Jack White starts the show by announcing “How you doing? We’re the White Stripes from Detroit. This is my ‘sister’ Meg and I’m Jack. We’re going to play our whole new album in its entirety for you,” and then launches into the killer deep guitar riff of “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” (which they played at the other two shows in the Live in Detroit box set; the only other song that gets a revisit is “The Same Boy You’ve Always Known” which they performed in ‘99 at the Magic Bag). Right away it’s obvious the sound quality has improved since the year before and Meg’s drumming seems more solid, Jack’s guitar even more powerful. There’s a bit of tuning and then the hillbilly stomp of “Hotel Yorba” kicks in followed by the killer hook in “I’m Finding It Harder to be a Gentleman” and the soon-to-be-classic “Fell in Love With a Girl.” There’s only one whisper of a cover in the set, “The Union Forever,” influenced by the mariachi tune by Pepe Guízar. Other show highlights include the manic “Little Room,” the sweetly sparse “We’re Going to be Friends,” the weird angry flamenco guitar meets The Mob on “I Think I Smell a Rat,” the thrashy heavy metal/industrial instrumental “Aluminum,” and when we finally get to hear Meg on the set’s closer “This Protector” (even though Jack and Meg’s harmonizing is a bit shaky).

Runout Groove Side A: THREE TVS… Runout Groove Side B: SHOW SO LITTLE TO SEE

The post The White Stripes “Live at the Gold Dollar” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The sound quality seems a bit rougher than Live at the Magic Bag but the rawness of the performance enhances most of songs The White Stripes performed that night at the Magic Stick. Highlights include cuts from De Stijl like the classic “You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl),” a dirty blues cover of Son House’s “Death Letter,” “I’m Bound to Pack it Up” with sweetly melodic guitar and somewhat stilted drumming (Jack seems to laugh a bit during this song so I’m wondering if Meg fucked up) and “Hello Operator.”  They revisit the awesomely stomping “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” the punkish “Broken Bricks” and “Jimmy the Explorer;” perform a brutally painful rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” (ooofff – it is amazing!); and cover – for the first and only time – Captain Beefheart’s “Ashtray Heart.” Jack White banters far less than he did the previous year, just thanking Grand Rapids’ Whirlwind Heat and the Greenhornes (from Ohio) for opening and later asking the audience for aspirin.

Runout Groove Side A: A EASY, AN EASEL Runout Groove Side B: SO STUPID EARLY DS SHOUT SAVE

The post The White Stripes “Live at the Magic Stick” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The setlist from the Magic Bag performance includes several tracks from The White Stripes (and generally they have a better recording quality than the gritty in studio ones): “Jimmy the Explorer,” “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Wasting My Time,” “Broken Bricks,” “Astro,” a stomping version of Robert Johnson’s  “Stop Breaking Down” and the traditional “St. James Infirmary Blues.” Other covers they performed were Bob Dylan’s “Love Sick” (the first time they played it live – also the first time Jack White incorporated piano into a live set and he used it extensively throughout the night) and one of my White Stripes faves “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” (originally by Burt Bacharach; The White Stripes would later include it on their 2003 release Elephant). A couple other of my top picks are “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” (on the 2001 White Blood Cells) on pounding piano and the raucous “Lafayette Blues” in French. Interspersed between the songs is delightful banter by Jack (especially in between “Wasting the Time” and “Astro” when he makes up a story about when he and Meg were kids), a bit of guitar tuning, some musical riffs and a shoutout to The Greenhornes (who drove up from Ohio to open).

Runout Groove Side A: BOOM BOOM DIDDUM DADDUM WADDUM CHOO  Runout Groove Side B: SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOURSELVES

The post The White Stripes “Live at the Magic Bag” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.