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The Raconteurs on Tour
Semi-hibernating since 2011, the Raconteurs – Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler – took their time in 2018 and early 2019 assembling the cadre of killer songs that is HELP US STRANGER, the band's third studio LP and first new music in over a decade. As it's always been, the Raconteurs feature Benson and White as dual frontmen/guitarists/lead singers/songwriters. The world's best rhythm section of Keeler on drums and Lawrence on bass are in symbiotic shine theory lock step, both brought to the top of their game by the musicianship of the other. Early live performances have left no doubt in anyone's mind: this band is savage. Bounding effortlessly between material off their 2006 debut LP BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS, their 2008 GRAMMY® Award-winning sophomore follow-up CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY, and their recently-penned instant classics, even the most cursory look at the tea leaves delivers an undeniable fortune: The Raconteurs' evergreen take on rock and roll is primed to reinvigorate the genre.
Save for a searing cover of Donovan's "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)," White and Benson wrote all the songs on HELP US STRANGER. Recorded at Third Man Studios in Nashville, TN, HELP US STRANGER is proof positive a band with chemistry like The Raconteurs has no rust to shake off. They are as scrappy, current, steadfast, and captivating as they were when they first joined forces, and their joy of creating together is satisfyingly palpable. Without paying heed to trend or hype, and showing up just in the knick of time, this album showcases the band's collectivist spirit fully realized, guitar music fully resuscitated, and faith in brotherly love restored. Longtime friends and musical collaborators helped make HELP US STRANGER, including keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, Queens of the Stone Age) and Lillie Mae Rische and her sister Scarlett Rische. The album was mixed by Vance Powell and The Raconteurs at Sputnik Sound in Nashville and mastered at Third Man Mastering in Detroit.
The Raconteurs in Concert
The Raconteurs burst onto the scene in 2006, winning worldwide acclaim, Grammy® nominations, and a chart-topping smash single in "Steady, As She Goes," with their now-classic debut album, BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS. That album received a Grammy® nomination for Best Rock Album, while #1 single "Steady, As She Goes" was nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. The band returned two short years later with 2008's CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY, an album finished less than three weeks before it was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, its immediate arrival marking it among the first major albums to receive a surprise release with little or no advance promotion. Like its predecessor, the LP proved a popular and critical phenomenon, making a top 5 debut on the Billboard 200 on its way to earning the Grammy® for Best Engineered Non-Classical Album, as well as a nomination for Best Rock Album.
It was extremely inspiring to see a group of musicians reach that level of excellence. Flawless performance from start to finish. This is the type of stuff religion is built off of.
The Raconteurs are my favorite Jack White iteration. This was my second Raconteurs show. The first was many years ago after the Consolers of the Lonely album, that time at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. That first show was so great, but this one at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham was a bit of a letdown in comparison. I enjoy crisp playing that recreates the sounds of the recordings, but with the added energy of a live performance. There was plenty of energy, but the instrumentation was too loud and distorted, and the singing often "loose." I suppose this is artistic, and Jack White definitely has artistic sentimentalities. But I like to zone in to a particular instrument, depending on the song, or sing harmony along with the band, and that was nigh impossible. Sometimes they were several lines into a song before I recognized which song it was. The performance in Atlanta back in the day was much crisper and cleaner than the recent one. Thus the 4 instead of 5 stars. The Alabama is a great venue -- we had seats in the lower section of the balcony -- and it is nice to have a great view without jostling in a mosh pit. The only negative of the venue is that the concession stands are too slow to serve a sellout crowd.
Jack White is a musical genius and playing with The Raconteurs he is at his heaviest sound since White Stripes. A must see! The weather at St Augustine Amphitheater was amazing, which only added to the show. The “phone free” concept seemed weird at first, but also added to the enjoyment of the concert. No phone screens to deal with was refreshing!
Been to a lot of shows. One of the greatest. Band is unreal. JW just kills it. Go see them!!!!
The Raconteurs put on an AMAZING performance!!! We saw them 8-10 years ago in New Orleans, and the performance this time around was even better! Jack White is a musical genius and has great stage presence, as does the rest of the band. And the no phones concept was fabulous - I loved being able to experience the show without the sea of cell phones. I honestly would be thrilled if all shows were no phones!
It was OK. I think the opening band was just as good or better.
As expected from The Raconteurs - incredible show!! Jqck White and the band left it all on the stage; Blue Veins was mindblowing, Hey Gyp, What's Your's Is Mine, Only Child beautiful - the whole set was perfect! Had Center Front Row seats and could see everything even tho the pit was slam full...able to pick my picture out in two shots from the photos taken by the band's stage photographer!! The venue was great and the staff helpful, engaging, & friendly - with one exception (but that didn't ruin my experience).
The Raconteurs was an awesome concert! I'd go again if I have the opportunity. Very professional, and they sounded amazing! Every single member of the band was amazing. So happy I got the opportunity. They did a lot of songs from their new album, but also some oldies, finishing up with "Steady as She Goes". Highly recommend!
Easy venue to get in and out of. Good sound and good view. Good food and drink outside. Plenty of security and ushers. Highly recommend this venue. As for the concert, my daughter summed it up nicely in one sentence when we were leaving. She said, "Dad, Jack White is a Rock God!"
Jack white is the last American rock star !!!’ I’ll never forget this show
This was literally one of the THE BEST shows I've seen in ages. It was refreshing to not deal with phones in my face, blocking the view. Made the experience 10X better. What sucked was the venue parking situation. The whole having to take a glorified hayride to the parking area was completely a mess. It took forever to get back to our car and we were freezing on the ride and wait. Seems like a facility that size should have a better setup. Can't say that I'd come 5 hours to see a show there again....unless it was Raconteurs...then I might endure it. LOL
Stunning, historical building. Excellent staff. The Raconteurs were amazing as always. Can't wait to visit The Alabama Theater again soon.
Only wish I have is one of those big background screens so we can see the bands faces, especially for us on the further back rows. I would have loved to be able to see Jack Whites face as he plays.
Beautiful venue. Shuttle and staff were wonderful. I think the Raconteurs were good, but the acoustics were so horrible I’m not really sure. We could actually hear the music better from the parking area after we left the show.
So I’ll admit I’m a huge Jack White fan and mainly went to see him, but this whole band is amazing. They are so cohesive and they all blend together perfectly. Knowing that they don’t use a set list and are still able to keep the show moving without any long pauses amazes me. It was rocking show from beginning to end. Would definitely recommend!!!
The band was "on" - high energy, fully present and engaged. Jack White is an awesome performer and he did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the sound system and/or tuning of it was less than perfect. I had seats directly in the middle of the stage and about 10 rows up from the orchestra pit - so, really good seats. In louder passages the sound became quite distorted, almost like the system was straining. This affected Jack's vocals in particular, which when he was purposely being raspy, turned his words into mush. Maybe it was the band's gear, maybe it was the venue's, but it put a damper on an otherwise excellent performance.
The Raconteurs put on the kind of show I love: high energy, great sound, howling guitars, loving crowd. I agree with others who say Jack White and Brendan Benson complement each other with their different styles -- Jack wild with abandon and Brendan cool, but hot. I'm a dancing fool, so I LOVED Jack pinging all over the stage, whipping up the audience, clowning around (and one point he pulled out a hand-held mirror and brushed his hair while mugging for the audience). It was a non-stop hoot with damn good, loud, pounding rock and blues. Patrick Keeler blew me away on drums, and Jack Keeler on bass and Dean Fertita on keyboards (?) fed the oh-so-satisfying sound. One of my new Top 5 shows of all time . . . or maybe Top 10, now that I'm so old.
The Raconteurs did not disappoint! High energy from start to finish! I really enjoyed the show being “phone free.” It was not a problem at all. They made it very easy.
The venue was great and the band even better.. although it was hard to imagine not having access to my phone during the show but turns out it was not missed! Loved being the moment along with others...
One music critic said "The Raconteurs prefer to experiment on stage, checking the pop music sensibilities at the door. In person, everything is louder. Their guitars are more distorted, their drums more thunderous, their bass heavier, and their solos more epic and towering than could ever be captured in the studio. The live performance bares little resemblance to the album." For me, this was too true. So loud that people near us got up and left after the third song. My ears were still ringing the next two days. Distortion so extreme that I had a hard time recognizing songs that I have heard hundreds of times. I don't expect a faithful rendition of the the album, but let's not confuse amplified distortion for live creativity. On the positive side, they brought a ton of energy. I like the Amphitheatre as a venue. Bring your earplugs (e.g., Eargasms) to enjoy the show.
