|
The White Stripes :: 06.10.05 :: Music Midtown :: Atlanta, GA
Almost two years have passed since the brother and sister, or ex-husband and wife, or no relation at all, or who really knows duo of Jack and Meg White played a live show in the United States. The eighteen months or so passed with Jack White immersed in distractions. From courting Hollywood to resurrecting a country music diva, idle time has never been Jack's forte. Meg, in her typical quiet juxtaposition, disappeared from public life, reportedly restoring a house back in Michigan.
The White Stripes by Patrick Keeler |
So when the message boards began blinking with reports of a new album in the works and sightings of Jack White hanging around Memphis recording studios, the anticipation for new songs and the predictions of a tour began to occupy the fans' spare time. What would the new album sound like? Would Jack's work on the Cold Mountain soundtrack and his time spent with Loretta Lynn spin his blues-rock, guitar attack methods into traditional roots balladry? Most importantly, when and where will the supporting tour start? Ryman Auditorium? A futile version of the guessing game is one guarantee when dealing with the Bonnie and Clyde of modern day rock music.
To the surprise of American, Canadian, and European fans alike, the tour would start before the album's official release and it would start – in Mexico. From Mexico, they would head south to what some would call the far reaches of South America. After stops in atypical cities like Bogota, Colombia, and Manaus, Brazil, the outfit announced Atlanta, GA as their first stop in the U.S. The gig would take place at the poorly reputed Music Midtown festival as more evidence of the festival promoters' dire attempts to somehow make the event profitable for the first time in years. By booking the Stripes, the festival had suddenly become legit to many. Messages with subject like "Flying in from LA" and "Where to stay? Never been to ATL" began popping up in online Stripes forums within a day's notice of the announcement.
The White Stripes by Ewen Spencer |
The Friday of the show delivered overcast skies and intense humidity to the Atlanta area. The drizzle of rain became an imminent result of the conditions, and hopes for the perfect concert environment were dashed well before 9 p.m. when recent indie-rock success group Interpol took the stage. Their hour-long set was enjoyable, though not particularly energetic or monumental. The White Stripes were due to play a 90-minute set starting at 10:30 p.m. The stage crew began assembling the props and atmospheric decorations in rapid fashion. Bleached white potted plants, blazing red instruments of varying identity, and vertical banners displaying what could be construed as a nuclear winter scene left on the cutting room floor of The Jungle Book set the mood for the arrival of The White Stripes.
Jack and Meg entered the stage a few minutes late. Jack, up until a certain point, would be decked in attire that might be described as a tribute to Zorro. Donning a black hat, pants, and jacket with the trademark red t-shirt beneath, he seemed to be playing the part of rock star and bandito simultaneously. Perhaps a pair of pearl-handled revolvers in black holsters could complete this outfit for future shows? Meg, always seductive yet cute, wore white with her raven-black hair flowing around her shoulders and back. They wasted no time tuning or fiddling knobs before launching into the intense "When I Hear My Name," reminiscent of the beginning of the recent live DVD release Under Blackpool Lights. This song was played hard and fast and segued into the crowd address of "Lord Send Me An Angel," more or less Jack's hello to Atlanta, which contained references to Macon and Statesboro, Georgia. The next song was one of several anthem-type numbers played by The White Stripes at almost all live shows, "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground." This song seemed to warrant a sing-along from the rowdy crowd with its tough talking, boastful lyrics like "If you can hear a piano fall/You can hear me coming down the hall."
The White Stripes by Ewen Spencer |
The next three songs were the live, American debuts of new White Stripes music from the album Get Behind Me Satan, released only four days prior to the Atlanta show. "Blue Orchid" showed off Jack and Meg's relationship as musicians quite well and seems to be one of the more complicated (a word not often used when describing their music) songs released by the duo. "Passive Manipulation" brought Meg to the front of the stage for about 45 seconds to warn the young women in the crowd not to "succumb to the wishes" of their brothers while banging away on a bright red pair of drums. This song is very interesting considering the secretive, potentially incestuous arrangement Jack and Meg have set up for the public eye. "Red Rain" was delivered perfectly as it built in intensity, ending with Jack screaming like a caged animal. Up next was "Death Letter," a Son House cover that Jack White has redefined as one the most ambitious live songs being performed today. Beginning with a spine-tingling slide guitar experiment, this song quickly informs anyone within earshot that blues music is in fine form and being interpreted still to this day.
Following the standard White Stripes guitar and drums meltdown that has become their calling card, Jack seated himself at a piano with his back facing Meg. The new song "My Doorbell" was a fun live song that had the crowd bopping along to the words. While bordering on lyrical redundancy, this song transmits better live than the studio version, perhaps due to its upbeat, danceable tempo. Other songs that hit the crowd in a continuous onslaught of musical passion and seriousness were "Hotel Yorba," "Same Boy You've Always Known," and the Bob Dylan cover "Lovesick." Perhaps the most covered artist still living today, Dylan's post-1996 repertoire is not usually considered for selection by today's musicians. The amount of angst and pain delivered in this song by Jack White provided an air of love-induced melancholy considering he had been newly married less than a week prior to this performance.
The White Stripes by Patrick Keeler |
At this point in the show, the crowd was pretty much in awe of what they were witnessing. The cheers between songs were deafening, but the looks on many people's faces told more of an intrigued, somewhat fearful version of the story. Being that this was an all-inclusive music festival in a large metropolitan city, there were numerous people seeing and hearing The White Stripes for the very first time.
Jack White picked up his black mandolin and proceeded to explain the story of "Little Ghost." Jack's mandolin abilities put to waste quickly any speculation that his mandolin in Cold Mountain was nothing more than a prop. This song included great harmonizing between Jack and Meg towards the end of the song and seemed to be a good use of Meg's inexperienced vocal range; she sounded excellent during her small, shared part of this song. Up next was "We're Going To Be Friends," which was preceded by a little banter directed at the Atlanta crowd. Jack mentioned a couple of Atlanta landmarks in his quick, witty crowd address and even complimented a security guard's dance moves halfway through the song. The playfulness of "We're Going To Be Friends" (used in the opening credits of the cult film favorite Napoleon Dynamite) was shoved into the past tense quickly with the infamous intro of "Hardest Button To Button," another insane sing-along that had the crowd jumping up and down. The extremely high energy level of the show at this point was elevated one notch higher with "Black Math," placed rather late in the set. This song showcases Jack White's electric guitar proficiency and helps explain why Rolling Stone would honorably rank him at #17 in their list of the Top 100 guitar players of all time. "The Nurse" came next with Jack positioned behind a marimba and Meg stationed on drums. This song is difficult to grasp and would probably be considered the only low point of the set. The confusing element of the song was the use of some type of distortion or pre-recorded effect that had most people craning their necks trying to pinpoint its source. Jack's marimba playing was impressive, but the song lacks rhythm and seems to be a little too experimental, even for The White Stripes. The set closer was "I Just Don't Know What To Do (With Myself)," the popular, crowd-pleasing Burt Bacharach cover from the ultra-successful Elephant. Upon the completion of the searing guitar finale on this number, Jack and Meg exited to roaring approval.
After about a five-minute delay, Jack and Meg returned for the encore. Anyone who is familiar with The White Stripes knows that "Seven Nation Army" will more than likely be played, it's just a matter of where in the set. On this damp Atlanta night, they chose to sandwich it between "Ball and Biscuit" and the explosive "Screwdriver." The encore was brilliant, to put it mildly. "Screwdriver" was crafted perfectly in such a way that Jack ended up slinking over behind the bright red drums Meg had used during "Passive Manipulation." To the delight of Meg and the crowd, he offered his own reprise of the song. They slammed the proverbial door of "Screwdriver," took several bows while holding hands (just like a brother and sister would), and exited the stage with Jack's final remarks of the night being, "God bless you all."
The live concert experience had been redefined for many. The necessity of bass guitar and the presence of extraneous percussion or keyboard had both been put on trial by an intense partnership from Detroit, MI. Walking away from the stage with the Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup" blasting over the PA and the knowledge that this duo's tour will take them through at least three continents, one could not help but feel comforted knowing that The White Stripes are doing their damnedest to keep rock music alive and well all over the world.
Jason Kimbell
JamBase | Atlanta
Go See Live Music!
|
