The White Stripes

live sound by Matthew Kettle & mixed and mastered by Bill Skibbe, Third Man Mastering, Nashville
Read more about this show at nugs.net/blog

From the unique opener of lines from Arthur Brown's "Fire" to the "Stockyard, Stockhouse, Stockholm!" introduction to the audience, and the debut of "Mr Cellophane" from the musical Chicago, the enthusiasm here is off the charts.  Listen to the off-mic yells from Jack when the guitar cuts out during the intro to "Seven Nation Army" before coming back in with a snarl, or the shout of “Alright Meg!” to kick off "Let’s Shake Hands," which features "Clarabella" and a brief quote from Little Richard's "Lucille" before segueing into "Ooh My Soul", the only known performance by the Stripes, and the first since the Jack White and the Bricks shows in 1999.  After a mic-drop in "John The Revelator" something falls onto the keyboards, holding down a note that carries over into "Ball and Biscuit", where Jack uses the error to his advantage by tuning his Airline to pitch. Even with that technical issue, the version of "Biscuit" here is still unique, as it’s the first to feature the riff from Howling Wolf’s "Smokestack Lightning", which would also get thrown in the next night and would feature periodically throughout the rest of the band’s live career.  There is also the playful  “Did anybody make any mistakes today?” exchange, a nod back to shows in the early days when Jack would engage in similar dialogue with the audience.  Look out for the insertion of lyrics from the Hives “Main Offender” during "Astro" and "Jack the Ripper" and the post-show shoutout to both the Hives and Sahara Hotnights.  An excellent start to the tour.