poppedmusic

Jack White

02 Arena, London, November 19th 2014

Words: Nick Jaques
The anticipation for the Jack White concert at the O2 was impressive – I could overhear conversations about the special vinyl version of his 2nd solo effort Lazaretto  being praised from the heavens and it was encouraging to hear – it spread a good vibe throughout the venue and created an inviting buzz which boded well for the evening.
One of the many positives about the show was that Jack White’s views and persona were on show – even before he greeted the crowd! From behind the beautifully draped blue curtains, a rather slick looking individual who look like he’s just stepped out of a Nashville blue club addresses the audience about the importance of watching and appreciating concerts without people using their mobile phones to record footage – I couldn’t agree with the man more! Already we had an opinion that Jack White prefers to keep the live experience real and be enjoyed in the present.
During his mammoth set he encouraged the 20,000 strong JWHITE army to disengage with fact that the concert was happening in an arena and to imagine that we were in a small & sweaty blues venue somewhere in the deep, dark depths of Nashville. It worked really well – Jack White and his band tear the stage apart with ease and class. Their chemistry and flow of the orchestration was effortless and a visceral delight to witness. The drummer Daru Jones is simply an awesome blues drummin’ powerhouse! His timing with Jack White’s crunching blues’ guitar workouts fit like the comfiest pair of slacks on the market! There was even an impressive workout on a Theremin, orchestrated by slide-guitar maestro Fats Caplin, during the 8 song encore! (Yes I know! 8 songs!)

The set list was both varied and considerate. It even opened up with the classic White Stripes favourite Fell In Love With A Girl which sent gasps of surprise throughout the venue. Inevitably, songs from Lazaretto including High Ball Stepper and the album title track were given an airing early on and sounded full of colour and vibrancy. A touch of excitement was then added with the crowd favourite Hotel Yorba – this made for a very satisfying opening passage to the gig and he continued to impress with new track Temporary Ground, where fiddle player Lillie Mae Rische lends her soft and smooth southern tones giving it a cool resonance.

Even during the slightly weaker moments of the set – Jack White’s expansive musicality manages to save the show from turning pedestrian and this makes for more invigorating viewing. Jack White has matured into well-honed commander, and his musicianship exudes these qualities  from the start to the finish. His passion for the live show and wanting to connect with his fans is plain to see when he tries to encourage everyone to ignore the lack of material theatrics on show and  immerse themselves with the music.

Even if the encore did begin to drag and head off in an aimless direction, it’s all to the credit and tenacity of Jack and his band that they finished on arguably his (and Meg’s!) biggest hit Seven Nation Army – in which he had the whole of the o2 arena hollering the lyrics out in fine volume.

After the head-banging bombast of their accidental anthem came to a climax – the band gathered themselves together, they looked rather humble and human as they received a rapturous applause. Then in one last gesture for the night – Jack, the man himself, stepped up to the mic and stated  once again that the night had been about the music and the connection it has with the fans.
Judging from the crowd’s reaction, Jack and his band definitely blew everyone’s blues away, including mine, in this massive o2 arena and indeed made it feel like we were all in small, sweaty excited club – just how he had wanted us to imagine.