A couple of songs into his blazing set, Jack White yelled from the stage, “That’s the New York I know!” as they packed to the rafters, the Irving Plaza crowd cheered and clapped along with the rocker. Just a few days ago, no one knew anything about this show, but a quick announcement and instant sell-out allowed the kick-ass concert to take place Monday night, February 10th, in Manhattan.
Before White, openers Model/Actriz took the stage in front of the early arriving room, which filled up the small venue well ahead of showtime. Consisting of vocalist Cole Haden, guitarist Jack Wetmore, bassist Aaron Shapiro, and drummer Ruben Radlauer, the outfit delivered their brand of sound, which could best be described as a fusion of post-punk and techno. Furiously banging and clanging tracks like “Mosquito” and “Donkey Show” delivered that musical vibe. Haden’s theatrics found him performing high leg kicks and singing multiple songs deep in the crowd.
After a quick set change from the best-dressed roadies in the business, White blasted outflanked by Patrick Keeler (drums), Dominic Davis (bass), and Bobby Emmett (keys), with energy levels shooting skyward early as White tours behind his most rock-focused album in years, No Name. After a revved-up jam to loosen up, “Old Scratch Blues” emerged with White and Emmett dueling on the guitar and keys before the tone shifted to the groove-based “That’s How I’m Feeling”.
“Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” featured crunching guitar work and a crushing drum build from Keeler that shook the Irving Plaza foundation, while the punk/funk of “It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)” was pumped along on Davis’s bass. A quick dip into “Walkin’ Blues” with some fiery picking and slide work along with the head banging “Little Bird”, both fit into the blues rawk motif of the newer tunes while “I Cut Like a Buffalo” found White mixing in more electro scratching on his six strings. While the band is tight, they follow the leader, with White’s six-string work being the clear star of the show.
White took a guitar breather to deliver the dramatic “Why Walk a Dog?” before strumming up “Love Interruptio,n” which received a great crowd reaction. Keeping that vibe alive, White encouraged everyone to sing along to the hoedown of “Hotel Yorba” while a dynamite rendition of “Ball and a Biscuit” wrapped up the smoking set with some excellent guitar work and back and forth from the band.
A surprise guest arrived for the encore as Scarlett White joined on bass for “Archbishop Harold Holmes” as Davis picked up a tambourine for the thumping tune that allowed Jack to go wild in his spoken word style. “Lazaretto” was a late show highlight as Davis took back over on bass, and Emmett’s keyboard work got funky around the drums and laser-like guitar lines. The band seemed to be searching for a different tune, building up to something, before White pulled the plug and played “Seven Nation Army” which the crowd exploded for.
The No Name Tour continues to be a stripped-down offering of White’s amazing guitar playing and strong songwriting with zero filler, as the barnstorming band bombards the audience with high-octane rock, and this quickly thrown-together night at Irving Plaza found them in fine form.
