The
White Stripes
The Greek Theatre, Los Angles
August 15, 2005
The White Stripes have an amazing gift for making the familiar
sound original, which seems to baffle critics and fair-weather
fans. One side of the coin will blast them for regurgitating
old 1950s blues standards, while the other will call the
Stripes derivative and a one-note band.
Get Behind Me Satan, a lock for album of the year
and the band’s finest moment, is diverse enough to
please the backpack crowd, but also contains catchy songs
to keep the frat boys rockin’ it hard. Upon first
listen, it appears to be an experimental album - not quite
on the level of Radiohead’s Kid-A - but GBMS
does make some bold steps forward. Due to these departures,
the band has a richer and fuller sound that includes marimbas
and instruments only Jack White seems to find at thrift
stores in Des Moines. So, would these songs translate in
an outdoor auditorium tonight in front of a sold out crowd
of more than 6,000? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
With an elaborate yet subtle stage design, Meg and Jack
started off strong and never let up. Looking as pale as
an albino on a beach and dressed in an all-black military
uniform from a country that probably doesn’t exist,
Jack appeared haunted, crazed as if the devil were watching
from the sidelines, pulling his strings and controlling
his every move. Conversely, the lovely Meg was in the retro
standard White Stripes outfit: insanely tight white tank
top, tighter red pants. If you looked closely enough, you
could see her halo.
“Blue
Orchid,” the first single off GBMS, packed
a powerful punch and the band seemed in control from the
very start. While all of their hits were played –
“Seven Nation Army,” “Hotel Yorba,”
“Hardest Button to Button” - a plethora of cover
songs dominated the show, with the highlight being Son House’s
“Death Letter,” a song so sexy it left some
people feeling like they just got to third base. Other highlights
included Meg’s “Passive Manipulation,”
the Renee Zellweger-smack down “The Nurse,”
and “Forever for Her (Is Over For Me).” However,
Jack stole the show during the encore, alone at the piano,
singing the touching, yet funny, “I’m Lonely
(But I Aint‚ That Lonely Yet).”
Jack and Meg were determined to touch every single person
in the stands and they played with an intensity that the
Greek demands from such a personal, inti mate
band. Ideally they should be seen in a smoky bar in the
outskirts of town where paved roads haven’t been seen
in miles. (They played a small show in Pomona, CA about
two weeks prior to tonight’s gig to a lucky 850 fans.
It was a magical night.)
What makes the Stripes such an incredible band live is the
spontaneity they possess. They are not slaves to massive
video screens in the background and, well, since it’s
simply the two of them, they can switch tempos at the drop
of a hat or turn a short ballad into a six minute tribute.
It’s really a joy to watch the two of them communicate
with each other and take advantage of their freedom. This
gives the average concert fan a feeling like tonight was
special and that only that set was ever played in that order.
It was like receiving a hand-written poem from a lover.
By Bob Rock
www.whitestripes.com
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