The White freaking Stripes
Monday, August 15th, 2005
Are we seeing God or the White Stripes? The music was so good, it is hard to tell!
Let me preface this with the fact that I was already a fan of the White Stripes. But after Friday’s show at the Greek Theatre on the Berkeley campus, I can guarantee that I won’t miss another show. Meg and Jack were awesome. The Big A and I got seats in the middle of the outdoor theatre (there was a welcome reprieve from the Sacramento valley’s 90-degree nights out there in Berkeley). We entertained ourselves while we waited for the duo to make their appearance. The Big A turned to me and said, “You know, I know that shows always start late, but I can’t help but imagine that the reason they are starting late is because the lead singer in the band is unconscious in the back and they are trying feverishly to revive him.”
But this is about the concert and not about the Big A and my imaginations running away with us. So… At about 9:10, out pop Meg and Jack and without introduction (like there needed to be one) they break into “Blue Orchid”. And it rocked. I mean that people down on the floor (at least in the small section in front of the stage), started moving like a giant amoeba, swaying back and forth. Then, Jack touched a wrong note. And he seemed flustered for just a little bit, then recovered. And continued to rock. He was all over the stage, while Meg, being confined by her drums, sat and banged away on her set. She sometimes was head thrashing and totally getting down with the music, while at other times she sat up straight with one hand on her hip and the other hand beating out the driving single drum snap that is signature in so many of the White Stripe songs (Seven Nation Army, Hardest Button to Button, etc). They played almost everything at a slightly faster tempo than what they recorded. Sometimes it felt like they were playing to keep up with each other. Other times, they were totally synced, like during The Nurse.
Meg only sang solo twice. But it was “Passive Manipulation” both times, which was weird. She played the timpani and a little triangle that totally made the Big A and I laugh out loud when she struck it.
One of the funniest (and funnest) moments of the concert was when they started performing “We’re Going to be Friends” (you know, the opening credits song on Napoleon Dynamite) and someone in the back blew up balloons for the audience to pass around. Well, the two balloons made it up to stage and Jack stopped, mid-song and said,”What the fuck is this? Is this song a radio promotion?” Then he pushed the balloons to a dark part of the stage, smiled at the audience and said, “Now where was I?” (I was sitting really far away, but I got the feeling that he must have let out a sarcastic smile before starting the song back up.) At the end of the song he said, “Let me just say that if whatever said radio station tries to blacklist us for my comments about their balloons, I would like them to know I want a written apology tomorrow for interrupting my song.”
I could go on and on about this show, but for the full San Fransisco Chronicle review, click here.
What I want to add is that, while their performance wasn’t perfect, like when they sang “Little Ghost” and forgot some of the words and then laughed at themselves while trying to come up with the right words, it only made the show real. They seemed human and not super-human. You know, like you could walk up to them at the grocery store and talk about the produce like you would with a neighbor and not feel like you were going to be beaten down by body guards. And that my friends, is the way to win yourself a spot in my music-lovin’ heart.
p.s. I love that Jack refers to Meg as his big sister. Even though they aren’t brother and sister. I don’t know why I love it. I just do.
p.p.s. Though they played Seven Nation Army and Blue Orchid, they didn’t play Fell in Love with a Girl. And not playing all of your most popular songs also rocks in my book.
