Jack White Reviews

Steve from San Francisco, California

NO PHONES -- YES! BUT GET A BETTER SOUND SYSTEM OR VENUE

I'm old enough to remember concerts without cell phones, and let me tell you they were WAY better, more fun, more involving. People who can't put down their cell phones really depress me. What a miserable, addicted life. So, thanks Jack White for making this a cell phone-free event. Fantastic. The one big drawback to the show was poor, muddled sound quality, especially for the vocals. Partly it's the fault of the venue -- a vast high school gym / auditorium space that kills good sound. But it's also the fault of the mix. Full, powerful sound is great, and you expect some distortion from Jack White. Fine. But if you bury the lyrics, you lose all the subtlety and charm of, say, "Waiting for the Doorbell," and you fail to make an emotional connection with your fans. Oh well. I'll avoid the civic auditorium from now on (too bad it's named for the great rock promoter Bill Graham). Loved seeing Jack White years ago at the Greek theater outdoors in Berkeley. Staff were very friendly.

Another Old Hippie from Portland, Oregon

AWFUL SOUND

Jack and the band (Carla is freaking amazing!) were fine, but this was the WORST sound I've ever heard at a concert, and I've been to hundreds of them. Sound came from above our seats - which suggests the venue was putting the band's output through the same tinny speakers they use to announce hockey penalties - and it was muddy and/or (unintentionally) distorted. Also, I've got no problem with LOUD, but the lead vocals were WAY TOO LOUD for the rest of the mix, so they drowned out virtually every other instrument except the drums. I hardly heard a note from either of the two keyboards or the bass all night. And the volume made the vocals distort, too - even when they weren't supposed to. Clearly the (lack of) sound quality affected the crowd - they never got into the music. About 60% through his set, Jack asked, "You still with me, Portland?" Guess he wanted to know because everyone was just standing / sitting around. Will never attend another show at this venue.

Disappointed from Des Moines from Des Moines

IT WAS REALLY GOOD, BUT.....

i love artists that don't stick to the same setlist every night....and have no problem missing a few old hits....but damn, Jack....you left out some big ones. I don't think I'm alone here in feeling disappointed each time he started a song with a big, long open chord...that didn't lead into Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground. For somebody who feeds off the energy of his audience....you gotta give us a little something sometimes. Ball and a Biscuit would have gone a LONG way towards the energy of the crowd, which never got much louder than polite applause all night.

Grayhairedfreak from Omaha, Nebraska

DON'T FORGET WHO PAYS THE BILLS, JACK.

I agree with BlastinB's review. For an artist of White's stature to do 90 minutes max, no 7NA, Ball & Biscuit or Icky Thump, and heavily focus on material from his hot mess new album was an injustice to the Omaha crowd. Parts of the show were very good (Over and Over, Sixteen Saltines, Steady as She Goes), just incomplete. We got 4 fewer songs than any tour date so far and the only show without 7NA. Opener was bad, pre-show music was bad. Maybe he spent too much time with the Storm Chasers...

from Omaha, Nebraska

DON'T FORGET WHO THE ARTIST IS

I think you were missing something if you expected an artist to get up on stage and play the same old stuff just to appease a certain fan base. To do so would short change the artist and the world at large of having the opportunity to grow and experience something new. He's not with White Stripes any more! As much as I loved the White Stripes, i heartily enjoy jack's new album. It is confusing and a bit messy in places and off the wall, but boy is it fun! So I was set to be blown away by a live performance along the same vein. But I was disappointed beyond words with the venue. It was all wrong. The sound quality was abhorrent, and to make up for the lack of quality, quantity was substituted (as in, the volume was jacked up to the rafters). You can chalk it up to the fact that I have never seen a musical performance in an arena and didn't know what to expect; nonetheless, I will stick with places like the Slowdown and the Waiting Room to get my live music fix.

Indy girl from Indianapolis, Indiana

SOUND QUALITY WAS SUBPAR

I love Jack white and have for years. However this was my first time seeing him live. The lights, graphics, performances were awesome, totally killer. But the sound was too distorted that when he spoke I couldn't understand a word he said. Luckily I'm a huge fan so I know all the lyrics, so I knew what he was singing but my son, who is 30 and knows only a couple songs, said he had no clue what Jack was singing. It was too loud where it distorted the sound. I still love Jack, old and new music, but what a shame.

Alex from Toronto, Ontario

WHOEVER MIXED THE SOUND SHOULD BE FIRED

I love Jack white and was so excited to see july talk open for him - until it became hours of ear piercing nose that was hard to even decipher as music. Left half way through as the noise was giving all of us really bad headaches, the people who unlocked our phones at the door said they had never seen this many people leave because of sound before. Disappointed bc i know it would have been a great show had it been mixed better. No wonder they didn’t allow any recordings

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