A Wild And Windy Night When The White Stripes Rocked The Heavens
Reliving a ballroom blitz with Detroit’s finest
As the wind was whipping up a ferocious storm on the UK’s coastline, so too were a certain devilish duo known as The White Stripes.
The heart-bursting squall of Jack White’s guitar and the thumping, tribalistic drums of Meg White brought Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom to its knees back in the autumn of 2005.
Their “Get Behind Me Satan” tour was in full swing and tracks like the hard-rocking “Blue Orchid” and the playful “My Doorbell” were being whistled by just about everyone.
This was years ago now … so why exactly am I taking you back to this long-gone blustery evening by the seaside?
It’s because after many years of countless gigs, this particular one always stands out as being among the very best.
The Stripes were simply on fire that night.
My friend Dan and I had never seen a performance like it, and doubt we ever will again. We were right down at the front, in the thick of it. The air crackling and popping with electricity.
The White Stripes have always had a certain, indefinable alchemy that lifted them head-and-shoulders above their peers.
