The White Stripes “Live at the Detroit Institute of Arts” recorded 21 years ago yesterday, November 2nd, 2001. Third Man Records. Double LP on red and white clear vinyl; Third Man Vault package #50, 2021. Also included: a DVD of the concert, 4 high quality prints of live shots taken by photographer Steve Shaw, and a 7″ single of Jack White’s “Taking Me Back” from Fear of the Dawn on Side A and “Taking Me Back (Gently)” from Entering Heaven Alive on Side B.

I missed writing about this yesterday on its actual anniversary because my day was super-busy and any Third Man Vault package is a commitment. Live at the Detroit Institute of Arts is no exception. The two set performance consists of a whopping 33 songs, many from their 2001 LP White Blood Cells like my favorite “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” plus other great tracks like “Hotel Yorba,” “Little Room” and “Fell in Love With a Girl.” They included songs from their earlier albums The White Stripes (“I Fought Piranhas” and the show closer “Screwdriver“) and De Stijl (“Hello Operator,” “Apple Blossom,” “You’re Pretty Good Looking For a Girl“). Some of the best moments are the sprinkles of Detroit-rock covers during the concert: Iggy Pop’s “I’m Bored,” The Gories “Omologato” and – best of the best – MC5’s “Looking at You.” While I’m not going to watch it today (that would be even more of a commitment than I can reasonably make though most of the tracks linked here are from the Institute Arts concert so I guess I’ve seen a bit of it already), the DVD has the same track listing so it will be a treat to get the full visual of this incredible performance – the venue is supposed to be stunning: a Beaux Arts-style visual arts museum; Jack White urged the audience to check out exhibits by Detroit artists during the intermission.