote me on the setlist or it's order. There were a half-dozen songs I didn't recognize being a WS neophyte. Early on, Jack White sat down and pounded at the piano on their latest single My Doorbell. My Doorbell is a wonderfully catchy modern blues about waiting & waiting for that special girl to ring (what else?) his bell. It was the first song they performed from their new disc Get Behind Me Satan. The album is filled with these songs of emotional and sexual frustration. He longs for teases: from this girl to Rita Hayworth to an actual ghost, even to his "sister". Jack White really wants to you understand that he has "the blues" and that these various women are the cause of it all. How primordial.
Eventually, Jack took to the marimba - like a madman. He only used it for the new song The Nurse, but he played it with virtuoso flourishes. The nurse in question, is another one of Jack's female tormentors obliterating his heart. The rock show continued with Little Ghost, a slice of Appalachian folk with Jack on mandolin and the Whites sharing lead vocals. Now, how many rock acts play marimba and mandolin in the same set, if at all? Zero. This is part of the genius of the Stripes. The blues, country, bluegrass, Americana, classic rock: these two get it. As my friend Steph likes to say they are "going to the well."
Ball & Biscuit was the musical high point of the set. Here, the Stripes revisit, deconstruct and bionically rebuild delta blues mythology into a metal-infused behemoth. They are not only heirs to Son House, but Led Zeppelin as well. My jaw dropped watching the furious guitar playing. Jack powered through the solo sections with what should be called reckless abandon. But the whole damn show is about reckless abandon. There is no other band out there (on a national level) taking as many artistic risks or liberties than the White Stripes.
Another highlight was Death Letter. I'd be willing to bet there are few acts pulling off a century-old song as defiantly and singularly as the White Stripes tackle this one. Meg's vocal spotlight, the ultra-creepy Passive Manipulation (with Meg on tympani) showed up twice in the set. They also played There's No Home For You Here and the whole of the Greek Theater joined in the massive sing-a-long of the gentle You've Got Her In Your Pocket.
It's quite a treat to see a favorite album's tracks brought to life. Especially when the material is still so fresh for my ears and the artists'. Get Behind Me Satan is already the best thing I've heard all year. And after seeing much of it performed live, it's going to take a freight train of an LP to derail the Stripes.
Jack is clearly a brilliant, petulant child playing with his toys. He even grabbed a Jack White-esque doll from atop an amplifier and made it "walk" to his pedal boards to begin the feed back for the riveting Blue Orchid. He seemed very comfortable performing, but didn't say a whole lot between songs. He inhabits his own universe and the stage is his room. For much of the show, it's as if he's invited us over to play tea party and his tea party rocks!
The White Stripes' nearly 10-song encore began with Jack alone at the piano singing his country ballad I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet). That was followed by a loopy trip through their breakthrough hit Fell In Love With A Girl; Burt Bacharach's I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself; and Red Rain from the new disc which brings together the classic sound of slide guitar with toy xylophone. And yes, it really rocked. This was the last show of a four night stint at the Greek, so they let loose for the encore.
The emotional crest for the show was their second to the last song Seven Nation Army. Heavy on the guitar and loads of strobe light. Strobe light. I hadn't seen strobes at a show in I can't remember how long. But it was effective. The White Stripes are a spectacle; a force unto themselves. Much has been written about how unlikely they are. True, but this duo is destined for the Rock Hall in my estimation. If they come to your town, put the parents to bed and run out to see them.
The non-musical highlight of the night? When we pulled into the parking lot of the Greek, a car jumped in front of us to get a plum space. With my window rolled down, I blurted "That John C. Reilly-lookin' dude just took my spot!" It was John C. Reilly. And yes, he and his girl heard me. Nothing but love, Mr. Cellophane. Nothing but love.
Love, Power, Peace
posted by Norman K at 6:19 AM
1 Comments:
Wow... I should have gone to this show. They were great a few years ago, but your breakdown of the show was pretty amazing.
Wish I was there.
Um... John C. Reilly? Seriously? HA!
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