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Written by VANESSA MIRABILE / Photos by NICK POWILLS
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Friday, 11 August 2006 |
It must be an exhilarating experience for a new band to perform its first live concert at one of the biggest musical festivals in the country, but sometimes the experience is even more exhilarating for the audience. That was the case with the Raconteurs, the four-man ensemble band led by Jack White and friend guitar player Brendan Brenson, who delivered a blistering performance on Friday evening at Lollapalooza.
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The Raconteurs
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August 4, 2006
AT&T Stage
Lollapalooza
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Despite the inevitable comparisons with the White Stripes, there is nothing "side" about Jack White's so called "side project". Clearly the favorite band during that time slot, several thousand fans listened to the music and tuned in to see if White's enigmatic behavior, music or style were any different with the Raconteurs than with the White
Stripes.
The band has a strong stage presence and gave us nothing short of a very energetic show that kept only getting better song after song. Featuring all of the ten new tunes from their just released album “Broken Boy Soldiers”, they kicked it off with “Intimate Secretary” and “Level” (tunes that display obvious Led Zeppelin influence) then pounded into their well known hit “Steady, As She Goes”. After that, the band shifted gears to the progressive rock tune "Store
Bought Bones", when you finally recognize some of the White Stripes'
underlying guitar riffs. The sweaty crowd jammed as the band played an amazing cover of Nancy Sinatra "Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” and “Blue Veins”, an intense blues ballad to which White vigorously jammed his guitar reminding us all why we were spending three days at this amazing festival.
Much to the crowd surprise and delight, as the sun set by the beautiful Chicago skyline on that great summer Friday evening, the band then delivered an edgy version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to which a fully engaged audience frantically danced while singing along with all our souls to “I think you're crazy, just like me”.
The Raconteurs delivered an unforgettable concert, and we really hope the connection is mutual, because we want them back to Chicago ASAP. Whether Jack is leading the White Stripes, or supporting his fabulous full size band, he has managed to master it all. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
