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| The Raconteurs give fans intimate thrill at Neumos | |
| The Raconteurs give fans intimate thrill at Neumos
By Jessica Price -
SGN A & E Writer The Raconteurs April 21 Neumos Without much fanfare or advance warning, The Raconteurs played a very big deal and low-key show at Neumos last week. The evening served as a bit of a warm-up gig and followed the similarly under-publicized release of the foursome's second release, Consolers of The Lonely. But if you're Jack White, you don't need a whole lot of flattery to sell tickets or CDs. You just have to show up, and the hordes of rock and roll worshippers will appear. This was certainly the case at Neumos last week. Paired with fellow singer-guitarist Brendan Benson, bassist Jack Lawrence, and drummer Patrick Keeler, the sum of these parts equates to a band of top-notch brothers. Seeing them live adds a whole new depth to their impressive two albums' worth of material. During scorchers like "Salute Your Solution" White is content to stand back and allow the rest of the band to get the spotlight they deserve. Benson and White traded off vocal duties and tore things up with very little effort. "Five on the Five" and "Hold Up" were searing throwdowns. The set was heavy on new material, and equally heavy on the expensive, shiny guitars. From up in the rafters where I was perched, I could drool over White's amazing collection of pedals (oddly, all a shiny bronze color) and a lot of fancy gear such as a guitar with a removable microphone and a built-in theremin. No, I'm not kidding. Having not flooded the press with advance copies of the record (which was actually rush-released within a month of its completion), the set list was a little hard to put together but I can tell you that the fresh material is definitely kicked up a notch from the first CD. It's like the four were in a pressure cooker and the end result is a more cohesive, focused sound than the debut. It's blisteringly good stuff and not quite as split personality as the older record, which seemed to switch between heavy rock (clearly Jack White's influence) and more Beatles-esque harmonics (Brendan Benson). "Rich Kid Blues", a 60's cover, got me thinking about the irony of the lyrics considering White's gradual and well-deserved catapult into bonafide rock god status, especially with his recent Rolling Stone cover flanked by good friends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. There's no doubt White is a true genius, and the packed house at Neumos seemed to share an awareness of being in the presence of greatness, however humble and played-down the star might choose to be. He's amazingly talented, there's no denying it. The four plugged away at song after song from Consolers, before settling into familiar tracks from Broken Boy Soldiers. "Intimate Secretary" and "Steady As She Goes" threw the crowd into a frenzy. "Blue Veins" showcased White's total ease with the blues, and all in all, the entire set and brief encore were a non-stop assault of brilliance. I felt very lucky to be there, as did the 600+ others in attendance. Although I'm sure that tiny club dates such as this will be few and far between for The Raconteurs, the set will translate to arena and outdoor festivals perfectly this summer. The Raconteurs are not just a side project; they're a perfectly balanced, amazing rock and roll band that will blow you away. |
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