Have you ever really loved a band only to have them abandon you? I’m talking extensive periods of standing on your head until your friends bought the album, obsessive mix tape swaps of rare tracks, insisting that your local record store carry their stuff, and a full on scavenger hunt for some sort of insight into their elusive background. Then have you ever watched that band you love so much rise in popularity and reach a level that you can pretty much kiss off finding concert tickets for their sold out arena shows? For me that band is the White Stripes, and witnessing their stratospheric (and well deserved) rise to fame has been bittersweet. So color me a peppermint twist when I found myself in the photo pit for their Madison Square Garden show. Crossing the country for the billionth time in support of their new release Icky Thump, I couldn’t wait to see a post-Raconteurs Jack White back to his old tricks with his ‘big sister Meg.’
I had braced myself for a show of jaded song choices to appease the crowd, but Jack seemed to savor every sweet note of the set. “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” blended with “When I Hear My Name” for the opener, followed by Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” There was a lot more interaction with the crowd on this tour and it was clear that they were both enjoying themselves, which helped translate their sound for the massive arena space. Meg White smouldered through “In the Cold Cold Night” more than I’d ever seen before. Clad modestly in a long sleeved t-shirt and pants she was straight up Peggy Lee and her delivery reached all the way up to the top row. I swear her drumming has (finally) evolved- there is a bit more inflection and she seems far less removed. A high point was how “Fell in Love with a Girl” melted seamlessly into “Ball and a Biscuit”, which I believe won the title of ‘Best Song To Strip To (If Forced)’ by a bunch of bloggers last year. Yup, the White Stripes have the magic formula : Detroit garage meets blues obsession with a hint of American folk= sexy music for indie kids, except for the fact that they’re a household name now. Whatever the case it was hard to ignore the two drunk girls bumping in grinding together in front of us united in their lust for Jack White. They were so close to making out, if only to get the frontman’s attention for a second. We wondered if they’d regret- or indeed remember- anything in the morning.
Other than a few casualties involving sloppy drunks stomping on my feet and being the object of obligatory beer sloshes, I made it out of the general admission floor alive. I should note that MSG has started including luminescent swizzle sticks in the Red Bull concoctions. Harder and sharper than your average glowstick, the crowd was convinced that they should be tested for their aerodynamic capabilities. It started with some being lobbed playfully from the upper tiers halfway into the show, and picked up momentum to the point where security watched helplessly as the sky was streaked with red and blue. By the time I took off the kids were hurling them directly at Mr. White himself, and the black suit clad Icky Thump army was in damage control mode. What they intended to accomplish, I’ll never know, and I’m glad I left on an up note. The final verdict on a band that had lost me as a fan on the side of the road? I am back on track. The past few months have rendered me running around saying that ‘1 is the new 2!’ (thanks largely to Panda Bear) when it comes to band members. However in matters such as the White Stripes: If one can loop, then two can shred and three is most definitely a crowd. Here is the set list for all you candy cane children out there:
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
When I Hear My Name
Jolene
Hotel Yorba
Cannon
Icky Thump
Do
Death Letter
In The Cold, Cold Night
A Martyr for My Love for You
I’m Slowly Turning Into You
I Think I Smell A Rat
Wasting My Time
300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues
You Don’t Know What Love Is
Fell in Love With a Girl
Ball and Biscuit
[encore break]
Blue Orchid
I Just Don’t Know What To Do with Myself
Little Ghost
We’re Going to Be Friends
Little Bird
Catch Hell Blues
My Doorbell
Seven Nation Army
Boll Weevil
