White Stripes Canada Reviews

[AD]

Jack and Meg go back to school

The White Stripes are surprising the country, jamming in schools, bowling alleys and even while riding a bus

ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

July 5, 2007 at 1:14 AM EDT

Any rock star who won't get out of bed for less than 10,000 people should ponder the counter-example of the White Stripes. The duo from Detroit has played free shows for small groups of hastily assembled fans at nearly every stop on their “ocean to permafrost†tour of Canada.

They've played youth centres in Burnaby and Edmonton, a park in Whitehorse and even a city bus in Winnipeg (there's a YouTube clip of the bus "concert" here). In each case, the gig was arranged only hours in advance, with strict instructions from the band's management not to tell the media.

Ed Whitehead, who co-owns two bowling alleys in Saskatoon, returned a call on Saturday from the Stripes' road manager, who wanted to know if it would be okay for Jack and Meg White to play a short set at the Eastview Lanes.

“I'd never heard of the band before, so I didn't know what to expect,†Whitehead said. But his lanes had been visited by “lots of celebrities,†including Mr. Dressup and the road crew for Nickelback, so he said yes.

About 250 people, alerted mainly through text messaging and word of mouth, were waiting when the band walked in from the bowling alley's back entrance. They played four or five songs, threw a few balls at the pins and left, Whitehead said.

“I asked the manager why they were doing this,†he said, “and he said, ‘We just choose different venues in different cities.'â€

People who happened to look at a White Stripes online message board in advance of Monday's bus performance in Winnipeg were told merely to assemble at a specific intersection at 3:10 p.m. A bus pulled up, about 20 fans got on and, one stop later the Stripes climbed aboard, to play The Wheels on the Bus and Hotel Yorba.

Video clips of several of these wildcat sets have been posted to YouTube (search on “white stripes secret showâ€).

The most remarkable may be a clip of the Stripes at the Forks in Winnipeg, in which Jack is shown sitting near a local busker, strumming a few supporting chords while the other man plays the blues. (The Stripes also played their own material for the 100 people gathered there, with drummer Meg on maracas; there's a YouTube clip here) The audio on some of these clips is almost overwhelmed by the screams and shouts of the disbelieving crowd. The Stripes, whose latest album hit the No. 2 spot on the Canadian album charts last week, is most often seen live only from a seat in a stadium.

YouTube itself doesn't seem to have cottoned on to the unusual nature of the secret-show clips. None has yet been featured on the site's home page, which is probably why some had only a few hundred views by the time this article went to press.

Bands often play “secret shows†before or after their main touring concerts. Most choose places already known for music, such as clubs or small theatres. But the Stripes had already tossed away the road-show rule book when they announced their Canadian tour. The itinerary for their chartered plane included stops in Whitehorse, where the band played for 428 people, and Iqaluit, where the sold-out house held only 600.

It's hard to see how the band could make a penny from such engagements. In other currency, however, the remote gigs and wildcat sets have been wildly profitable. Response among the Stripes' online community has been rapturous, and the Winnipeg bus caper was picked up by Pitchfork Media and Britain's New Music Express within hours of the performance. The music world still clings to the myth of the rocker who stays in touch with the people, and the Stripes have delivered the myth in living colour.

The band also has a history of delivering its music in ways that deliberately go against the maximalist tendencies of the industry. Top Special, a three-inch recording sold only at touring shows in 2005, was playable only on the obsolete Triple Inchophone player, of which only 400 units were made. Live in Las Vegas, a three-disc LP set, was given free only to people who had won a radio contest to attend the 2004 performance it captured. Playing secret shows publicized only through text messaging between fans is more of the same, and a clever way to keep the fans loyal and attentive.

For all those who missed the band's impromptu shows, or who find the YouTube videos a bit too rough, the Stripes' Canadian adventures are being filmed by their own small camera crew. No doubt the results will show up on a DVD, possibly as an added feature for a live concert disc. So far, the band and its management are keeping mum on the whole issue. The Stripes' best comment on its populist experiments may be contained in the lyrics of Hotel Yorba: “I'm so tired of acting tough, I'm gonna do just what I please.â€

[AD]

White Stripes wow Toronto YMCA

TORONTO (CP) — Alt-rockers the White Stripes have surprised dozens of children with an impromptu rock show at a Toronto daycamp.

More than 65 children between the age of five and 12 sat in a semi-circle on the floor to catch a five-song set by bandmates Jack White and Meg White.

Fans who had heard about the show headed to the YMCA where the show was held after hearing about the concert by word of mouth, text messages and on websites.

Most were turned away by security, who said the concert was for the kids.

Two children were called forward by singer Jack White to sing songs of their choice; one small boy sang a part of the R&B song “I Believe I Can Flyâ€.

A YMCA spokesperson says he thought it was a prank when the band’s manager contacted him about the show.

[Jaimoe]

Just a quick hit about tonight's show: I thought it was excellent and unpredictable. The set was heavy, heavy, heavy, on the blues with a heavy dash of roots/country. In fact, I think it would make perfect and logical sense if tonight's show was dropped into Ottawa's Bluesfest. More tomorrow.

[allison]

That was one FUCKING AWESOME rock show.Unbelievable-those two people owned the stage and tore apart the air- blew me away.I was a grinning fool all night.

This morning is really bright and ouchy.

[Jay Funk Dawg]

I was there last night - that was the biggest crowd I had ever seen in Toronto at Molson - must have been 25,000-30,000 people!

[MarcO]

awesome.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest

[AD]

I was there last night - that was the biggest crowd I had ever seen in Toronto at Molson - must have been 25,000-30,000 people!

capacity is 16k - 9k in the shed and 7k on the lawns. it can definitely feel like more in a sell-out though!

[dave-O]

So what message board(s) do I need to keep refreshing to find out which bowling lane in Moncton Jack and Meg will show up at next week?

[Booche]

http://littleroom.whitestripes.net/

[phishtaper]

... must have been 25,000-30,000 people!

[color:purple]pretty good considering it only holds 16,000 my guess is around 12K ... the lawn wasn't full full, nor were the 400s and 300s ... still a much bigger and better crowd than the last time they played there. an impressive turn-out and one that was appreciated by jack and meg judging by the smiles on their faces when they scanned the crowd and heard our various sing-alongs. the under-age quotient was much higher this time, which helped lower the drunkard factor - which was very good. biggest crowd on this tour, im sure.

we were in the pit, about 30ft from the stage. i love being up close when seeing this band because you can see the expressions on their faces. its minimalist country punk blues rock theater at its finest with loads of sweaty distortion. meg is cute and perky while jack is frantic and a bit quirky. nothing all that special about the setlist - they seem to be running with a rather scripted list for this tour with only a few switches from show to show. still, i got my hotel yorba and my doorbell, but no blue orchid. oh well. the stage set-up was really cool. a simple red screen covered the entire backdrop, and giant sillouette projections of meg drumming or jack strumming graced it through-out. jack wandered up on to the catwalk a couple of times and strutted across, stomping up smoke as he crossed. if you dont like the colour red, dont go. everything is red from jack's outfit (and yes, the bulge is enormous!) to the maple leafs on the amps to the drum kit to the backdrop. even some of the mike stands are red. the ltd. ed print (/225) by print mafia is really cool too. they sold out quickly.

55 minute set, 35 minute "encore". overall ... 9/10

[Jaimoe]

If I can get around to it, I may try to write a review of the show later today. A few more thoughts regarding last night's show.

I'd say there was around 13,000 at the show; there was a chunk of empty seats in the high 400's, but overall it was packed. The crowd was just as good or better at the last Amphitheatre show - the '05 gig was better attended too. Last night's set was not as high-impact as the last Toronto show. I was thrilled not to hear their brutal single "Blue Orchid", but was a little disappointed they didn't mine their fantastic new album to a greater extent. If you didn't own or know the early albums or like blues and country, then you probably still don't know what hit you. "John The Revelator", "Death Letter", "Hello Operator", "St. James Infirmary" and Ball and motherfucking Biscuit" BABY!!!

[jayr]

Awesome show. Absolutely loved it. Full on energy from the moment they hit the stage. My ears are still ringing!! My only complant would be that there is apparently no where within view of the stage that a person with a pit ticket may stand and drink their $11 beer.....

[Jaimoe]

My only complant would be that there is apparently no where within view of the stage that a person with a pit ticket may stand and drink their $11 beer.....

I thought about that too, but you should enjoy The White Stripes from 20 feet away without beer.

[jayr]

My only complant would be that there is apparently no where within view of the stage that a person with a pit ticket may stand and drink their $11 beer.....

I thought about that too' date=' but you should enjoy The White Stripes from 20 feet away without beer.[/quote']

Thats what we did eventually. I had no idea you couldnt bring drinks to the front and when you pay that much for a beer its kinda hard just to ditch. Its no biggie though, definetly didnt ruin what turned out to be a killer show.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest

[NewRider]

Great show!

Always good to enjoy a rock show with 16'000 "rock fans" looking like this the whole time..

Toronto sucks! I should have went to the show in Nunavut, I'll bet people were happy to welcome a rock band up there.

[celticwolfsun]

it was crazy packed there.. I have never seen that many people there at a show EVER! I don't think the ampth should ever sell that many tickets again.. took waay too long getting out. But to make it interesting seen a security guard grab a dude and then two guys almost get into a fight outside in the parking lot... weird crowd...lol.. the show was good though just very very short

[MarcO]

awesome.

is it just me or this the cutest photo ever?

[Booche]

Well, it would be if you stopped staring at Meg's rack!

[AD]

a close second to this one

but yes, a cute pic. i love meg.

[MarcO]

well that's just creepy.

[ollie]

biggest crowd on this tour, im sure.

If you're not counting Bluesfest.

[nellie]

Incredible night! Absolutely loved it!!

Awesome seats, too bad nearly everyone around me didn't know how to have fun... I took care of it for them though...

Only downfall to the night was when I was walking out to grab another bevvy and was plowed very hard to the ground by 3 security guards on their way to some situation. Knocked the wind right outta me and the worst part was they didn't stop to help me up or to replace my beer that got spilt all over me... sh*t happens i guess...

Overall very memorable night!

NewRider... always a blast to party with!

cheers,

Nell

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest

[Booche]

Wow.

If you had Ollie's mindset you would have immediately left the concert and bitched about the White Stripes as well as the Molson Amphitheater the rest of your life, swearing never to return to either.

I am happy to see you could still smell the roses.

[AD]

SECRET GIG IN MY PANTS

[Jaimoe]

I can see by Nellie and New Riders' accounts that some of the people - and I'm loathe to call these idiots White Stripes fans - clearly DID NOT anticipate a night low on hits and high on rarities and jams. They obviously don't know this band at all and their style and influences. The crowd down front were I was standing was having a great time.

Another thing worth noting is that the crowd, like the last one in '05, were on their feet for the entire night - at least in the seated sections.