Concert Review: Jack White

Merriweather Post Pavilion in all its glory. The grounds are fantastic.

Opener: Olivia Jean

Main Act/Big Boss: Jack White

Encore: 8 songs! I can’t believe I missed it!

As you can tell, I was pretty busy last weekend. After partying with Enrique and Pitbull on Saturday, I went out to see Jack White on Sunday at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. This was my first trip out to Merriweather Post. The venue reels in a lot of my favorite acts, so I had been wanting to make the trip out there for ages. The only thing that really kept me from going before was my transportation dilemma. I don’t have a car, so this trip was made possible by Car2Go. That’s right. We rode on the highway in a tiny Smart car and parked it on the improvised lawn lot at the venue. It was quite the adventure.

The Merriweather Post Pavillion is an outdoor venue that mostly relies on lawn seating. We packed a blanket and sat around for an hour or so waiting for the opener. A little known songstress called Olivia Jean was tasked with getting the show started. Now, I had no idea who she was or where she came from. I didn’t do my research before entering the grounds. Oliva Jean came out in a bouffant and a vintage dress. She didn’t blow me away, but I won’t hold it against her. Being an opener isn’t easy. To be honest, her aesthetic was a little distracting. I kept thinking about Meg White for some reason.

It turns out Olivia Jean was the leader of The Black Belles, a band that was signed by Jack White’s music label. I learned about them through a bit they did on the Colbert Report back in 2011. They recorded a song with Stephen Colbert himself. I suppose the black magic wore off and the group disbanded in the time since. Olivia Jean stuck around with Third Man Records where she is a session artist. She’s opened for Wanda Jackson and Karen Elson (Jack White’s ex-wife), too. Her solo album comes out on October 14.

via jackwhiteiii.com

I don’t know how I have less to say about Jack, but it’s true. The man is amazing. He’s incredibly talented and has great stage presence. His band for this tour is also incredible. I should have left feeling completely and totally satisfied, but I didn’t. I forgot that Jack has been going through a bit of a country phase. I know the genre has always informed and inspired his work, but he took it to a new level by adding slide guitar and violins to Hotel Yorba. It wasn’t bad. A lot of people around me in the crowd were really feeling it. I’m just not that flexible and country has never really been my thing. Also, I wasn’t as familiar with his new stuff, so I was a bit stranded for a good part of the show. Lesson learned. I will be more prepared to see you next time, Jack. I ended up leaving early because I didn’t want to get stuck in heavy traffic in the Smart car. That turned out to be a bad call. He played some of my favorite songs in the encore. I’m never missing an encore again!

Jack’s Setlist:

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

High Ball Stepper

Lazaretto

Alone in My Home

Hotel Yorba

Temporary Ground

Cannon

I Think I Smell a Rat

I Cut Like a Buffalo

Blunderbuss

Three Women

Missing Pieces

I’m Slowly Turning into You

Top Yourself

Encore:

Icky Thump

Sixteen Saltines

Love Interruption

We’re Going to Be Friends

Would You Fight for My Love?

Just One Drink

I Fought Piranhas

Seven Nation Army