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Words by: David Basteri | Images by: Mark Hertensteiner
The Raconteurs :: 05.01.08 :: House of Blues :: Dallas, TX
So enter this path
But heed these four words
You shall never return
The star-spangled troubadour himself, the pasty-pale-skinned Jack White and his "skinny-as-a-rail" storytelling partner, Brendan Benson barnstormed the House Of Blues with all the fury and vengeance one could muster from a bright white suit (Benson) and one of Elvis' spangled vests (White). All feedback and drums and pompousness, these four (sometimes five) no bullshit guys cleared through the fuzz and opened the show with the title track from the new record, Consolers Of The Lonely. Widespread ringing of the ears ensued, the crowd trading in their hearing for some good old fashioned musical stories!
Rock & roll, I am now convinced, will never, evah die. Clearly not as long as Mr. White continues to sit on the left hand side of god, and certainly not as long as he kicks it with The Raconteurs. Together with Jack Lawrence (bass guitar, banjo, vox), Patrick Keeler (drums, percussion), Mark Watrous (keyboards, fiddle, percussion), White and Benson (who jump between guitars, keys, synths, vox) have thrown down the gauntlet.
The Raconteurs bring the noise live, and they brought the roof down. Hell, they blew the walls off the poor House Of Blues. When they bring their mojo to the stage, perhaps only the dead (or the dying) won't be moved. If screeching guitars, fiddling banjo, driving percussion, sweet harmonies and spastic, soulful, sweaty rock aren't your thing then stay home.
Jack White - The Raconteurs :: 05.01 :: Dallas, TX
Highlights included the gem "You Don't Understand Me" with White trading his guitar for the piano three songs into the show, at which point Benson prodded his friend to introduce the tender anti-ballad to the crowd. ZZ Top showed up with some "Cheap Sunglasses" in the middle of "Level." More deep southern rock reared its ugly/lovely head on "Baby Please Don't Go." Those cleverly placed covers blended very well with their mix-up of the old and the new, the soulful and the heavy keeping the HoB on its collective toes all night long. Perhaps my only complaint would be the omission of "These Stones Will Shout" and the sarcastic epic "The Switch And The Spur."
On a side note, what a cool freakin' venue the House Of Blues is – an intimate balcony, a spacious floor plan down below with plenty of tables and many, many shades of blue, trippy cobalt and weird hologram faces of blues legends. The very friendly, helpful staff really stood out; even the bouncers were nice.
The Consolers Of The Lonely material desperately crunches live, breathing second life into the songs with youthful enthusiasm, unpredictable banter and emotional vocals. The Raconteurs bleed emotion and raw fury onstage, treating the audience to about an hour and a half-plus set that seemed way longer.
The Raconteurs in Dallas - "Baby Please Don't Go"
The Raconteurs in Dallas - "Rich Kid Blues"
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