Let's see - Canada Day 2007 in the Great White North, where, by the time you read this our country will have celebrated its 140th anniversary of Confederation under our relatively young yet distinctive red and white flag. And for those who wanted a band with a red and white colour scheme to help celebrate with some rock and roll....

Enter the White Stripes, who brought their own distinctive red and white (and black) trademarked colours to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to help celebrate the festivities at Teachers' Credit Union Place, or the TCUP for short. BUT, hang on for a bit - even before that, I should also mention they played an unannounced five-song set at a local bowling alley earlier that same afternoon to a couple of hundred fans who heard about it by word of mouth.

Yes indeed - a bowling alley - wazzupwidat? I just don't think the Stones or U2 would do that nowadays. Or Beyonce. I didn't see the gig, but it puts their TCUP show into perspective: this is a band/duo that marches to its own drummer. Yes, a cliché for sure, but I've got more to say about that later. Interesting note: in the middle of the last song, Jack walked up to a lane and threw a couple of balls - don’t know if he got a strike or a spare, but it’s possible he might be the first person to take a bowling solo in the history of rock and roll.

At the gig proper, at the gig proper, opening act Dan Sertain fronted his four-piece group and sang a mixture of country & rock and roll - punkabilly to some, I suppose. Decent material, and I hope he continues to pursue his recording and playing career. His one cover was a curious choice - an Alice Cooper song called “Second Coming” off the Love It to Death album. Go fig.

Anyways, on a red and white stage, with guitar amps decked out with red maple leaves, The White Stripes opened their show with a crushing version of “Blue Orchid” that was loud enough to wake God in his heaven out of a Canada Day slumber. That was quickly followed by “Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground,” “Icky Thump,” and a cover of “Jolene.” That first fifteen minutes was punk rock meets classic rock meets country and supercharged under the light of the giant disco ball and thrown forward into the 21st century. The rest of the set was decent - I recognised a verse of Dylan's “Highway 61” thrown in there somewhere, and a line from the “Stone's Satisfaction,” as well as their version of the old classic “Death Letter (Blues).” And a Bacharach/David song. And some highlights from their albums like “My Doorbell” & “I Think We're Gonna be Friends.” And during the encore Meg came out & sang “In the Cold Cold Night.”