Monday, October 3, 2005

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News During their Friday night concert, Meg and Jack White got a kick out of playing with (and for) each other. He-plays/she-plays numbers like "I Think I Smell a Rat" are when they seem happiest.

White Stripes, home crowd connect

In three-night stand at Masonic, tight-knit duo delivers blistering set for fans, each other.

By Adam Graham / The Detroit News

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It's homecoming season, and the White Stripes did a little homecoming of their own Friday night. The duo kicked off a three-night stand at Detroit's Masonic Temple with a rousing 100-minute set that was loose without being sloppy, confident but never cocky and overall one heck of a good time.

The show drew from all eras of the band's career, from their early days ("The Big Three Killed My Baby" from 1999's self-titled debut, "Apple Blossom" from 2000's "De Stijl") to a healthy dose of material from the band's latest, "Get Behind Me Satan."

Jack and Meg White hit the stage -- he in a black suit with red flares and a black top hat, she in flowing white T-shirt and red pants -- to the familiar opening wail of "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," the lead track on the band's 2001 breakout album, "White Blood Cells." That led quickly into "Black Math," the Meg-sung "Passive Manipulation" and the space-rock ditty "Blue Orchid," before Jack sat down at his piano and picked up "Dead Leaves" where it left off, lending the feel of a White Stripes revue more than a straightforward concert.

"Where are we tonight, Meg?" Jack asked early in the set, before answering, "North of Taylor, south of Birmingham."

Friday found Jack in particularly good spirits as he joked multiple times about eating breakfast with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. He later told the audience of roughly 4,000, which apparently contained plenty of family and friends, "I expect all of you to sing, because I know half of you."

But the person he connected with strongest was Meg. Plain as day, Jack and Meg get a kick out of playing with (and for) each other that oftentimes it seems as though they're the only two people in the building. He-plays/she-plays numbers like "I Think I Smell a Rat" are when the Whites seem happiest.

While it's not rare for bands to add musicians for live shows -- Green Day, a trio, had as many as eight musicians on stage during its recent stop at the Palace of Auburn Hills -- Jack and Meg do all the heavy lifting themselves. And between his guitar and piano duties, Jack went happily mad on the xylophones for the show's highlight, a fierce run-through of the deceptively wicked "The Nurse."

The set was meticulously designed with the band's red, white and black color scheme in mind: White guitar amps poised on red stands, white plants in white planters, two shiny red timpani drums. It was all about creating a mood and nothing was left to chance -- even the stage hands were decked out in tailored black suits.

The evening's "Satan" material -- White referred to the album at one point as "Get Behind Me Charlie" -- translated surprisingly well, including the campfire-like "Little Ghost," the down-and-dirty "Instinct Blues," audience pleaser "My Doorbell" and the tender "As Ugly As I Seem." A late show highlight came with the already timeless "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)," the first song of the band's extended encore, where Jack played on the piano while Meg sat on the stage cross-legged, gazing admiringly like a smitten schoolgirl.

The band ran through a closing string of hits, including "Fell in Love With a Girl" (which seemed partly re-inspired by Joss Stone's "Fell in Love with a Boy") and "Seven Nation Army," before ending with traditional closer "Bo Weevil."

"My sister thanks you and I thank you. Good night," Jack said at the end of the evening. "God bless you, thank you so much.

"See you tomorrow."

You can reach Adam Graham at (313) 222-2284 or agraham@detnews.com.