The Dead Weather - an unbiased review. Ok, as a bonafide Jack White Super fan, I admit I began this a bit biased.
At the great risk of sounding like a 14 year old at a Jonas Brothers concert, I must tell you of my experience at The Dead Weather Show at House of Blues Dallas on Oct 5th. As any rock fan who has not been living under one should know, The Dead Weather is sort of a super group made up of Jack White (of the White Stripes, The Raconteurs), Allison Mosshart (of The Kills), Jack Lawrence - affectionately known as 'Little Jack' (of the Raconteurs) and Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age).
So, lets back up a bit. The first time I heard of The Dead Weather I was excited. Raconteurs were not on tour anymore and this was a new Jack White outlet. But I heard one song and wasn't immediately hooked. I kind of wrote it off. But then, months later, while doing a Jack White you-tube search I found a live performance of 'Cut Like a Buffalo'. I was blown away. How did I not see this right away? I love drummers (my husband is one, you know) and now my favorite musician guitar-player is now on drums! He was singing and drumming, and even picked up the guitar for a song or two, and it was all I needed. I downloaded their album "Horehound" MP3 from Amazon and by the second time through, it officially became my favorite band of the moment.
As good as the album is, I was floored by the live concert. Don't you love it when the live performance is SO much better than the album (and not the other way around)...when the energy and passion on stage is so intense it could never be captured in a studio? As my friend Cathy said, dont you "love a show when the music makes your insides vibrate and your heart feel like it's part of the drum set"?
Let me first put aside my current obsession with Jack white, without whom I probably would have never heard of The Dead Weather, and tell you about Allison. If I could be a rock star, I would choose to be her (and It is not just for the 'Will There be Enough Water' performance - and if you have seen that live, you know what I mean). Even though my husband, the drummer, tells me he could teach me to play every song Meg White has ever played on drums in about a week, I would still choose to be Allison. First of all, she is gorgeous. Her personality shines through every word, every movement. She makes emotional eye-contact with the audience. She stands on the monitors in the front of the stage and sways to the music so extreme that I worry about her safety (am I too old? am I the only one praying she doesn't fall?). I wondered often as she performed if she was about to have a seizure, a conniption, or an orgasm. And I mean that as the highest form of compliment. The passion was there. She holds her own while sharing a stage with the bigger than life Jack White. Dare I even say she took the spot light? I often found myself fixated on her performance forgetting, albeit temporarily, about JW.
Let's get back to the "Will There Be Enough Water" performance. I was waiting any moment for Jack & Allison to drop their instruments and start making out. The sexual tension on stage... whew.
Then there is Little Jack. Jack Lawrence. "LJ" Also plays with Jack White in The Raconteurs. He is hip-nerdy with his long hair and black-rim glasses. He kills it on the bass and even plays a song on the drums. Amazing! Little Jack holds a special place in my heart.
So, last and certainly not least, we have Jack White. He writes, he sings, he is rapidly working toward legendary status on the guitar(Have you seen "It Might Get Loud"? No? Go now.), he also plays drums, piano and keyboard. All really really well. And he has good hair (sorry, that has nothing to do with the show, I know). Here I go with the gushing. He has a presence on stage. He has that remarkable voice and that talent. It's undeniable.
With all that being said, in closing, the show was amazing. The band was on-point. They were passionate, cohesive and they rocked. This is just not a Jack White band. They are so much bigger than one person.
DEAD WEATHER PICTURES @ HOUSE OF BLUES DALLAS
