From The Archives #8 - The White Stripes

Originally published 2005-12-10

The White Stripes

Venue: Bill Graham Civic Center, Grove St, San Francisco

Date: Dec 9, 2005

Venue Vibe: a bit like a truncated Wembley arena, capacity  ca. 8000.

The Low-down: The outrageously early start time for Live 105's Not So Silent Night, San Francisco’s annual end-of-term rock bash, and the chemistry Christmas party being on the same evening combined to force our absence through Hot Hot Heat and Autolux.  What’s more, the 20 or so minutes we spent in the beer line cost us not just forty dollars for a few cups of warm Bud (!) but also the chance to see Coheed & Cambria in the flesh, our appreciation of their set being restricted to what we could hear through the auditorium wall.  Still, at least we got to check out Death Cab for Cutie who sat firmly on the fence between indie rock and pop rock, a genre once defined by the Stone Roses or more recently the Stereophonics second album. 

And so to this year’s headliners, the White Stripes.  After five solid albums, Jack White and his bandmate Meg have proved to be much more than the novelty act they first appeared.  In fact, one is often moved to ponder whether the quantity of noise the duo produce between them represents some kind of world record.  Add this to the catchy choruses of hits like “Hotel Yorba” and “Jolene” and they seem to have everything.  The trouble is, that one never really believes the pair are giving it their all in the live setting; instead they give the impression of a band holding something back for the second show.  

What’s more, while Jack’s musical talent and ability is not in doubt, Meg is never going to be confused with Keith Moon, or even Ringo Starr come to think of it; to paraphrase John Lennon, one gets the impression that Meg is not even the best drummer in the White Stripes.  She does however have exceptionally big tits.  When the band left the stage in low-key fashion after a mere 25 minutes, we assumed either a rift, or a technical difficulty was the cause, but no: after a lengthy hiatus they returned for a few more songs, and that was it, lights on and all done.  A very short show from a band I will continue to listen to, but can live without seeing live in the future.

Review by Westoid