REVIEW: Jack White @ Roadrunner 2/17

Review by Brianna Benitez

Photo credit: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

It is uncommon for a musician to simultaneously unite and excite generations on a frigid Monday evening, but legendary singer-guitarist Jack White accomplished it without problem. Fans of all ages were present–young teenagers with their parents, college students, and older adults were pooled together for a night full of rock at Boston’s Roadrunner.

Formerly part of the indie-rock duo The White Stripes, White is touring a second time for his “No Name” album that he spontaneously released via physical format in July until it was digitally released in early August this past year. Last year during September was White’s initial round in the Boston area for the same album. The only difference was that he only played one night at the Sinclair, a smaller venue in Cambridge. This time was different given he performed at a vastly larger, 3,500-person capacity venue for two sold-out nights.

What made the “No Name” tour especially significant was through his openers. It is typical for one or two musicians to join and travel with a headliner throughout their tour, but that is not how White’s tour works. White brings a different local artist to the stage each night, even during his two nights in Boston. The crowd had faith in White’s choice as they began to cheer for the PINKLIDS while they settled in.

As the opening band kicked off the night, an audience member yelled “Rock on!” Boston-native PINKLIDS were ready to show what they had, with a strong stage presence, a guitar, drums, a bass, and vocals obnoxiously infiltrated the room, vibrating off the speakers and onto the walls and into the ears of everyone there. The band has one single on streaming platforms, “JUNKY GARDEN,” but they had prepared a few unreleased songs to get everyone moving.

The guitarist, Ellis Roundy, impressed many in attendance, myself included. Even the older adults pulled out their smartphones to record the chaotically addictive guitarist. In a Luna Collective interview with the band, Amber Lawson, the band’s frontwoman, said that “[she] really [likes] to make people uncomfortable” to answer a question of what PINKLIDS wishes to make their listeners feel. With their wacky moves and constant-moving stage lights, there was definitely an achievement in this realm of discomfort from an audience that was taken aback yet hypnotized. The rest of the band had notable chemistry while on stage, and they worked in harmony to get the rock fans ready for Jack White.

As soon as the lights dimmed, the crowd got the cue and cheered for White and his band as they walked onto the blue-lit stage with smiles. Wasting no time, White started off his set with the instant-classic of his latest project, “Old Scratch Blues.” As if the crowd couldn’t get any louder, they yelled as soon as they heard the song’s chords. White stood at the center front of the stage wearing his black signature leather jacket. His band made a perfect half-circle behind him, each one of them playing their instruments. Once the initial tune came to an end, the crowd got even rowdier with “That’s How I’m Feeling.” Only Jack White could get everyone in the room screaming “Ah! Oh, yeah!” at the top of their lungs on the second song of the night. It was personally one of the most exciting tracks to hear live. White walked around the stage at a perfect pace, and sometimes got into a riff in front of his eclectic keyboard player, Bobby Emmett, and harmonized with him. It is one of his newer songs, but it still has a signature Jack White tone to it that makes it sound like a classic.

After playing four tracks off of “No Name,” White played “Little Bird,” a song by The White Stripes. Heavier on instrumentals, it was the perfect moment for long-time fans to rock out to White’s guitar-playing. Alternating from a mostly instrument-based song into one with much more singing, White went to “Hotel Yorba.” The crowd did not fail White and chanted the lyrics, creating an ambiance that could only be achieved with the guitarist’s fans.

The White Stripes was not all that the crowd got to hear live, though. White took it upon himself to play songs from his other bands such as The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. “Top Yourself” was one of the first that heightened the room’s exhilaration. He would go on to perform other tracks including “I Cut Like a Buffalo” and “Steady, As She Goes.” Throughout his set, White switched guitars a handful of times for some change in the tone–and he did it at the perfect moments. In between this and during many of his songs, White would get the crowd clapping to the beat with just five seconds of him motioning to it.

To call it a night, White played the ultimate rock anthem, “Seven Nation Army.” As soon as the audience heard the drums, the bass, and all, it was pieced together and White proceeded with the iconic lyrics and his signature guitar chords. The stage lights remained blue throughout the show, but it was at this moment that it was most perceptible given the striking flashes of lighter and darker bluish tones.

Before stepping out, White presented his band and ended it by reminding everyone of who he was: “And I’m Jack White!” One could say that his performances have aged like fine wine. Do not get fooled by the length of his career, though, because Jack White knows how to put on a show.