{image1} Who needs the Coasts, anyway? The Midwest can more than hold its own in the music world, and last night's show at the Eagles Ballroom proved it. An energetic and almost entrancing performance by Cincinnati's The Greenhornes set the pace for the loveable Detroit duo The White Stripes to carry out the evening of rock.
The White Stripes took the stage like a lion, first stealthily stalking their pray, then fiercely attacking and not coming up for air until they, as well as their audience, were well fed.
With the exception of "Get Behind Me Satan's" powerhouse opener, "Blue Orchid," the entire first half of the show graciously represented the band's first four albums. Although, at times, it was difficult to tell just where the hell they were going.
For almost two straight hours, no more than 10 seconds slipped by that these two ceased making noise in one way or another. It was hard to tell whether the in-between moments were creative transitions, random improvisation, or bits and pieces of old songs strung together, but it all happened so fast and with such energy that it never seemed to matter.
{image2} With each new song came a completely different dynamic between the duo, whether it was Jack switching instruments on a dime - from guitar, to piano, back to guitar, to xylophone --- or Meg taking the mic and belting out "Elephant's" "Cold, Cold Night" and her latest, "Passive Manipulation," which we had the pleasure of hearing twice.
Though careful not to exclude 2005's hot newbies like "My Doorbell" and "The Denial Twist," they tended to favor older guitar-driven songs like "The Big Three Killed my Baby" from their debut self-titled album, and "Hello Operator" off 2000's "De Stijl." But if the crowd was in any way disappointed with the sometimes drawn out guitar experiments, it didn't show.
The anomaly of the White Stripes is that they are one of few bands capable of veering wildly into nine-minute jam sessions and then immediately jumping into a quirky little pop song without losing a fan base on either end of the spectrum.
Plus, Jack and Meg may be the only two people on earth who can continuously limit their public wardrobe to three colors for six years and get away with it. Actually, at this point, if they were to come out in yellow and blue, it would seem terribly, terribly wrong.
Needless to say, with the enormous black, red and white backdrop, the array of white spray-painted palm trees scattered about and a sea of candy cane clad fans to match, the king and queen of garage rock felt right at home in their color coordinated kingdom.
Opening for The White Stripes was The Greenhornes, whose last Milwaukee appearance was in 2002 in front of a Cactus Club crowd of about 30. Apparently, they decided that they'd make more of a lasting impression this time around. Lined up side-by-side in a row, they eliminated the essence of a single "frontman," and managed to increase their stage presence three-fold.
Fueled by the momentum of their impressive new material on the August-released East Grand Blues EP, the trio focused their '60s-style power pop into a something that feels a bit more serious, and that makes for an almost captivating live musical experience.
Their quick set lasted only half an hour, but they managed their time wisely. New songs like "Pattern Skies," which sounds dark and moody on the CD, proved to be a whole new animal when played live.
After giving us the best of what East Grand Blues has to offer - the Beatles-esque "I'm Going Away," the Kinks-like "Shelter of Your Arms," and the EP's undisputed highlight, "Shine Like the Sun" -- The Greenhornes went out with a sudden, encore-less bang, letting their V2 labelmates take over.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
