The White Stripes 8-9-05 - Keller Auditorium in Portland, OR
By Robin Steeley
Keller Auditorium is dark inside on a beautiful day. After sitting outside and eating my Quizno’s in the park by the waterfalls I decided it was high time for me to get inside for the main act. I don’t know about this venue, it just doesn’t seem right for a rock band, its all seated and very plush. There was an opening band, but I have no idea who they are. The hall is in total darkness while they play, and it is a very small band for such a big stage. The bass is very loud and the lyrics unintelligible, but the drummer fascinating. The crowd is so dark that no real connection is made but there is good applause from the audience. I hope that the White Stripes set won’t be as dark.
Tonight is the first of two sold out White Stripes shows here in Portland. The line for the bathroom was down to the stairs and the lines for drinks reached nearly outside. The anticipation begins to build as the White Stripes set was put together. It’s all done in the Stripes trademark Red, White, and Black with kettledrums and other instruments set up behind Meg’s kit up front and slightly to the left of the stage, there is a backdrop of trees and I think what looked like a large partially eaten apple. The house is so packed tonight, it’s hot and there are fake white palm trees everywhere. Everything is designed beautifully with red carpet on the stage, a dark piano, and the apple in the background begins to grow as Meg and Jack take the stage, the crowd rising to their feet.
This is a tiny unit that more then fills this giant stage, their huge presence is felt throughout the hall. Jack seems to be in his own world, wearing a red and white suit and black hat. Rather then him being an ordinary Frontman, it’s obvious that the focus is equally on both of them once they get to the stage. Jack soon sings about Coming Home and then at the end of the song throws his guitar down on the stage. He picks up another one, never missing a note, and Meg sets the time and rhythm as Jack provides all the melody. Vocal wise, the acoustics in this building aren’t the best for an act like this, but they overcome the huge room with their presence. Meg is the beautiful sexy girl next door and Jack the dark mysterious bad boy, what a pair they make!
The music seemed to have a lot of feedback, once again I think it’s the room itself, it made it sound somewhat canned at times, the music is fast and driving but bouncing off the walls in here, and besides it doesn’t matter what they do, the crowd loves it.
Meg is a powerful drummer, and Jack wanders over to play an organ and the eerie streams entangle themselves through the building before he goes back to his guitar, soon throwing it down to sit at the piano where he breaks into a cover of Dylan’s “Lovesick” which is probably my favorite tune of the night so far. Overall, it’s a very theatrical performance, and I find myself liking it best when I can actually hear White sing. He gets back on guitar using a glass slide; he plays his instruments as if he was born into it, strutting around the stage, owning it. They work in perfect tandem together, and the chemistry is undeniable. They take the songs to a dizzying crescendo before slowly bringing you back down to earth.
Jack is without a doubt an amazing guitar player, but its obvious he can play a lot of instruments. He heads back to a xylophone to make some magic, adding true diversity to rock music. The vocals are rich and punctuated by a fast and heavy bass drum kick as they run through “The Nurse”. Towards the end of the show, Meg sits on the carpet with some bongo drums and Jack plays something with almost a Spanish flavor to it.
Overall, it was a great performance, fast paced, up beat, and displaying the best thing about the White Stripes, their songwriting and delivery, both of which are excellent.
