If you’re Jack White and playing a show in a small market a month before your debut solo album is released, here’s how you avoid impatient shouts from the audience to, “Play some White Stripes”: Open with one of the Stripes’ biggest hits, 2001's “Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground.” And, with the help of a crackling four-piece band, make the song sound wider, deeper and, yes, better than any White Stripes version.
White’s upcoming LP “Blunderbuss” isn’t due until April 24, but the tour preceding it is the fullest realization of his talents yet. It’s the first time he has a proper ensemble at his disposal – and doesn’t have to share the wheel (as in The Raconteurs) or differ to another singer almost entirely (as in Dead Weather).
Hell, White’s fans are undoubtedly relieved he’s a frontman again rather than playing the triangle or running the lights or something for yet another side-project.
Of course, Jack is still going to be Jack.
For White’s March 12 performance at Birmingham, Ala.’s WorkPlay Soundstage, he used a completely different band – all dudes - than the one he played Chattanooga with – all female - two nights before. He also alternated between these combos on his March 3 “Saturday Night Live” appearance.
Before White took the stage, AC/DC, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash tracks blared over the P.A.
After “Dead Leaves,” White, who soon shed his blue Western shirt to reveal a plain black T, dug into “Sixteen Saltines.” The “Blunderbuss” cut evokes early White Stripes: uppercut garage-blues guitar and abstract-yet-direct songwriting.
But with an entire band accompanying him instead of just a drummer, White didn’t have to channel most of his energy into making the performance sonically big enough to sound complete live.
Thus, his guitar playing and singing was more focused and sophisticated. This was true in the acoustic- and Telecaster-powered “Blunderbuss” tunes and dynamic Stripes interpretations, including “Hello, Operator,” “Ball and Biscuit,” “We’re Going To Be Friends” and “Seven Nation Army,” which benefited from curvy pedal steel guitar. A reading of “I Cut Like A Buffalo” exchanged the Dead Weather studio track's dub leanings for bayonet slashes.
Signs throughout the venue emphasized cellphone photos/video and audio recording were strictly prohibited and a zero-tolerance policy would be in effect, but photos from the show, including the one illustrating this story, were available as free downloads at www.jackwhiteiii.com. A be-suited MC explained this was to prevent scraggly YouTube clips from being fans first taste of "Blunderbuss."
White definitely made it a point to physically and musically engage each member of his dapper backing band - which included drums, upright bass, keys and the aforementioned pedal steel - throughout the gig. This came across naturally and smoothly, yet left no guess as to who the star was, underneath Soundstage's glittering chandelier and tall black walls.
After finishing his encore with a sing-along of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene,” White waved and disappeared through ice-blue stage lights into the night. But his performance made it feel like he’d finally arrived. Again.
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