Review: The White Stripes in Wallingford

Finally.

A mere 10 years into the band’s career, the White Stripes made it to Connecticut for the first time Wednesday night and blew through Wallingford with the ferocity of the big bad wolf demolishing the first little pig’s straw hut.

It was worth the wait. On a stylized red stage set matching the duo’s color fixation, Jack White and his ex-wife Meg unleashed a garage-rock maelstrom of guttural guitars and visceral drumming that lifted the near-capacity crowd to its feet in the Chevrolet Theatre and kept the audience chanting for one more song after the last note had faded.

(Thanks to Stacey McCarthy of the Music Scene Zine for these excellent photographs.)

Singer and guitarist Jack White briefly acknowledged that the band had never played Connecticut before.

“It’s up to you to tell us why or why not tonight!” he declared.

Given that it’s his band, he probably should have been the one dispensing answers, but the Whites let their music do most of the talking during an hour-long set of songs spanning the band’s six albums.

The duo, late of Detroit, is steeped in the blues, and Jack let fly with shrieking slide guitar lines on “Little Bird” while Meg pounded her drums with primitive abandon. They took the blues in a heavier direction on “Icky Thump,” the title track from their latest album. Jack blasted out a huge gritty riff that dissolved into a guitar solo that twisted and snapped like an errant power line. Even the acoustic numbers were weighty, and the subdued riff on “300 M.P.H. Torrential Blues” quickly built in intensity. The duo's set was fluid, and many songs shifted to make room for snippets of other tunes, including quotes from Robert Johnson's "Stones in My Passway" and the Beatles "Yer Blues."

Although Meg was anchored to her drum kit at stage right, Jack roamed the stage, flitting among a microphone at center stage, an old-school radio-style mic hung by a boom over his red-encased keyboards at stage left, and a third mic set up near Meg. Occasionally, he climbed a set of red stairs and stutter-stepped along a platform at the back of the stage, dry-ice smoke puffing out with every stride he took. When he was rooted to a microphone, footlights often cast huge shadows of one or the other of them on the towering red backdrop behind them for an effect that was both simple and iconic.

After ending the main set with the super-heated garage-rock stomper “Astro/Jack the Ripper,” Jack sauntered past Meg, casually snapping his fingers, and the duo disappeared for a few minutes before performing a well-earned encore.

They seemed more energized when they returned than they were to start the show. After racing through the churning guitar thrash of “Blue Orchid” and a cover of Captain Beefheart’s “Party of Special Things to Do,” the White Stripes fell into a deep, dirty blues groove on “Ball and Biscuit” before ending with their beautifully overwrought cover of Burt Bacharach’s “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself.”

Indie-rocker Dan Sartain opened the show with a half-hour set.

Comments

[JXN]

My 7th Stripes show and they keep getting better! If you've been to any other WS shows, you'll know that 1 hour isn't too bad. One shoe 3 years ago was 45 minutes. The set is packed with song after song...not much fluff in between. You def. get your money's worth.

[Patch]

Jeff, you were right on with your comments. It was a GREAT show. I thought the crowd was into it but was surprised to find out later about fights and shoe throwing. Some guy standing next to me drank half my beer! Get your own beer "Assjack"! Jack White is God.

[jesse]

Hey Jeff great comment about the show,but if you have the time try to learn how to spell WHITE.
Oh and by the way best setlist of rarities this whole tour.

[Jeff]

3rd time seeing them. 1st was in Boston 2 yrs ago. Left Wallingford the same way I left Boston; mad as hell it was over but completely rocked! The Wallingford show was fantastic! I can't believe all the negativity. These are the same people who were probably waiting for a Meg Wite drum solo. assjacks.

[Richard]

If Jack White was a rapper he'd have people fawning over a 60- minute show.

After all Rap and Dance is oh so much more demanding than singing and playing guitar and singlehandedly having to front a show and entertain.

Anything more than an hour would be wasted on CT audiences after I read the Kanye West review.

[dl004d]

That venue is a rough place. They steal your shoes! (And then throw them.)

Eric replies: Just like the Green Line ...

[JBJ]

It wasn't just an old crowd--it was a weirdly young crowd, too. I've never seen so many kids under 10 at a real concert.

But it was incredible.

I liked Dan Sertain better than srippy--but it seemed like I was in the minority.

[Alan]

I felt ripped off. Nobody at the venue made any announcement of any kind when they pulled the plug early. An usher told me that they cut it short because a shoe was thrown at Jack and Meg. Rolling Stone had a different report.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily

Eric replies: Well, "early" is a relative term, but if he hurt himself, that's a pretty legitimate reason to end the show before they otherwise might have. I saw the mic stand tip over, but I didn't see him holding his back. Hope he's OK.

[ASL]

An usher there told me they cut it short because somebody threw a shoe at them when they were standing on the monitors at the end. The shoe didn't hit them mind you.

Unbelievable energy and the set list was LOADED with nuggets. But when I pay through the nose for a show at a corporate venue I'd like the whole show please!

I feel ripped off.

Eric replies: Not sure how an usher would know that right away after the show, but it's super-disappointing if that's the reason. I was close enough to see it happen -- what kind of dope throws a shoe, anyway?

[Biff]

Anybody know a reason why they cut their setlist short? A quick review of previous shows and you'll find they play at least a few more songs. Some encores are 5 or 6 songs long. Other than leaving wanting more it was an incredible show.

[Bill]

awsome show, tons of energy that blew me away....only complaint is that I didn't want it to end. too short.

and I agree about the crowd, kind of weird. before they took the stage, there was an old couple my parents age (I am 32), the wife was knitting and the husband was holding the yarn...swear to god!...they left just after icky thump. not sure what they thought they were seeing.

[srippy]

insane show. so much fun and energy (from the band) that i could look over the fact it was only an hour (spent more time trying to leave that awful lot, man i hate the OAKDALE). Catch Hell Blues was AMAZING...

Was pumped for what i thought would be a rockabilly opening act, but i was underwhelmed.

overall a sick night, i look forward to seeing WS again in the future.

PS what was up with all the old people there? i'm 31 and i felt young... must have been corporate sponsored tickets they handed to ee's.

Eric replies: Totally weird crowd -- very fratty, too. I wouldn't have minded a longer show (they did two hours at MSG the night before), but that ferocious encore just about made up for it.

Getting out of the parking lot there is definitely a nightmare. It's called "alternating," people. If everyone does it, everyone gets out faster.