Noah Marianaccio ‘19
On November 16th, 2018, Jack White performed a set at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York as part of a recent tour across the United States and Canada. I had the opportunity to attend this performance. While I had dabbled in a few of his songs before, the show was my first time listening to him for an extended period of time. Only my second live concert, when I found out I had the opportunity to go, I was quite excited. It is safe to say that he most certainly lived up to my expectations and beyond. After this show, I could see why he is one of the most revered rock musicians of our era.
Possibly the most impressive aspect of this performance was White’s energy and stage presence. While he is not old per se, at almost age forty he was able to run and jump around the stage as if he was twenty. This energy effectively lured the crowd into the spirit of the show. The way in which he cycled effortlessly through multiple types of guitars was mesmerizing and gave each individual song he played a degree of distinctiveness. He played many of his classics from his days with the White Stripes such as “Icky Thump” and “Seven Nation Army.” Additionally, he introduced some of his solo pieces that were equally well received by the crowd. Jack White was accompanied by a drummer, a bass player, and two synthesizers. The musicians playing these instruments effectively enhanced the vocals and guitar-playing of Jack White.
White played for almost two hours, but I was so engrossed in the music that my perception of time became non-existent. To anyone who has never heard of him, I highly recommend that you listen to Jack White’s music if you’re into grungy, modern, alternative-rock music. This performance proves why he is capable of playing major stadiums. However, in this more intimate setting of a theater, he delivered a performance that I will not soon forget.
The Salesian Spectator 