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View Full Version : concert review: the white stripes in l.a., 9/22


Gretchen_Ross
09-23-2003, 09:57 PM
concert review
the white stripes at the greek theatre (los angeles) 9/22

the soledad brothers
sorry, i missed them. what can i say? work+traffic = no soledad brothers.

the yeah yeah yeahs
they came on just as we sat down - awesome timing. now, i like their cd ("fever to tell," i don't have the other one), and i was expecting quite a show from the reviews i've read. well, i was not disappointed. first off, the music was even better live. they are an extremely tight band. karen o is just as great as everyone says. so intense, but also playful. sexual but not sexy. just great. also, the guitarist is solid. it was quite an intense performance, and it would have felt even moreso if it had been a smaller venue (or if i had been closer, natch). they reminded me of ikara colt (opened up for sahara hotnights last year) in their take on arty punk rock. i'll be listening to their music more often from now on.

the white stripes
where do i even start? everything i expected and much, much more. i can't recall the entire setlist, but i'll do the best i can. opened with "the hardest button to button," and did 3 or 4 songs back to back without stopping, one song flowing into the next. they did this quite a bit during the show, mixing their songs with covers. it was amazing how jack would just start playing a different song and meg would pick right up. this means that (a) they rehearsed it that way, (b) they have a psychic link, or (c) a little bit o' both. i'm inclined to believe c. anyway, i'll try to describe jack's performance, but i'll never be able to do it justice. first off, he's fucking amazing on the guitar, technically. but he also brings this visceral prowess to the stage that i've never seen before. he's so fucking into it that you get the impression that he doesn't care if there's an audience or not. i don't mean that he was aloof, but it was almost like he was having a religious experience up there. a man possessed indeed. it was quite a thing of beauty to witness. they played a pretty good mix of old and new from "the big 3 killed my baby," to "little bird" and "i can tell that we are gonna be friends" (personal faves), to songs from "elephant." there were also many covers, unfortunately i'm not a big enough music nerd to know what some of them were (i caught "black betty" in there, though). one of the best songs was "the union forever." i mean, that's a painful song to listen to on the cd, but it was blisteringly heartbreaking live. the encore was the first half of "ball and biscuit," which melted into another song that was fucking amazing - i think it was a cover. whatever it was, it was a great show ender. the one negative aspect was that they utilized the jumboscreens for black/white/red minimalist artwork instead of themselves (as the yeah yeah yeahs did). it certainly didn't take anything away from the performance, but i would have liked to see them a little better. other than that, fucking perfect. i'm definitely seeing them again as many times as i can muster. my next concert is interpol next week. if anybody's interested i can post a review of that as well. cheers.

notchreturns
09-24-2003, 12:07 AM
Nice reviews! Yeah Yeah Yeah's and The White Stripes, sounds like a great show. I caught The White Stripes a couple months ago and they were great, even though Meg was supposedly sick and couldn't finish the last couple songs. Very energetic, fun show, though... I recommend catching them live, no doubt about it!

In about 10 days I'm seeing Radiohead and Supergrass, so I'll post my review.

bowieee
09-24-2003, 02:10 AM
Yahooo!


2 more days till I see this show. Will be back to post my musings!

BadCoverVersion
09-24-2003, 04:26 AM
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice review.

The White Stripes are a phenomenal live band...it's hard NOT to have a smashin' time.

:)

paul calf
09-24-2003, 10:59 AM
there is nothing like the white stripes live something everyone should experience at least once.
i am just looking forward to the next time they come here hoping its soon.

Gretchen_Ross
09-24-2003, 03:13 PM
thanks for the positive feedback, schmoes. i'd be interested in hearing about other people's white stripes concert experiences as well.

quoth_the_raven
09-24-2003, 06:19 PM
I haven't got around to seeing them live yet. silly, as i have had two chances.

i'll probably see them next time around, all being well. god knows, its probably going to have been worth the wait

bob
09-24-2003, 07:29 PM
The concert gods are against me, I didn't get to see them when they came to Denver.:(

S. PLISSKEN
09-25-2003, 06:44 PM
Glad to hear they are as good as I'd expect them to be. Can't wait to see them in a couple of months!

bowieee
09-26-2003, 03:43 AM
Well Just got back from the show and.....

All three artists stole the stage and shined in their own different ways. The Soledad brothers made me feel like it was 1976 and the allman brothers just teamed with the stooges to put on a fucking great sho. Their set was full of energy and they proved to be a diverse and very talented band.

Then came the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.... Karen O I love you. She took that stage and she knows how goddamn sexy she is so she flaunts it all the while going from perfect harmony to screeching while laying down some of the best live music I have heard for awhile. They almost outstaged The White Stripes.

Finally The White Stripes came on and Jack White was determined to give us the experience of a lifetime. I have seen them twice before but neither show compares to the straight out furious bluesy Rock that Jack and meg pummeled through. He went up and beyond anytime I've seen them before and I was a quivering tired burned out happy bowieee by the time the last final note floated by.

So in short the show was really really good! :)

S. PLISSKEN
09-26-2003, 02:38 PM
Does anyone know if the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs will be playing with them the remainder of the tour? More importantly, for me, on the Nov 10 Milwaukee show? Can't seem to get their website up on my PC.

bowieee
09-26-2003, 06:36 PM
Originally posted by S. PLISSKEN
Does anyone know if the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs will be playing with them the remainder of the tour? More importantly, for me, on the Nov 10 Milwaukee show? Can't seem to get their website up on my PC.

I don't think so... Jack said that this was their last gig together for this tour and that he was really going to miss them if I heard him right.

ofmknockoff
09-26-2003, 06:40 PM
:mad:

I was supposed to go see them tonight and then my ride backed out so I have no way of getting there.

bowieee
09-26-2003, 06:44 PM
Originally posted by Gretchen_Ross
concert review
my next concert is interpol next week. if anybody's interested i can post a review of that as well. cheers.

Please post a review for interpol. I'm seeing them next week as well.... I've never seen them before and I wonder what they are like live.

bowieee
09-26-2003, 06:44 PM
Originally posted by ofmknockoff
:mad:

I was supposed to go see them tonight and then my ride backed out so I have no way of getting there.

Call every friend you know and beg them for a ride. Take a taxi, a bus..... find a way. It's worth it.