The ghost faced, ebony coifed set gathered, waiting for the onslaught of Jack White's newest musical foray- The Dead Weather. This latest & Greatest was created by the former White Stripes front-man and includes Alison Mosshart [The Kills] Dean Fertita [Queens of the Stone Age] & Jack Lawrence. [The Raconteurs]
Nashville was the first to hear the announcement of a new band. Word came thru on 7" vinyl & the invite-only crowd of one-fifty witnessed the big unveil. It all went down at Jack's new business venture- Third Man Studio. [a combination office/record shop/photography studio/stage, all rolled into one] They recorded the album in less than three weeks. between jaunts to the gun range & the circus. [killer fun!] 'Horehound' has a release date slated for July 14th.
Back to the show- Friday June 12th in a dead letter city. The announcement of a *surprise* show in Detroit came thru modern style & hipsters lined up to score tickets. Some were seduced by the opening act, others spoke incessantly about the current Phish reunion tour. Everything stopped mid-sentence as they dismissed the lights.
Alison slid onstage under the cover of darkness, a panther stalking its prey. She gazed at the crowd, circled around, then pounced! on the microphone. Angry tirades competed with clashing reverberations; sounding like a vase hurling through the air, smashing into the wall- jagged shards everywhere.
Throughout the night, Jack & Alison played out like Bambi & The Hunter. She took control of the stage- there is no question. Jack seemed to disappear into the shadows, hiding behind his bass drum. But he provided the soundtrack which transformed her thrashing body into a wounded animal.
Talk about Sexy Rage. One of the most commanding performances I have seen in two hundred years. Treacherous stage presence, despite the veil of hair that creates a distance, no- Barrier, between her and her audience. The delivery is restrained fury.
Word on the Street is that there is tension transpiring among the heavy-hitters. Who cares? If we witness it go down on stage- I will provide the boxing gloves. They did share the microphone for a song- and if I describe it, this will hit x rated status. [not really, but you get tha picture] I did not notice ominous thunderclouds approaching, but did hear the wind; it was howling.