Jack White Blesses Sold Out Irving Plaza, NYC
I was sitting in my apartment watching Spongebob when at 6PM I get a text from my friend:
“Someone sent me a ticket for Jack white tonight but I’m working, you want it?” I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I got ready, fed my cats and dog, and was out the door by 7.
Jack White started his NYC run of the No Name Tour with an intimate sold-out show at Irving Plaza on February 10th, 2025. The line to get into the venue spanned the entire block, from the corner of Irving and E 15th to E 16th. I counted 12 people walking up and down the freezing line asking (begging) to buy an extra ticket. As I walked up to the stage his signature blue light hit me like a flashbang. I stood in the corner by the fire exit stage right so as to not block anyone from getting a good look; I’m 6’ 6” and I’d hate to block someone that paid good money to see Jack when I got the ticket for free a few hours ago without lifting a finger.
Lights went down at 8:15 for the opening act. The lights turned red and out came Model/Actriz, a Brooklyn-based alternative band that can be described as The Rocky Horror Picture Show procreating with Rammstein and giving birth to a baby whose nails are nine inches long. Jack watched part of the set from the balcony stage left.
At 8:48 the lights went back to the signature Jack White blue and the crowd waited. People pushed to get closer. People got angry at the people pushing to get closer. I was quite content leaning up against the wall in the corner.
At 9:10 a man in his mid-forties put his phone up above his head to Shazam the song that was playing over the loudspeakers. That song was Helter Skelter by The Beatles.
Promptly at 9:15 Jack White came onto the stage to a screaming crowd which energized his already euphoric demeanor. Up at the balcony he was welcomed through fierce clapping by an always-cool-as-hell Jim Jarmusch and the gang from Please Don’t Destroy (among others).
After some warmup jamming with his band which included Patrick Keeler (The Raconteurs) on drums, Dominic Davis on bass, and Bobby Emmett (The Sights) on keys, the iconic riff from the opening track of his new record came into being. Old Scratch Blues tore through the crowd within seconds with a piercing tone and explosive drums that punch you in the face during the chorus. When the song was over Jack greeted the crowd and the city he has so much love for and after getting a reaction he was pleased with That’s What I’m Feeling started playing to a jumping crowd.
It seemed like most of the crowd wasn’t entirely familiar with his new album which was released out of the blue (ha!) July of 2024. But, while the crowd wasn’t too keen on singing along on account of the unfamiliarity with the lyrics, they were keen on dancing, headbanging, and jumping.
Of course, the familiarity was jolted into the room when the third track made an appearance: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground. I could feel people’s nostalgia seeping through their ear holes when the riff peeked its head in.
After a little White Stripes taste he went back to a new track: It's Rough on Rats (If You're Asking) then right back for a White Stripes song: Little Bird, and a Dead Weather classic: I Cut Like a Buffalo.
Surprisingly, Why Walk a Dog? From Boarding House Reach made an appearance, followed by Blunderbuss’ single Love Interruption.
At this point, having felt the crowd and warmed up everyone’s ears and throats, Jack White asked the crowd to sing the next one with him. Hotel Yorba started playing to a crowd that wasted no time in dancing and singing along.
A cover of Robert Johnson’s Walking Blues got in there before going back to a new track from No Name: Tonight (Was a Long Time Ago), and ending the set with a wonderfully weird rendition of Ball and a Biscuit.
For the encore Jack brought out his daughter Scarlett to play bass on Archbishop Harold Holmes. Then Lazaretto; a now Jack White classic and one of his most fun songs to see him perform.
Jack ended the night the only way fate would allow him to, playing Seven Nation Army to a crowd that not only would sing every single lyric, but also sing every single note in the guitar riff as is mandatory whenever hearing it.
I commend Jack for still allowing his fans to experience this kind of intimacy at his shows. Irving Plaza has an advertised capacity of 1,200 people. Jack White has 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. While statistically difficult to get reasonably-priced tickets to see Jack live in smaller venues, it is something worth pursuing, or at least leaving your schedule open for if a friend wants to cross off a bucket list item for you out of the blue (ha!).
