There’s a buzz that follows Jack White any time he’s in Chicago. For the past 2½ years, the guitar virtuoso has continued to keep it electric with an onslaught unforgettable shows — all at different venues, all different vibes, all frustratingly hard to get into, and all showing the breadth and importance of his canon of work.
There was the ‘”pinch me, I’m dreaming” throwback show at Empty Bottle in December 2022 that carried over into a headline set at Aragon the next night, and more recently there was the No Name Tour appetizer at Metro last October that whet the palette for his sold-out, two-night stand at Salt Shed this week.
Thursday night’s kick-off was a tempestuous affair of scuzzy blues rock and punk-rock spirit with a curated mix of staples from White’s solo career (including his latest Grammy-nominated “No Name” album), a pair of blues covers and a grab bag of hits from the Raconteurs and the White Stripes dialed up to 11. Anyone who was in the sardine-packed crowd probably still has ringing ears they cop to as a badge of honor.
Even ahead of the Salt Shed shakedown, the venue not so jokingly posted on Instagram that they were prepping the foundation so “the dang roof doesn’t blow off,” and handsomely decorated the space with installation art including the first-ever Jack White Vintage Poster Experience in their newly-opened Elston Electric Arcade.
It was all a considerate welcome mat for an artist who needs no introduction, no frills and not even a name for his tour. Jack White continues to win by dialing it back and focusing on the raw propensity for a garage rock band given a stack of speakers and no rules to follow.
Thursday night had a characteristically simple setup: White and his modest arsenal of three guitars — along with his trusted Midwest squad including keyboardist Bobby Emmett, drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Dominic Davis who often huddled near each other — feeding off the energy to deliver an incredibly frenetic output that gave new meaning to the speed of sound.
From the first moments of set opener “Old Scratch Blues,” introduced with White’s high-pitched shrilling and uncompromising guitar handiwork, the crowd was locked in. A few people were scolded by security for trying to reach over the front barriers to retrieve the guitar picks White threw out like candy, and others were schooled by White for being “too cool” to clap on “Hotel Yorba.” But the bulk responded in kind with a passioned call and response to the chorus of “Steady, As She Goes” and chanting the anthemic beat of “Seven Nation Army” long after White and band left the stage for the encore break.
The response supported White’s comments in recent months, in which he has fought back at criticism that his shows aren’t longer marathons. “It’s not a Marvel movie, or a Vegas residency, it’s rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism,” he said, in part, in a February post.
On Thursday, all that was needed was 90 minutes and less than 20 songs to prove why, nearly 25 after invading the rock scene with “White Blood Cells,” White is still a main line of defense for keeping it alive. Not only as someone who’s pushing trends forward with his work behind the desk of Third Man Records but also as a living, touring Smithsonian of America’s musical heritage — sounds and vinyl.
When White was at Wrigley Field Tuesday to catch the Cubs/Rangers game, he also took the time to check out the brand-new Landmark Records installation in Gallagher Way celebrating the history of Chicago’s influence as a pioneer in electric blues. “Best of all was the fact that they now have a vinyl record store at Wrigley Field! Selling blues records and the like, who’d have thought that would ever happen specially in 2025?” he posted on Instagram.
White continues to literally wear his love for the blues on his sleeve as everything he stands behind lately is in a monochromatic blue palette. The homage continued Thursday with covers of Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor and Junior Wells. “There’s always that something about coming to this town playing the blues,” he shared. “This is how I want to hear it.”
Jack White returns to Salt Shed on April 11. The show is sold-out but students with an ID are able to buy a limited amount of tickets for $20 on a first-come, first-served basis at the venue’s box office starting at 5 p.m.
Set List
Old Scratch Blues
That’s How I’m Feeling
Hoodoo Man Blues (Junior Wells cover)
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes)
Broken Boy Soldiers (The Raconteurs)
Let’s Build A Home (The White Stripes)
Give Me Back My Wig (Hound Dog Taylor cover)
Morning at Midnight
That Black Bat Licorice
The Hardest Button to Button (The White Stripes)
Underground
Cannon (The White Stripes)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)
Encore
Lazaretto
Archbishop Harold Holmes
Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs)
Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes)