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 raconteurs tower records

raconteurs tower records

brendan benson tower

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).

raconteurs tower records

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.

raconteurs wristband

Here’s a copy of the set list (sent in by a reader)…obviously they didn’t follow it…

raconteurs tower records

raconteurs tower records

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 

42 Comments

  1. rachel says:

    still not as cute as the doritos eating, coca cola drinking, nazi supporting muldoon children. nope, nowhere close.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Mmmm look at that muscle. rawwr

  3. sarah says:

    that kid = mike skinner. A GRAND DON’T COME FO FREE!!!!!

  4. mr. e says:

    you get stuck behind baldies and i get stuck behind a GAP kid dancing like carlton banks. what a show!

  5. Anonymous says:

    Who were the VIP’s? Anyone special?

  6. Stella says:

    Brendan scares me. Someone feed him pleassse!!

  7. laura says:

    nope. i didn’t spy anyone particularly noteworthy.

  8. diana says:

    i loved brendan’s outfit. paisley right? whatever it was, he did it right. little jack was quite pallid. big jack too.

  9. Anonymous says:

    I have got to get an orange jumpsuit.

  10. Ann says:

    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 says:

    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 says:

    Thanks, Eric. :-)

  13. roxxan23 says:

    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 says:

    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. 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 says:

    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 says:

    looks like jacks japanese hair straightening is growing out

  18. Anonymous says:

    Jack’s hair is shorter than it was doofus. He cut it.

  19. Anonymous says:

    his hair cut looks great!!!!!

    regardless of the length - once he sweats his hair puffs a bit

  20. goosestripes says:

    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 says:

    I miss Meg :(

  22. Anonymous says:

    well goose - we are also talking about how annoying that crazy little phsyco was last night. any contribution on that?

  23. goosestripes says:

    I didn’t notice the crazy little phsyco(maybe it was me?)

  24. Rina says:

    Nobody has mentioned the music yet - how did they sound? How were the songs received by the crowd?

  25. Anonymous says:

    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 says:

    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 says:

    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 says:

    well the power blew - so the sound wasnt great.

    regardless…they rocked!

  29. Anonymous says:

    Please bring back the White Stripes! Please Jack for the love of God!!!

  30. Anonymous says:

    yeah i saw conan too and was a tad dissapointed i thought they sounded pretty bad.

  31. Anonymous says:

    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 says:

    he might have cut his hair, but check the roots people!!

  33. anonymous says:

    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 says:

    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 says:

    Straightened hair usually starts to bounce back after six months.

  36. malcomy says:

    jack is such a dickhead. deserves the crazy stalker fans.

  37. [...] 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 says:

    Why is Jack a dickhead?

  39. Anonymous says:

    no one deserves a fan like that…no one. i wouldn’t even consider her human. she was a horror show.

  40. Danni says:

    Patrick Keeler is hot! and so is Jack White omg total hotties
    and little jack is so cute awwww

  41. Dina says:

    Jack white is pretty hot, but is it just me or does he really talk a hell of a alot??

  42. Kennedy says:

    Check out the Raconteurs being featured as mtvU’s house band: http://www.mtvu.com/music/house_band/