Jack White, one of the last remaining guitar heroes, a bonafide rock star and vinyl aficionado announced to the most engaged members of his fanclub Monday morning that he would be playing at a bar in Atlanta later that night. In no time tickets were sold and memories were made.
White along with Dominic Davis (bass), Patrick Keeler (drums), and Bobby Emmett (keyboards) had done something similar in Nashville on Saturday where they live debuted a number of tunes from White's freshly released solo album No Name.
The 250 fortunate fans in Atlanta got a treat of a gig.
The Earl is a small but respectable East Atlanta venue that has supported acts in the past like The Coathangers, Deerhunter, and the Black Lips. Next month Redd Kross will be there.
It's precisely the type of small gig a giant star like White would want to get the kinks out of new material in while being face-to-face with some sweaty, beaming, adoring true fans.
Tickets weren't cheap at $125, but how many times can you say you saw Meg White's older brother where Lyle The Therapy Gecko is going to do his thing in September?
Kicking off with a trio of tunes from No Name, White and his pals began the 80+ minute intimately loud show with "Old Scratch Blues," the first song off the new wax.
Even though it's just the second time they've performed the garage-rocker live, it sounded tight yet raw. Likewise White has reverted away from that atomic blue hair reminiscent of something we'd see from St. Vincent. He is now more like Guy Next Door From Michigan Who Secretly Rocks.
On July 20, the guitarist gifted fans No Name without them even knowing what was going on. Music buyers at his Third Man Record shops in Detroit, London and Nashville discovered a plain 12" record in an unmarked sleeve with NO NAME written on the label when they reached into their bags when they got home.
Mr. White had treated them to his new 13-track LP, his sixth solo album since leaving The White Stripes. In many ways the new tunes are a throwback to those basic, stripped down classics with a hint of keyboards but mostly guitars and drums, as the founders intended.
Of the 17 songs the quartet played in that sweaty club, seven were from White Stripes albums including some of your favorites like "I Think I Smell a Rat," "Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground," and "Icky Thump."
Songs that can heal the sick and bring light to darkness when played by the freakishly talented Detroit bluesman who should be seen live whenever possible.
Kudos to the fan club members, by the way, who not only shot this lovely footage, but did so in the correct aspect (holding the camera horizontally), and then miraculously uploading it onto YouTube.
You'd be shocked at performances with 10x-20x the audience who seem to be holding up their camera phones who never accomplish the most important step by uploading the dern thing onto the YouTubes. So thank you, Jack White fans for sharing your rare experience with the rest of the planet.
"What's The Rumpus" from No Name was also performed for the second time ever and it gave that easily identifiable Jack White tone in the solo that has been missed during his little hiatus.
Something must have happened at The Earl because White had only planned on doing one more gig down there in the Dirty South, but another show has been added to his Atlanta dates.
White played the 40 Watt Club on Tuesday and has a third ATL gig lined up for tonight at Terminal West.
Then he flies way out to South Korea for the Pentaport Rock Fest on Saturday followed by shows in Scandinavia next week. In October he will be in Southern California for Desert Daze.
Go to Jack's website to get tickets while they last.
