I went to the White Stripes show at Red Rocks in Morrison with Figgie and Ken on Monday night. It's an outdoor venue and the rocks are about twelve stories high and you usually see the moon during the show.
Anyway, they put on a pretty good performance but Jack White did rush through the lyrics of some of the songs. His guitar playing was wonderful though and he's a great showman. Meg was very cute and competent in a simple way flailing around on her drumkit with her hair all over the place.
The marimbas, the kettle drums and the whole set was, of course in red and white. Meg wore black leather pants and a black top with a red scarf and jack was in all red with black siding on his pants. He wore the same hat he has on the cover of Get Behind Me Satan covering his eyes. It's obvious he's getting a pot belly.
The best songs were "My Doorbell" which was very soulful, and "Black Math" which they played even faster than on the album (Elephant that is). Meg soloed at the mike for the "Cold, Cold Night" (not sure if this is the title) which made everyone scream.
Kenny and I hypothesized that he's probably a total control freak and only lets Meg do so much for the band. We also wondered what kind of music he'd put out if he had a bass player and another guitar or a sax person.
They sent us off with the Boll weevil song and had us sing the chorus. I felt like I was in grade school. If they are going to do a folk song that Leadbelly recorded you would think they would do something better like "Gallows Pole" for instance.
I'm not sure if I would go see them again but it was definitely worth it the one time. I think I will always have mixed feelings about this band. On the one hand, they are fun and bluesy and uncomplex, on the other they are borderline hacks that are all about the strut and the image of rock and roll. Nevertheless, I still love this band.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - dudly
I think that to call jack white a borderline hack is a gross mistatement, he is an amazing guitar player and a great overall artist. And the title to that song was 'In the cold, cold night'.
2 - jane ripley
Well, that's what I think. The whole piece was supposed about how conflicted I am regarding the White Stripes. I didn't expect everyone was going to enjoy, but thanks for the song title. I've been sick and had to post this quickly.
3 - Derek
I love the white stripes, I'm going to see them this saturday and I was wondering weather or not there was any moshing for them, like in punk concerts?
4 - Scott Butki
I think he's quite talented and am jealous of you getting to see them live.
5 - jane ripley
Derek: Uh, not that I noticed.
He's extremely talented and she's the neo Moe Tucker, yet my conflicted emotions regarding this band continue to surge beneath my surface.
6 - dick
I am continually amazed at peoples inability to just accept this band as they are and realize that their simplicity is the source of their genius. Jack could not write or play as he does or have this band as it exists without Meg. Her drumming is his muse. SHE is the driving source of the White Stripes. What would Jack White sound like with a bass player another guitarist and a sax player? He would suck ass. Like Billy Corgan does. The wisdom of Jack is that he handed his ego to Meg.
7 - jane ripley
I don't think he would suck ass necessarily. After seeing them live, it was obvious that Jack was rushing through some of the songs with less enthusiasm that he had in the studio, so my thinking is that maybe he could use a side project at least.
Meg may well be the muse, however, I don't believe she's the driving force for the band just because she's the drummer. And Jack White has an abundance of ego, check out the September issue of Rolling Stone. I maintain HE is the driving force and runs the show.
8 - Katie
Wow. You so don't get the White Stripes. That's why you're conflicted, just in case you wondered. 1) How would they sound if they had a bassist, etc.? That isn't the point. The point is that they have a stripped down sound, uber simplicity that lends vitality to their sets. They also record with old, outdated equipment -- no computers. And Jack plays on an old Airliner guitar -- not an expensive instrument. Meg plays the drums without using any fills? Why? Can she not play fills? Of course she can! It's about simplicity. It's about the energy and creativity that can emanate from primitivity. It's about the amazing and demanding sounds that just two people with limited instruments and technology can produce. And (2) Jack White needs a side project? What about writing a song for Coke? or playing with the Brendan Benson band, the Ranconteurs? or even producing a Grammy awarded album with Loretta Lynn? or writing the music for Cold Mountain? Jack White has never, it appears, had a shortage of "side projects." (3) Borderline hacks? Get real. They take risks with every album they produce. They have made creative strides that will make them not only memorable in music history, but will, I believe, ultimately change the history of music. You were "conflicted" about the White Stripes? No. You're just uninformed.
9 - pablo3
i love them, i'm sick of them, i want to see them agaiin!
III
10 - jane ripley
me too!
11 - Alix
I love the white stripes. Billy Corgan does not suck. Sure his more recent stuff may not have been as fantastic as the Pumpkins, but he will always be a rock legend. I love the white stripes, Meg, Jack, Billy, James, D'Arcy, Jimmy, Melissa and Smashing Pumpkins. End of story. Good bye.
12 - Chris
The White Stripes aren't "amazing", they write average songs and aren't particuarly talented. Meg White is a below average drummer and Jack is an ok guitarist with vary little variation in his music. There is some confusion with the relationship between Jack and Meg, some claim they are married some claim they are brother and sister, personally i think both are possible. However, on a positive note Jack's new band 'The Raconteurs' are shaping up pretty well. I'm going to see them at the Leeds Festival in August.
13 - Chris
Forgot to mention in my last post download the cover of "Seven Nation Army" by 'Audioslave' its a lot better than the original.
14 - mike
chris: you are clearly an idiot. :) audioslave? give me a break. you probably think system of a down is more radical than rage against the machine. go listen to the "top 40" hits.
15 - Chris
No i don't actually, I am a big fan of R.A.T.M. Idiot is a bit strong at least I don't use words like "radical".
16 - Dave
Chris, Jack is not an "ok guitarist." If you don't like his routine or style, thats one thing, but what he does on the instrument is far from elementrary. Pick up the guitar, and not only invent those rifs, but then hammer em out like Jack, and come and talk to me.
17 - Christopher Rose
Dave, Jack isn't even an ok guitarist and hasn't invented anything. His repertoire is as complete a ripoff of the work of others as his image.
18 - Jane Ripley
Well nobody's perfect. Jack White may be derivative, but he is still a great guitar player. And that one "Rolling Stone" cover where they had John Mayer and those other guys on there, but not Jack, I just couldn't believe. If I had been the editor I would have totally included him because the boy can make the guitar talk.
19 - Jane Ripley
It's just me and my mixed feelings now...
20 - JC Mosquito
I got tix to see the stripes in july.
Their genius is that they take stoopid three note riffs that are lying about for anyone to use, and Jack turns them into songs, and then the two of them make as much racket as a 4 or 5 piece punk or metal band.
Can't wait!
21 - Christopher Rose
Skeeter, I am appalled that you have fallen victim to the cheap recycling of the creative work of other people that is the White Stripes! It must be the incisive lyric writing like "I've got a doorbell and I'm gonna ring it"...
22 - JC Mosquito
Not a fan, I take it?
Are you referring to some blatant, intentional theft of actual music, or an aping of style and approach? In either instance, I'm curious about your dislike. After all, in this period of r 'n r history, there's not a lot you can do that's truly original - there's only so many useable chord changes & combinations of instruments.
23 - Christopher Rose
Skeeter, I'm not party to the motivation of the band in question, I just find them unoriginal and uninteresting and I fucking hate that doorbell song.
Rock more or less ran out of new ideas quite some time ago but this uninspiring combo are a great demonstration of utter vacuousness.
The art of great songwriting still flourishes though, but not for this derivative pile of poo!
The amount of gushing critical acclaim thrown their way by people who frankly ought to know better makes me feel quite sick, literally...
24 - JC Mosquito
Fascinating - I would've said Jack White was an excellent songwriter.
I would also suggest they're quite inspiring. In fact, they remind me of that great review I read about Nirvana's "Teen Spirit" (if you know the credit please tell me who wrote it), "... as awe inspiring as it is unintelligible."
ALso, I would hesitate to call them vacuous - so far they have shown they have roots in a lot of different music and blend them easily.
An I don't even consider myself a great fan - the first thing I heard from them was Elephant, which I didnn't care for much, but their back catalog was more interesting and captured my interest.
25 - Jane Ripley
I love Elephant.