The Raconteurs So Electric, the Power Goes Out
Within seconds of starting their in-store performance at Tower Records in New York City, The Raconteurs were too hot for the sound equipment to handle, causing them to lose all electric power for their instruments. They managed to get through a few songs like “Hands” and “Yellow Sun” before retreating for a “five minute break” until the tech crew got the electric up and running because according to Jack White “only the drums [were] working.”
After the sound was sorted, they came back on to complete what was about a 45 minute set.
During a lull in the performance, Brendan Benson asked if anyone had any requests. Someone in the front shouted “Blue Veins” to which he said, “Well we’ll have to check with Jack since he sings that one.” Jack said ok and they ripped into bluesy “BV”. And somewhere over the course of the evening Jack thanked us for wearing those things on our wrists for 3 days. Uh HUH.
Oh and drummer Patrick Keeler? Still officially the most adorable member of the band.
SET LIST: Hands/ Yellow Sun/ Together/ Steady as She Goes/ Level/ Broken Boy Soldier/ It Ain’t Easy/ Blue Veins/ Hands (with electric power)
The stairways were jam-packed with the VIP folks, and the floor was a crowd of maybe 200 folks…many of which were balding (according to my photographic evidence).
Old and young came out to see the 4 (5 with keyboards) piece…here’s the littlest Raconteurs fan at the gig, who managed to snag a drumstick.
Here’s a copy of the set list (sent in by a reader)…obviously they didn’t follow it…
WATCH: “Hands” by The Raconteurs @ Tower Records
WATCH: The Raconteurs live @ Tower Records
WATCH: “Steady as She Goes” by The Raconteurs on Conan O’Brien
1. rachel | 10:16 pm on May 18th, 2006
still not as cute as the doritos eating, coca cola drinking, nazi supporting muldoon children. nope, nowhere close.
2. Anonymous | 10:19 pm on May 18th, 2006
Mmmm look at that muscle. rawwr
3. sarah | 10:33 pm on May 18th, 2006
that kid = mike skinner. A GRAND DON’T COME FO FREE!!!!!
4. mr. e | 10:44 pm on May 18th, 2006
you get stuck behind baldies and i get stuck behind a GAP kid dancing like carlton banks. what a show!
5. Anonymous | 10:45 pm on May 18th, 2006
Who were the VIP’s? Anyone special?
6. Stella | 10:52 pm on May 18th, 2006
Brendan scares me. Someone feed him pleassse!!
7. laura | 11:19 pm on May 18th, 2006
nope. i didn’t spy anyone particularly noteworthy.
8. diana | 11:31 pm on May 18th, 2006
i loved brendan’s outfit. paisley right? whatever it was, he did it right. little jack was quite pallid. big jack too.
9. Anonymous | 11:42 pm on May 18th, 2006
I have got to get an orange jumpsuit.
10. Ann | 4:03 am on May 19th, 2006
Great pictures! I’m kinda agreeing with you about Patrick Keeler. What a cutie. Jack looks yummy! Is Brendan Benson really that skinny? I’ve never seen him in person. If pictures add 10-15 pounds he must be about 110 pounds.
11. Eric620 | 4:25 am on May 19th, 2006
I know the children’s parents. They earned all that, believe me. Between waiting in line in the rain starting at 5am to being told at first that the kids can’t come to some little nasty chick in a green coat trying to shove her way to the front of everyone unlike I’ve ever seen someone shove before (it was one of Jack’s psycho stalker fans to be sure).
Brendan was really cool last night - he kept the crowd (and Jack) calm during the technical problems.
Jack acknowledged the wristbands at the end and I thought he was being nice about it but my girlfriend says he may have been snarky about it due to a discussion I started over it in the Little Room (it was very unpopular on that board to dislike the 3-day wristbands - even Blackwell hates me now).
Anyway - it was a great show. Great pics, Miss MA.
12. kellym78 | 5:17 am on May 19th, 2006
Thanks, Eric.
13. roxxan23 | 5:19 am on May 19th, 2006
it was a great show and lil brendan (the kid in the orange jumpsuit) was so cute when jack was trying to give him his guitar pick. was so shy he wouldn’t take it! haha.
anyway, wonderful show, despite the inital problems. great pics too, miss modernage. i was unable to snap a good shot of patrick or dean because of my position.
14. goosestripes | 5:46 am on May 19th, 2006
I was at the show and it was great to see them in such a small space. I wish they would have turned the lights down, it was strange for the crowd to be so visible. My highlight of the night was after the show when I was outside having a smoke with a friend. All of a sudden, a door flew open and the band was standing right beside me. I couldn’t help it, I gave Jack a pat on the back. He wasn’t as tall as I had imagined. The band quickly all piled into a black van and quietly drove off. Very surreal.
15. Constant Dater | 5:52 am on May 19th, 2006
How cute is that little kid?!
And yes, Laura and Ann, Patrick is super-adorable. I think it’s the contrast between the sweet face and bash-y drumming. Plus the sly humor that’s come across in interviews. (Kind of like FF’s Bob Hardy.) And Ohio, reprazent!
16. Anonymous | 6:17 am on May 19th, 2006
re number 11.’s post
that little physco girl was so crazy!!!!! at first she really ruined the show for me - but - than i had to look past her craziness and enjoy the geniuses in front of me
17. Fo | 6:18 am on May 19th, 2006
looks like jacks japanese hair straightening is growing out
18. Anonymous | 7:08 am on May 19th, 2006
Jack’s hair is shorter than it was doofus. He cut it.
19. Anonymous | 7:18 am on May 19th, 2006
his hair cut looks great!!!!!
regardless of the length - once he sweats his hair puffs a bit
20. goosestripes | 7:31 am on May 19th, 2006
I feel like I am the only male who reads this blog. All everyone can talk about is how CUTE everyone is. I feel like I am following a boy band or something.
21. Anonymous | 7:54 am on May 19th, 2006
I miss Meg
22. Anonymous | 8:38 am on May 19th, 2006
well goose - we are also talking about how annoying that crazy little phsyco was last night. any contribution on that?
23. goosestripes | 8:53 am on May 19th, 2006
I didn’t notice the crazy little phsyco(maybe it was me?)
24. Rina | 9:39 am on May 19th, 2006
Nobody has mentioned the music yet - how did they sound? How were the songs received by the crowd?
25. Anonymous | 9:52 am on May 19th, 2006
Music was good. They played all of the songs that I like(Steady, Brokenboysoldier, level, blue veins) Don’t really care much for the other ones. Crowd was pretty calm for the most part. I don’t even think they filled the place up. My friend found a clump of unused wristbands on the ground. Ready for the WS to get back in business.
26. Anonymous | 10:03 am on May 19th, 2006
i though that the music was great! it was well received by the crowd - people were bopping - but as a whole the crowd was calm.
we all are ready for the stripes to get back into business, but the raconteurs are an awesome band - so lets appreciate them for now!!!
goose - i doubt you were the phsyco - unless you are a really short girl that pushes everyone and takes 10000 pictures - while obnixiously shoving your camera in other peoples faces
27. Anonymous | 10:26 am on May 19th, 2006
I saw the Raconteurs on Conan last night and was shocked at how awful they sounded. Musical guests on Conan never sound great-must be crappy acoustics-but I was really surprised by how bad they sounded. I just bought tickets through their pre-sale and I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I see them live. I was really let down by last nights performance:(
How was the sound quality in Tower? A record store does not have great acoustics.
28. Anonymous | 10:36 am on May 19th, 2006
well the power blew - so the sound wasnt great.
regardless…they rocked!
29. Anonymous | 10:58 am on May 19th, 2006
Please bring back the White Stripes! Please Jack for the love of God!!!
30. Anonymous | 11:51 am on May 19th, 2006
yeah i saw conan too and was a tad dissapointed i thought they sounded pretty bad.
31. Anonymous | 1:31 pm on May 19th, 2006
Patrick is *the* dreamy, in addition to being one of the best drummers I’ve seen and a dynamic performer.
I had a great time at the show. “Broken Boy Solider” sounded great, and it’s not my favorite on record.
“Blue Veins,” of course, was one big swoon.
32. Fo | 6:34 pm on May 19th, 2006
he might have cut his hair, but check the roots people!!
33. anonymous | 1:57 am on May 20th, 2006
Fo- I am with you, he most definitely had the thermal recon. As a client myself of the holy wonder that is japanese straightening, I consider myself an expert on root regrowth.
Also, as long as we are being unabashedly superficial- is that a funky shadow, or is Mr. White growing an abe lincoln chin beard?
34. Anonymous | 8:06 am on May 20th, 2006
He permanently straightened his hair?!! Noooooo!!!!!!! I loved it when his hair got all curly and messy. Why Jack why? You were born with curly hair dammit you shouldn’t have been ashamed of it. Your scraggly, curly hair was sexy, your straight hair looks like a girl’s. : ***(
35. Anonymous | 10:06 am on May 20th, 2006
Straightened hair usually starts to bounce back after six months.
36. malcomy | 11:21 am on May 21st, 2006
jack is such a dickhead. deserves the crazy stalker fans.
37. The Modern Age » Experts at the Crowd Invasion: Art Brut | 9:38 pm on May 21st, 2006
[...] So after The Raconteurs finished up their set at Tower Records on Thursday, I actually ended up heading over to the Art Brut show at Knitting Factory…again, because Miss K had an extra ticket. [...]
38. Anonymous | 5:10 pm on May 22nd, 2006
Why is Jack a dickhead?
39. Anonymous | 7:31 am on May 23rd, 2006
no one deserves a fan like that…no one. i wouldn’t even consider her human. she was a horror show.
40. Danni | 2:45 pm on July 24th, 2006
Patrick Keeler is hot! and so is Jack White omg total hotties
and little jack is so cute awwww
41. Dina | 9:11 pm on July 28th, 2006
Jack white is pretty hot, but is it just me or does he really talk a hell of a alot??
42. Kennedy | 5:11 pm on August 8th, 2006
Check out the Raconteurs being featured as mtvU’s house band: http://www.mtvu.com/music/house_band/