Grinderman/White Stripe @ MSG July 24
(via)
I think this was my first time at Madison Square Garden proper (not the theater) last night. I forgot how big arenas actually are — especially when you don't have a press ticket.
Way up in the nosebleeds, surrounded by (snob alert) the type of people who go to arena shows, I was a little apprehensive about what I was about to see. The last Big show I went to see was, I think, Dave Matthews (I know) at the Medowlands. I fell asleep.
Anyway, Grinderman came on, and the clueless idiot behind me cried out, "typical indie bullshit." Frontman Nick Cave, to whom none of those three descriptors apply, was rocking before this young man (who proceeded to provide a running commentary of the show) was even born.
But whatever, he and the band rocked in a way that was mildy homicidal. A vibe of barely contained murderous rage emanated from the stage. Cave tripped on an amp in the second song and bragged to the crowd, "Now I can say I fell on my ass at Madison Square Garden," before launching into the next attack. Multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis spent whole songs beating the crap out of a hi-hat with plastic maracas.
Not everyone agreed with me. Some of the crowd was pretty hostile, yelling "you suck," etc., between songs. And truthfully, MSG was a little large for the band. It would be awesome to see them at Bowery, or some divey bar in the middle of nowhere.
Jack and Meg light up the room after the jump...
I found some friends and relocated to better seats in the break, which was a marked improvement.
And they kicked ass. The set was a sea of red, with a kind of circus-tent atmosphere. The lighting cast silhouettes of Jack and Meg on the backdrop.
I never appreciated this fully on the albums, but Jack White can shred! The sound filled the room from the first strains of "Dead Leaves," and the Stripes had the audience in their total control. Meg was adorable, bouncing behind the drum kit, and Jack — who still introduces his partner "big sister Meg" — ran around the stage, singing his heart out. There was a microphone on the drum kit, so at time Jack was singing right to his "sis," and the energy was palpable.
Jack rarely addressed the audience, and when he did, he had the cadence of an old-tymey carnival barker. But the music was the main attraction. They played all "the hits" including a slowed-down syncopated version of "Fell in Love With a Girl," done in a manner as if someone told them to "swing it." The new stuff feels as if it's already a part of the Stripes cannon, fitting seamlessly into a set that drew from the band's entire career.
When they ended the show, with "Ball and Biscuit," two guys in front of me high fived. It was that kind of joyous energy.
A word here about Meg: As my friend pointed out last night, she totally gets the shaft in terms of credit. Yeah, her drumming is basic and her voice is on the light side (I happen to really like her voice, but I can see how it can be dismissed as unimpressive), but she is an essential part of that team. The chemistry between Jack and Meg is where all the energy comes from, and he really couldn't do it without her support. It's easy to portray this as the Jack White show, but their interaction is key to the whole performance.
Aaaand, encore. They came out on stage and played for another half hour. On "Blue Orchid," which kicked of the set, it sounded as if Jack had already lost his voice, but it came back strong, and they killed it. The audience sang and clapped along, reveling in every last note.
"I don't believe we played this bar before," Jack joked, playing up the hick bar band persona he seems to have adapted for himself since moving to Nashville. He then transfixed the audience with a sing-a-long rendition of "We're Going to Be Friends," a song that is beautiful in its simplicity. After the rockers that preceded it, in lesser hands, this could have been a down note, a cue to start heading to the exits. But the change up in tempo did not diminish the intensity of the experience.
They played a couple songs after that, far more than I was expecting, but I was tired of taking notes, so I didn't write anything else down. After nearly two hours of listening, I was pretty tired. And I wasn't even the one jumping up and down on stage. I do remember there was a rousing rendition of "Seven Nation Army" in there, somewhere. The Modern Age has a full set list, if you care.
Awesome. Here's hoping this represents the end of my concert drought. I really need to do this more.
eh, www.amNY.com
Comments (2)
thanks for the awesome review. wish i had been there.
i went to this. had seats in section 57, first level above floor on megs side of stage. the frat party boys and girls they annoy me so, and i had a bunch of them right in back of me. the type that drink a lot of beer and then take group pictures in the middle of the concert. also right away they got on my bad side because one of the girls hated on grinderman, and didnt know who nick cave was.
Other than that it was a great show. I agree with you as far as the chemistry thing of jack and meg. you are the first person(blogger) to mention the mike on the drum kit jack was using, i thought that was a very cool touch as well, and the disco ball effects, whey they hit those lights that was pretty mind blowing.
this is the right band for jack white, his side project the raconteurs i could do without. oh no, i just checked wiki, they are working on a new album! that just kills my day...