The White Stripes

[Papillon Parade]

Wow. Now I understand why Jack White is noted as being one of the greatest guitar players of all time. The show was electric to say the least. Front row tickets will do that to you. It started out with Dan Sartain who I actually really ended up liking. Then Ashely MacIsaac came out and rocked the fiddle. Even fiddle legend Buddy MacMaster (who is 90!) came out and joined Ashely on stage for a tune. The crew came out and gave the first 3 rows champagne to celebrate the anniversary. I savoured mine the whole night. The big red curtains of the Savoy opened up to reveal bagpipers standing alone on the stage. Once they began to play and Jack and Meg came out the place erupted! I have NEVER heard a crowd go so insane so fast. The film crew were all over the place..and so was Jack. At one point his face was about a foot away from mine. The end of the night was the most incredible. They thanked everyone for the last ten years and Jack said how proud he was to have family in Cape Breton. They took about 90 tickets for their family and friends, most of which were directly behind me. Then the pipers came back out along with Jack and Meg carrying the Nova Scotia and Cape Breton flags. Jack grabbed Meg and started doing a little dance with her (pic below)...then he stopped and grabbed her by the hand and just listened to the crowd. They both looked a little teary eyed to me. After the show Jack's brother was outside..HAMMERED...singing Nova Scotia songs. It was hilarious! All in all, one of, if not THE best show I've been to. They played from about 9:45 to 12:10. There are so many other things that happened I can't even get into, otherwise this post would never end.

 

Here is the unbelievable setlist:

 

(Piped in)

Let's shake hands

(Icky thump keyboard tease)

When I hear my Name

Icky thump

Hotel yorba

Jolene

Canon > john the revelator > (tuning) >

Death letter

Slowly turning in to you

Apple blossom

(Black jack tease)

One more cup of coffee

Little Cream Soda (Intro) >

Wasting my time >

300 mph outpour blues (acoustic)

I Fought Piranhas (dedicated to Antigonish)

Lafayette blues

Fell in love with a girl

Aluminum (short)

("Red house... White man... Mexican..."???)

Nothing I can do

Astro > screwdriver (tease) > Rag and Bone (Tease) > screwdriver (finished on piano)

--encore--

Black Math

Do?

Cold cold night

Lord send me an angel

Catch hell blues

Martyr for my love for you

Doorbell (on bass!)

We are going to be friends

Finding it harder (on piano) > why can't you be nicer to me > Pretty Good Lookin

Hello operator (short)

(Pause)

Hello operator

Prickly thorn but sweetly worn (with 2 pipers!)

Dead Leaves and the dirty ground

You don't know what love is

Seven nation army

Bo weevil

(Thanks... Cape breton/NS flag waving)

 

 

[Dreamin']

Wow, indeed!

[solace]

sounds incredible!

 

as for Jack being one of the "best guitarists of all time"... sorry, but , he's great compared to most of the crapass indie rock guitarists these days though, that's for sure.

[MrRain422]

He's a pretty incredible guitarist.

[stooka]

Thanks for the info. That is an impressive set-list.

Looking forward to ACL.

[bobfrombob]

Even fiddle legend Buddy MacMaster (who is 90!) came out and joined Ashely on stage for a tune.

I saw Buddy once. In a hall in Glencoe. I've seen many shows but that one holds some special memories.

[solace]

He's a pretty incredible guitarist.

i like his tone a lot of the times (though not the high pitched squelch-y stuff like on the last 2 records), but i guess as someone who has played 18 years myself, i don't think he's THAT "amazing" honestly...

 

definitely one of the best guitarists of the 2000's, no doubt, but if he was playing music back in the 60's & 70's his playing wouldn't stand out nearly as much as it does these days, i don't think many people would argue with me on that. which isn't necessarily a diss on Jack as much as it is a diss on the lack of focus on musicianship among todays indie bands for the most part.

 

i think for me why i don't consider him up there w/ the "greats" at this point a) it's far too early, he's been around 8 years now his playing doesn't really impress me nearly as much as most of the greats of the 50's through 80's c) he doesn't bring much originality to the table in terms of his playing (not a requisite of being considered an amazing guitarist, but it definitely helps.

 

in terms of recent blues/rock guitarists, i actually prefer Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys more than Jack... he's not nearly as flashy (which is fine by me) but i much prefer his tone (and his voice is so great live).

 

i'd put M. Ward ahead of Jack in terms of guitar players post '00 as well. Matt's stuff just interests and impresses me way more i guess. dude is a killer fingerpicker.

[stooka]

i'd put M. Ward ahead of Jack in terms of guitar players post '00 as well. Matt's stuff just interests and impresses me way more i guess. dude is a killer fingerpicker.

 

Cyberspace High-Five to that!!!!

[TheMaker]

Thirded.

 

Not to steal any of Jack's thunder, though. He's a fine musician, and CBI is a beautiful part of the country. Show sounds like it was a blast.

[Papillon Parade]

Oh yeah, the show was unreal. And say what you will about Jack, after seeing him play like a madman for two and a half hours straight, 10 feet away from me, nothing will change my positive thoughts of him now. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine just happens to be that he is fantastic.

 

Here's another pic from the show. The guy with his arm in the air is my friend Brian. My boyfriend is to his right, and then me.

 

 

The theatre

 

[solace]

And say what you will about Jack, after seeing him play like a madman for two and a half hours straight, 10 feet away from me, nothing will change my positive thoughts of him now. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine just happens to be that he is fantastic.

nobody said he wasn't fantastic

[jff]

I often hear people bad-mouth Meg, but she's perfect for that band. You could replace her with Mitch Mitchell circa '67, or Bonham circa '73 and it would not make the White Stripes a better band.

[jff]

i think for me why i don't consider him up there w/ the "greats" at this point a) it's far too early, he's been around 8 years now .

 

It was their 10th anniversary show, not 8th.

 

Most of the guitar greats from the '60s and '70s were recognized as "greats" in less than 10 years. I'm not saying Jack is or isn''t worthy. I'm just saying your criteria is flawed.

[bobfrombob]

People can flame my ass for saying this but Jack's playing reminds me of Rick Neilson.... Does a lot of stuff with volume, feedback, tone, effects. Doesn't come across like a vitruoso but sure makes some pretty amazing sounds.

[Dude]

It was their 10th anniversary show, not 8th.

 

Most of the guitar greats from the '60s and '70s were recognized as "greats" in less than 10 years.

 

Yeah - apparently Eric Clapton was God in '66 or so.

[solace]

People can flame my ass for saying this but Jack's playing reminds me of Rick Neilson.... Does a lot of stuff with volume, feedback, tone, effects. Doesn't come across like a vitruoso but sure makes some pretty amazing sounds.

now, while i don't see the comparison, in terms of talent and "all-time greats", i wouldn't argue w/ you comparing him to Rick at all

 

It was their 10th anniversary show, not 8th.Most of the guitar greats from the '60s and '70s were recognized as "greats" in less than 10 years. I'm not saying Jack is or isn''t worthy. I'm just saying your criteria is flawed.

well, excuse me, their first record came out in '99, i was just basing it off that. other than maybe a FEW people who lived in Detroit then, nobody on here knew who Jack White was in 1997, sorry, and most didn't until 'White Blood Cells' in 2001 (very few people know of them even after De Stijl, trust me. i would not have been able to see them play a 200 capacity venue in '00 if it wasn't the case) and later, so the average person's time spent w/ Jack's guitar playing is probably closer to around 5-6 years honestly... just to discredit your attempted discrediting...

 

as for the "less than 10 years" comment, i guess i'd have to disagree somewhat other than the obvious ones, Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, SRV, etc.

[Dude]

as for the "less than 10 years" comment, i guess i'd have to disagree somewhat other than the obvious ones, Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, SRV, etc.

 

Jimmy Page's first session was in 1963 - by '73 he was widely considered a guitar god of some variety.

[jff]

the average person's time spent w/ Jack's guitar playing is probably closer to around 5-6 years honestly... just to discredit your attempted discrediting...

 

 

That does not discredit my attempt at discrediting you, as most of those who are considered greats were given (and earned/deserved) that title in less than five years of starting thier recording careers (EDIT: or, more clearly, within five years of earning their first success as an artist with name recognition. In other words, studio work in which the backnig musicians remain anonymous doesn't count.) In addition to the few you named I'll add several more...Santana, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Robert Fripp, Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Howe, Zappa, etc.

[Papillon Parade]

...just found out that Mike Gordon from Phish was at the show too.

[solace]

[quote name='Đ

[be my demon]

He's a pretty incredible guitarist.

 

Yep.

[stooka]

let's move on back to Meg.

 

She is lacking in most drumming skills.

Her beats are primal to say the least and her timing, inconsistent.

She can't sing well and she is kinda plain looking.

She chain-smokes and is way too quiet.

 

 

 

 

She is my most favorite drummer and half the reason the White Stripes are the most exciting band around.

[jff]

ah yes, but how many people actually heard of Page until '66 not too many (and most of them not until '68 or later)

 

look, it's a stupid argument either way, both sides, lol.

 

 

That was exactly my point: It only takes a few years, sometimes not even that long, before musicians are given the throne. Being a guitar player, it's natural for you to have higher standards.

 

I agree it's a stupid argument, though. I apologize if I came across as antagonistic yesterday.

 

Maybe in 20 years Jack White will have branched out from the fairly limited scope of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs and will have demonstrated that he is worthy of being included in the list of "guitar greats". I hope that turns out to be the case.

[Sir Stewart]

let's move on back to Meg.

 

She is lacking in most drumming skills.

Her beats are primal to say the least and her timing, inconsistent.

She can't sing well and she is kinda plain looking.

She chain-smokes and is way too quiet.

She is my most favorite drummer and half the reason the White Stripes are the most exciting band around.

Awesome. This negates your Prince-diss.

[solace]

Maybe in 20 years Jack White will have branched out from the fairly limited scope of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs and will have demonstrated that he is worthy of being included in the list of "guitar greats". I hope that turns out to be the case.