Uh oh. Sounds like the sh*t went down. On the first night of his two night stand at Radio City Music Hall, Jack White and his band played a 50 minute set, at the end of which they left the stage…and did not return. After about 30 minutes of trying to get an encore, the announcer came on stage and told the show-goers that the gig was over and that they should leave. That is when people started freaking out, chanting “F*ck you, Jack!” and “We like Meg better anyway!”
Needless to say, the angry masses took to Twitter with their protests, typing out all types of snarky swipes (some more eloquent than others) and venting their boiling, uncontainable rage for the GALL of Jack White to only play a 50 minute set. Has everyone completely lost their minds and forgotten that a normal White Stripes set could be just over one hour?
I too would be disappointed that the show had not been longer, but people, since when was it a rule that a performer come back to the stage if he doesn’t want to? Last time I checked it was a free country.
This quote gives you a little hint as to why he did not come back:
“Jesus Christ, is this an NPR convention?” – Jack White at Radio City
— Jessica Misener (@jessmisener) September 30, 2012
Which I would interpret in Jack-speak to mean “This crowd is horrible and sitting there with their arms folded, seemingly not enjoying anything and/or using their cell phones even though we’ve asked them not to.”
Later someone else tweeted that he heard that Jack was not happy with the sound at the venue and didn’t want to continue. I would guess that’s it could have been a combination of both.
As White Stripes fans know — Jack has a long history of calling fans out on bad behavior/vibes. (Remember when he called a bunch of guys at a White Stripes Roseland show “frat f*ckers”? Classic. Or how about when he berated the crowd at Bowery Ballroom in 2002 for being “too cool for school”?)
But honestly folks, if you were in his shoes, and you were unhappy with either the crowd or the sound, would you really feel obligated to go out there and but on a brave face in the midst of crappy conditions? I know people are disappointed, but what they have to understand is that Jack does not do this at EVERY show — when I saw him play at the Wiltern in LA a few months back, he was in a great mood and the show was really really awesome.
And seriously, we all know that the second night of a Jack White show is always better than the first. NEVER GO TO THE FIRST SHOW (if you can only go to one). Have we ALL forgotten the lessons that we’ve learned over the years? It was only a few months ago that Jack did something very special the second night of his two-night series at Roseland. How soon we forget…
I know I’m sounding like I’m blaming the “victims” but really, you are not victims if you have enough discretionary income to blow some mildly mad stacks on a fancy concert. News flash: you are angry privileged people. Get over it.
Well, tomorrow night will be interesting. Hopefully everyone will be in better spirits. Including the crowd.
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