Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes and founder of Third Man Records, performed live in Baltimore on August 24th, 2022. I sat happily in the 3rd row of the Pier Sixth Concert Pavilion in awe.

OK, I say “sat.”  I mean “stood.” 

OK, not just stood. A lot of jumping and clapping along with my hands in the air, and since the guy behind me was yelling so much, I didn’t feel any need to hold back when necessary. 

Well, holy crap, what was that? That, indeed, was a Jack White concert.

The use of technology. Or non-technology

I have been to loads of shows where people appear to be enjoying themselves, but during so much of the show, they are taking photos and recording parts of the show on their smartphones without actually engaging with what they should be. The show. The artist.

I’m guilty – I’ve previously taken photos, video clips, etc.

But some folks will record entire songs and post them on YouTube, and to be honest, very rarely is the quality not… ultimately… crap. As the artist, I’d be f*&ing irritated. And why bother buying a ticket to see the artist in the first place if you’re wasting your money hoping for more “likes” on social media?

So, along comes Yondr, which Jack White and other artists (most prominently Dave Chappelle) are pioneering. It is actually brilliant. 

How it works: you arrive at the venue, and if you have bought along your smartphone, you’ll get a pouch. Enter your smartphone, which is locked in the pouch, so you cannot use it.  You’ll get briefly scanned to ensure you’re not hiding some other smartphone (smarty-pants) and then let in.

At first, it feels weird. “Hey, there’s the stage! Let me take a photo to send to my buddies!”  Nope. I arrived a bit early, and after getting something to eat from one of the stalls, I went to my seat and sat. Waiting. Watching and listening to the DJ on the stage. 

I began people-watching. The couple sitting next to me arrived to check their seat position and said, “Hey man, how are you?” I thought we were about to break into some sort of conversation, but they left. The opening act came on, and they were great. Cautious Clay from New York.

I’d never usually (as in, really, really rarely) sit and watch the entirety of an opening band, but these guys were really, really good. I later looked them up on the internet, and yes, they are.

Jack White

So, the Yondr made me pay attention. And once Jack White and his band hit the stage, I was happy it did.

Jack absolutely killed it, which I mean in a good, “I love rock music” way.  He reminded me why I love rock music so much. The total energy.

He played songs from his solo albums (mostly from his latest two, Fear of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive) but also a number from his time with The White Stripes (I will admit, I went bat-shit crazy when he played “Hotel Yorba”), The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather (he finished the official set with “I Cut Like a Buffalo”).

During the encore, there was a brilliant mix towards the end of what began to sound like “Seven Nation Army,”… getting everyone excited, but which then turned into “Steady, As She Goes” (from his time with The Raconteurs), which then slowed down…stopped, and turned into “Seven Nation Army.” The audience went unsurprisingly nuts.

I wasn’t initially sure he would use older material or just stick with his solo stuff. Still, as soon as he ripped into “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” earlier on, I thought, “Well, so he’s definitely going to end with Seven Nation Army,” then.

It didn’t matter anyway.  

The entire thing was brilliant from start to finish, and the lack of smartphones kept the audience enraptured (appropriately so). Jack slid across the stage everywhere, singing, playing, and jumping around. His opening songs from Fear of the Dawn justified how brilliant an artist he really is. His energy on the stage is practically atomic, and he is one of our best guitarists.

The songs are not only hooky and catchy, but they rocked the hell out of the place. Seeing Jack live singing them left my jaw open, but for the fact that I was singing along, clapping along, etc.  

He stopped at points to take breathers (him and the audience), dry off, trade guitars (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an artist exchange so many guitars), and play a few slower songs from Entering Heaven Alive. He cheekily played “We’re Going to be Friends,” a White Stripes song where he managed to get the audience to sing practically half of it, as it is such an iconic song from The White Stripes.

I have a sort of funny list of “Bands and Artists I Want to See Before I’m Dead.”  Well, Jack White, you were on it, and thank you.  You did not disappoint. 

Chris Garrod, August 25, 2022