On Stage: Jack White @ AFAS Live

The last time Jack White visited Amsterdam you weren't allowed to take any pictures but this was hard to control then. At today's show taking pictures is not allowed again and you actually have to lock your phone in a special bag. I decided to leave my phone and camera at home for a night solely dedicated to rock music and off the grid.

Jack White at AFAS Live Amsterdam, July 2 2018

Of course I normally take pictures for this blog, so now I will use the ones provided on Jack White's facebook page. His new LP Boarding House Reach that sees him experimenting with different musical ideas, caused quite a lot of discussion where some people love it and others hate it. I really like the album and when you give it a couple of spins it gets better every time. When White and his band enter the stage they fly right into it with a ferocious 'Over And Over And Over' from that new album.

What follows is a smooth running tight and vicious rock show with an energetic White who looks very focused and totally into it. You can see him smiling many times, obviously enjoying himself and pleased with how the night is going. And he has every reason to be pleased, because his band is playing exceptionally well. A tight grooving and fierce rhythm section combined with two wizards on keys are backing him up together with a lot of samples and sequences. Three large screens are set up to the back showing beautiful visuals. The screens can rotate and have lights attached to the back, which works very well. It is never overwhelming and is totally supporting the music.

White himself is surrounded by several guitars and is smoothly changing them in between songs. This man simply is on fire with mind bending guitar solos and a strong voice. The show never slows down or pauses but keeps on going, only shortly interrupted ahead of the five song encore. It is an overview of his career with plenty of The White Stripes songs including fan favourite 'Hotel Yorba', an acoustic version and more mellow version of 'Fell In Love With A Girl' and plenty of his solo work. In the encore White slowly builds it up to the scorching climax of 'Seven Nation Army'. It was actually wonderful to experience a concert again without phones and cameras in the air, including my own camera and simply enjoy an incredible rock show. Thank you Mr. White!



All Pictures (by David Swanson on website Jack White)

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Setlist:
01. Over and Over and Over
02. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
03. Corporation
04. Lazaretto
05. Hypermisophoniac
06. High Ball Stepper
07. Hotel Yorba
08. Fell in Love With a Girl
09. I Cut Like a Buffalo
10. I Think I Smell a Rat
11. Sixteen Saltines
12. What's Done Is Done
13. Just One Drink
14. That Black Bat Licorice
15. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
16. Respect Commander
17. Blunderbuss
18. Missing Pieces
19. Connected by Love
Encore
20. I'm Slowly Turning Into You
21. Freedom at 21
22. Ice Station Zebra
23. Steady, as She Goes
24. Seven Nation Army


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Jack White Shows Rock Is Very Much Alive

Sometimes karma throws you a bone and then you don't hesitate and pick it up. Jack White was supposed to play my home-town when I was away to the Rock Werchter festival. But then it was moved forward a few days into the available part of my calendar. Of course I didn't hesitate and bought tickets right away.

Jack White at Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, July 1 2014



The Amazing Snakeheads are the ones to warm us up. I listened to a few of their songs which were quite interesting. Their raw punk rock reminds a bit of the music of Nick Cave's The Birthday Party. But tonight it doesn't sound convincing. Their set is a bit messy and the breaks between songs are sometimes too long.



Jack White released his sophomore solo album Lazaretto a few weeks ago which, like his first one, is full of raw blues and rock songs. In his career he made enough songs to fill this night with great music. Prior to the show we are requested to watch the show in 3D and not at the tiny screen of our phones. Although I only take pictures throughout a show, I respect this request and only shoot a couple of pictures to user for my social media accounts. The rest of the images are downloaded from Jack White's website as he allows everyone to.



This time he didn't bring two bands but brought the all-male band of his previous tour and added violin player Lillie Mae Rische This band is wonderful with the incredible drum player Daru Jones It's very tight and offers White the right backup for a rough and solid rock show. He's offering the best of his impressive discography. Many songs of The White Stripes are mixed with songs of his solo albums, his other projects The Raconteurs and even a The Dead Weather song 'I Cut Like A Buffalo'.



He doesn't waste any time talking in between songs a lot and the tempo of the show is very high. One great song after another is fired upon us. The White Stripes songs like 'Hotel Yorba' and 'The Hardest Button To Button' sound amazing with a full band, adding a rougher edge, and personally I prefer these arrangements. They sound fuller and groove more, played by this amazing bunch of musicians. The Raconteurs song 'Steady As She Goes' sounds a bit more vicious than the original. Charming violin player Lillie Mae is also singing the female vocals parts in some of the songs like 'We're Going To Be Friends' and does a good job, adding a softer touch.

We get treated to a long six song encore where White and his band go all the way one more time. When he closes the set with the anthem of a generation, 'Seven Nation Army', we have been treated to a rocking twenty song set. Jack White proves tonight that even though people keep saying that "rock 'n roll is dead", it is actually very much alive inside this brilliant musician.



More Pictures

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Setlist:
01. High Ball Stepper
02. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
03. Hypocritical Kiss
04. Lazaretto
05. Hotel Yorba
06. Trash Tongue Talker
07. I Cut Like a Buffalo
08. Top Yourself
09. Stop Breaking Down
10. We're Going to Be Friends
11. Alone in My Home
12. The Same Boy You've Always Known
13. Just One Drink
14. Steady, As She Goes

Encore:
15. The Hardest Button to Button
16. Missing Pieces
17. Sixteen Saltines
18. Three Women
19. I'm Slowly Turning Into You
20. Seven Nation Army


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Top 10 Albums 2012

Throughout the year I keep a list of records that potentially can make my top ten year list, that I have to make for ROAR E-Zine every year. I extract the final list from it, which will change several times before I'm happy with it. It's a hell of a job that causes me many headaches.

01. Tame Impala - Lonerism
This year's top position was clear right after playing Tame Impala's record a few times. Lonerism is a master piece, a great trip from start to finish.
Play in Spotify

02. Shaking Godspeed - Hoera
Quite a few Dutch productions made it into my concept list. But Shaking Godspeed had to end high. These guys have so much power and Hoera is a delicious rock album.
Play in Spotify

03. Jack White - Blunderbuss
With Blunderbuss Jack White is showing that he can make great music all by himself as well and is proving once more to be a musical genius.
Play in Spotify

04. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Suddenly Deftones came up with a terrific album. Just in time to make it into this list. Koi No Yokan is one of the best albums in their impressive catalogue and may even challenge White Pony.
Play in Spotify

05. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Out of nowhere came Alabama Shakes with their mix of blues, soul and rock. They were the talk of the town and with this record showed this was completely justified.
Play in Spotify

06. Toy - Toy
This London band debuted with their eponymous record full of great, eighties inspired psychedelic shoegaze songs.
Play in Spotify

07. Benjamin Herman - Deal
Saxophone player Benjamin Herman took care of the soundtrack for the Dutch movie Deal and did a brilliant job. It resulted in beautiful movie music, proving once more that he's one of the best musicians in this country.
Play in Spotify

08. The Horse Company - Calypso
Also from The Netherlands, this band from Zwolle surprised with a gorgeous album filled with atmospheric rock songs.
Play in Spotify

09. Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again
British soul man Michael Kiwanuka released a beautiful album. Home Again may not always be consistent, but it's a great recording nevertheless and Kiwanuka's voice and songs are just lush.
Play in Spotify

10. Blaudzun - Heavy Flowers
Dutch musician Blaudzun established himself as one of the most remarkable and most talented artists in our country.
Play in Spotify


There you have it, ten beauties. There were so many more great albums, which makes it so hard and a bit unfair to only name ten. Time for some aspirin now and bring up 2013! Happy New Year!

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Rock Werchter 2012 Day 2: Almost Perfect Day

We get our first rain today, but since we're still in our tent it doesn't hurt us a bit. Actually it cools things down so we can sleep a bit longer. After the rain stops we still have plenty of time to make it to the festival site for the first band.

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 2, June 29 2012




School Is Cool
This young Belgian band had a few hits in their home country coming from their debut album Entropology And they mean business today. The band members want to show their home crowd what they're made off. It's an energetic show and especially Andew van Ostade puts on a great act and is a lot of fun to watch. They have a few very good songs like 'Warpaint' and 'The World Is Gonna End Tonight' which are greeted with excitement. Especially when a small machine is blowing foam snow flakes covering the first row. They even manage to form two circle pits in the crowd. Great job by these newcomers who hopefully will treat us to a lot more in the future.


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Miles Kane
More excitement with Miles Kane later on. And the English musician deserves it. His performance is convincing as is his stage appearance. The album he released last year holds enough songs to captivate the crowd and Kane himself is getting more excited by the minute. This results in an inspired and stretched out 'Come Closer' at the end of the set where everyone keeps singing the "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah" part even when Kane already has gone off the stage.



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Gossip
Beth Ditto and her band have to work a lot harder to keep every one's attention. She has broken her ankle and is less active than usual. Her voice is shrill and starts to get on my nerves. They have a few decent songs but it's not enough to lift this performance to a higher level, no matter what Ditto is trying today.

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Jack White
Contrary to Ditto, Jack White has no trouble getting the best out of his band. He chose the all-male band today, Los Buzzardos, and that is working out well. All dressed in black and blue, they are tight and simply sound great. White himself is quite chatty and seems to be enjoying himself. He has this impressive catalogue that he can choose from, playing songs by The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather and of course his solo album. Like that album it's admirable to see how he's able to weld all this variety in songs together. 'Hotel Yorba', 'Steady As She Goes' and 'Sixteen Saltines' all blend together nicely. It's great to hear that The White Stripes songs sound so good when he's backed up with a full band and a good drummer (sorry Meg). He finishes us off with an insane 'Seven Nation Army'.



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dEUS
Still touring clubs and festivals in support of their album Keep You Close, Belgian's pride and glory dEUS are on familiar ground here. In the meanwhile they have released a new album Following Sea out of the blue that got mixed reviews. With so many great songs, this brilliant band cannot go wrong. But I would have expected a bit more fireworks on their home ground. Nevertheless I can never get tired seeing them play songs like 'Hotel Lobby', 'Instant Street' and 'Bad Timing'. Even when watching them from the side, waiting to get up front with Pearl Jam.



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Pearl Jam
At the concert last Tuesday we were quite far in the back and we want to see them up close this time. We thought we knew what to expect but still are pleasantly surprised how well they play their headlining slot. Of course this time they play a greatest hit set list with the usual suspects like 'Corduroy' with 'Interstellar Overdrive' intro again, 'Even Flow' and 'Alive'. That doesn't mean that this is just your avarage show. They blend 'Daughter' with Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall' and play PiL's 'Public Image'.



Eddie Vedder again holds a small speech in Flemish and looks even more inspired and fired up this time. He makes jumps from monitor speakers several times and stands at the side of the stage now and then, as if he wants to admire this great rock band. He dedicates a ferocious 'Spin The Black Circle' to Jack White. The set closes with 'Rockin' In The Free World' where he's getting a dazed young boy and his excited dad on stage to play the tambourine. The last song of the night is the traditional closer 'Yellow Ledbetter'. Vedder smokes a cigarette sitting down on a monitor speaker before leaving a stunned Werchter audience behind. No band will be able to top this I'm sure, but I hope they will try.



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After this explosive end of the day we decide to take a rest for a few beers. Unfortunately that also means we're missing Beirut. Hopefully we will be able to catch them some other time soon.

More Pictures

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 4

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Jack White Showing His True Colours

With The White Stripes musical genius Jack White stepped into the spot lights. With The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather he already proved there's a lot more than just that duo. It's obvious this man is chuck full of ideas and is a musical carnivore. But only now he's releasing a solo album. First thing on any one's mind: what would it sound like when he's not restricted to a band's format?

Jack White - Blunderbuss (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)

Somehow we knew that we could expect something good. But the song that preceded the record 'Love Interruption' didn't show anything extraordinary. It actually sounded really normal: an easy going country song. Fortunately this is just one of the many faces this record is showing. Jack White is using most of the spectrum available to him. Instead of choosing one direction he knows how to combine them and mend them together into one steaming album.

Yet it doesn't result in a wild mix of ideas. He knows how to keep it coherent since every song unmistakably bears his signature. From the swinging album opener 'Missing Pieces' to the hard rocking 'Sixteen Saltines', from the piano driven R&B song 'Trash Tongue Talker' to the psychedelic 'Take Me With You When You Go'. This record is giving you the best of everything. White is showing he doesn't need a band format to excel. He seems to feel comfortable in any environment. True genius will always reveal itself.

Listen to 'Blunderbuss' on Spotify.

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New The Dead Weather video

So Jack White has a new band called "The Dead Weather" but you probably already knew about that. I'm still not sure what to think of it. I wasn't really impressed after listening to their album "Horehound". Hope to post an album review soon but I still have to finish my concert reviews. Anyway they have a video out for "Treat Me Like Your Mother". Thought I'd share it with you. Let me know what you think.

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
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Old and new scribbles

I plan to post news scribbles more frequently from now on since they tend to grow old fast. Anyway here's some news about Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Arctic Monkeys and more!


NIN's Final Concert
Trent Reznor told the crowd at the Bonnaroo festival that it was the last NIN's gig in the USA ever.

Smashing Pumpkins find young drummer
Billy Corgan says they're trying out a new drummer to replace Jimmy Chamberlin who left a few months ago. And this one is ready for the future since he's only 19 years old!

Arctic Monkeys announce new album
Arctic Monkeys have announced the title for their upcoming third album. It will be called "Humbug" and is scheduled for release end of August.

Jack White plans for solo album
Jack White still isn't out of ideas and appearently had some spare time so he's planning for a solo album.

Pearl Jam will release new album through Target
Pearl Jam will release their upcoming album without a label and are working together with Target for distribution. They will also sell it through their fanclub site and some independent online record stores.

Brandon Flowers joins Bruce Springsteen on stage
Brandon Flowers of The Killers joined Bruce Springsteen on stage at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands and he was all smiles.
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Ronald Scribbles

It's time to scribble! This time there's news about Dead Weather, Iron Maiden, Coachella and more.


Iron Maiden's "Flight 666" doc takes off
The Iron Maiden documentary "Flight 666" will debut 21 April worldwide. DVD and CD packages will follow.

Jack White's Dead Weather played first gig in New York
Jack White and his fellow band members of the new formed band Dead Weather performed live for the very first time at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. Watch some video's below. They have also announced a tour.



WFMU's Free Music Archive goes online
WFMU, a radio station in America, has launched its Free Music Archive. It's an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads.

Coachella awards
The last gigs have been played on 2009's edition of Coachella. So it's time to wrap it up. Who was hot and who was not? And who had the worst make-up?

Franz Ferdinand to release split-single with Dutch band
Franz Ferdinand and Dutch band De Kift will release a spit-single together with both bands covering songs of each other.
Read more!