The Raconteurs Rock Detroit

It was a hot, summer night with an electric vibe and enthusiastic fans at Detroit’s Masonic Temple on Friday as The Raconteurs kicked off their US Tour in support of their recently released, excellent third LP, Help Us Stranger. This was the band’s first performance in Detroit in over a decade and their first in the State of Michigan in nearly 8 years. It was a very special night for bandleaders Jack White and Brendan Benson, both Detroit natives, who engaged the crowd with high energy throughout their performance. Tickets for Friday’s show sold out so quickly, the band added a second show on Saturday to ensure no one got shut out of a chance to attend. As on White’s solo tour last year, cell phones were “pouched” by Yondr at the door, so no photos or videos were allowed, and the cases were unlocked at the end of the concert as ticket holders exited the venue. 

Each of these local appearances also had their own unique opening acts, each fitting a musical theme.  While Saturday’s openers were more typically garage rock oriented, Friday’s audience enjoyed short performances from two local, electric gospel acts, Nikki D. & Sisters of Thunder and The Pure Heart Travelers, both of whom warmed up the crowd and the unconditioned main theater, as the audience excitedly awaited the return of The Raconteurs. It was surprising to see a rare, general admission, standing room floor at The Masonic, which usually opts for organized rows of folding chairs, but the visual elements of the performance were excellent with dazzling lighting throughout the concert from all vantage points. The energy level was high during most songs, especially the up tempo numbers, and while there were bumpy changes and transitions at times, the band rolled this into the performance, coming across more as a sloppy garage rock band than a tight, veteran act with folk, country, and bluegrass chops, in addition to the ability to rock.

The show began with a short jam that led into a performance of “Bored and Razed”, the opening track from the new album, and then alternated between old and new songs for the rest of the night, including spirited takes on “Level” and “Hands” from 2006’s Broken Boy Soldiers and “Old Enough”, “You Don’t Understand Me”, and “Top Yourself” from 2008’s Consolers of the Lonely. The new songs were delivered with messy enthusiasm, with members of the band missing changes, forgetting their parts, and in White’s case, physically tripping about the stage on cables, stands, and the drum riser more than once during the concert. Perhaps the band took a bit too much time away from rehearsing recently, or maybe they are just getting used to the new stage layout, as this was the first proper show on the tour, and either way, even the errors worked within the context of a garage rock atmosphere, so even the blemishes brought character to the performance.

The new material fit in well with the older songs, but some tracks featured bumpy changes and transitions, most notably “Live a Lie”, which fell apart shortly after the second chorus as White segued into the next song instead of attempting to rescue the one that was being played, and “Hey Gyp”, a Donovan cover that also appears on Help Us Stranger. For this song alone, which closed the first of two short sets Friday night, guitarist Mary Ramirez of The Detroit Cobras added guest guitar which, in addition to White’s, Benson’s, and keyboardist/guitarist Dead Fertita’s, meant four guitars were being played at once, and when coupled with it being a new song, that was also a bit under-rehearsed, made for a mushy blend of noise rather than a driving hard rock attack, which was seemingly the intention. That song could have come across much better, but the players sometimes seemed confused about who was doing what and what was happening next while the song was being performed.

The halftime, mini-intermission came after about 45 minutes of music and was reminiscent of White Stripes concerts in the mid-‘00s.  Stripes drummer, Meg White, was herself in attendance Friday night, as was reported from the stage to an enthusiastic response from the audience. The second set started with an energetic “Consoler of the Lonely” and included solid takes on new songs, “Now That You’re Gone” and “Sunday Driver”, both rocking a bit harder than their recorded album versions. The biggest crowd interactions came during the coda of “Somedays” during the first set and during the closing number of the concert, “Steady, as She Goes”, the band’s first-ever single and biggest hit, where the room sang “Are you steady now?” back to the stage during the final chorus. The musical and emotional high point was certainly “Blue Veins”, the second to last song to be performed, and the longest song of the night due to an extended jam between the second and third verses. White’s leads and solos added fire to each song throughout the night, but he waited to drive it home until “Blue Veins” came up in the set.  Also, the band’s most blues-based number, this track gave White the opportunity to run wild with effects and intricate techniques before bringing the show to a close after the following song.

While the sound mix was muddy most of the night, especially during the first three songs or so, the band’s energy and enthusiasm ignited the supportive and excited audience all night, and while most would have enjoyed another song or two, there’s no doubt everyone left feeling well-rocked.

The Raconteurs Set List: (7/12/19)

(intro tape/jam)

Bored and Razed

Level

Don’t Bother Me

You Don’t Understand Me

Old Enough

Somedays

What’s Yours Is Mine

Top Yourself

Hey Gyp (Donovan) (w/Mary Ramirez of The Detroit Cobras)

----------------(short intermission)---------

Consoler of the Lonely

Now That You’re Gone

Hands

Sunday Driver

Live a Lie

Blue Veins

Steady, as She Goes

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