MUSIC PREMIERES
Jack White’s four solo albums in the years that followed the breakup of the White Stripes are explorations of styles that show multiple other sides of his musicianship, veering into R&B and blues and experimental styles far from the straight-ahead, blistering rock and roll he’d laid down with the band that put him on the map. Those albums are all cool and often great, but it’s hard to deny that although his fans like, respect and appreciate them — along with side projects like the Raconteurs and Dead Weather — secretly they wished he’d just put together a small rock band, plug in, turn the volume up and let rip.
Well, that’s exactly what he did with his fiery new album “No Name,” and he did that and lots more over the course of a 90-minute set that shook the floor of the intimate 800-capacity White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from Manhattan. With just drummer Patrick Keller, bassist Dominic Davis and keyboardist Bobby Emmett in tow, he blazed through most of the new album and a Muddy Waters cover before digging deep into White Stripes classics for most of the rest of the night.
There was no blue hair or elaborate costumes or multiple musicians — he wore a black jacket (doffed midway through the show) and a black tee and his hair is back to its natural, wavy, parted-in-the-middle black. The show technically had an 18-song setlist, but he called a lot of audibles, leading the band on brief jams and dramatic finales with a wave of his hand or a jab of his guitar neck; Emmett’s roaring Hammond B-3 organ provided a beefy counterpart to White’s blasting power chords. He played a lot of slide guitar — always on a gorgeous old hollow-body — and the audience through several singalongs and talked often, although usually the only words most of us could understand were “Jersey!” and “Rock and roll!”
The show was curiously divided in half, as if there were two halves: He and the band took the stage at 9:30 and tore through most of the new album, dipping back into White Stripes terrain with deeper cuts like “Black Math,” “Suzy Lee” and “Catch Hell Blues.” After 45 minutes he and the band left the stage but quickly came back for what at first seemed like an encore: powerful versions of the Raconteurs’ “Broken Boy Soldier” and a long take of the stadium singalong “Seven Nation Army,” with him stopping the band to let the audience sing the song’s iconic riff. But then they kept going — White’s guitar tech (who was dressed more elaborately than anyone in the band) kept bringing him guitars and the classics kept coming: “I’m Slowly Turning Into You,” “Fell in Love With a Girl,” and finally “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” with a couple of new songs thrown in. Right at 11 p.m., as he led the band through another drawn-out jam, he waved his hands and said “That’s it!” and they tore through a drawn-out finale, and the sweaty crowd filed out onto Newark Avenue.
In classic contrarian fashion, White has basically said that the band isn’t really doing a tour but just playing shows, with union halls and similar small venues on the docket — there are a handful of U.S. and U.K. dates scheduled this fall, with hopefully more to come.
Traditional, straight-ahead, guitar-driven rock and roll has been in a sad place for the last couple of decades — it has little direct connection to the music that’s popular today, except for country, and in many ways the White Stripes seem like the last great rock band, or at least the last one to really move the culture into maybe-not-so-new but truly exciting places. But as “No Name” and Monday night’s concert show, if there’s one person to keep it alive and kicking, it’s Jack White.
Setlist (from setlist.fm)
Old Scratch Blues
That’s How I’m Feeling
Tom Cat (Muddy Waters cover)
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
Black Math
Archbishop Harold Holmes
Why Walk a Dog?
Bombing Out
Underground
Suzy Lee
Catch Hell Blues
Encore:
Broken Boy Soldier
Seven Nation Army
I’m Slowly Turning Into You
Freedom at 21
Fell in Love With a Girl
What’s the Rumpus?
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
MUSIC PREMIERES
“I’m looking for an answer in between the lines/ Lying to yourself if you think we’re fine,” Sabrina Carpenter sings while seated gracefully on a toilet.
It is the opening night of her “Short n’ Sweet” tour at what she proudly described as “five fucking sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.” The toilet appears within the bathroom section of her expansive stage design, which resembles a cross between a 1970s television set and a Barbie-inspired dream house from the same decade.
More importantly, Carpenter performs a heartfelt ballad, one of her signature songs blending humor and honesty in her storytelling about relationships. The track, “Sharpest Tool,” reflects on being in love with someone lacking awareness, serving as a thematic successor to her recent hit “Please Please Please.”
The toilet itself is an elegant prop with a heart-shaped lid, while the “bathroom” area is surrounded by sheer screens that display close-up video projections of her performance. Few major female pop artists today would likely deliver a serious song in such a setting. It highlights Carpenter’s willingness to approach familiar ideas with originality and confidence.
With her classic American glamour, Carpenter maintains a striking image while writing songs that address relationships and intimacy with unfiltered honesty. Those themes are presented within polished, radio-ready pop production that still holds musical depth. The pre-show playlist included ABBA’s 1979 track “If It Wasn’t for the Nights” and Diana Ross’ 1980 hit “I’m Coming Out,” acknowledging both her stylistic influences and her strong LGBTQ following.
Her audience consists largely of young girls who may not yet relate directly to the personal experiences behind her lyrics but view her as a relatable, older-sister figure. Many of their parents, especially mothers accompanying them, also appeared to be fans. One of the night’s more unexpected moments came when Carpenter led thousands of middle-school-aged fans in singing the explicit lyric “I’m so fucking horny!” during “Juno.”
The show, mostly following the same structure as her previous tour, featured the full production scale of a modern arena concert. The visual theme of vintage television carried through as Carpenter performed across multiple areas of the set, including a balcony, staircase, walk-in closet, and in front of a vanity and fireplace, supported by 11 dancers and a live four-piece band.
She changed outfits four times throughout the concert, each one sparkling and styled to highlight her signature stage presence. The setlist focused mainly on her latest albums, “Short n’ Sweet” and “Man’s Best Friend,” while including several tracks from her 2022 record “Emails I Can’t Send,” which marked her transition into a mature artistic phase. The show opened with “Taste,” included highlights such as “Manchild,” “Feather,” and “Bed Chem,” and concluded with “Espresso” during a colorful confetti finale.
Between songs, the screens played comedic 1970s-inspired mock commercials, including a parody tool advertisement using the line “The Sharpest Tool, trusted by carpenters everywhere.” The presentation also featured a fabricated “Technical Difficulties” interruption and an excerpt from a Leonard Cohen interview in which he compared writing poetry to “shining the shoes of one’s soul.” The concept was imaginative and visually engaging, though much of the nostalgia predates her audience’s generation. Still, it reflected Carpenter’s ability to merge vintage aesthetics with contemporary performance.
The most memorable parts of the concert came from her natural connection with the crowd. Familiar interactive moments filled the show, including audience singalongs, call-and-response sections, and a “surprise song” feature in which Carpenter spun a bottle to select a number, leading to a live debut of “Go-Go Juice” from her new album. She also spoke candidly with the audience, remarking that she had “been one of you” during her years living in New York, before adding, “Actually, I’ve tried to be one of you.”
Her awareness of the audience’s enthusiasm was evident throughout. She acknowledged fans directly, often gesturing toward specific sections and offering warm appreciation. Near the end, she took time to praise their creativity, saying, “I want to take a second to commend all of the amazing outfits I see.” She expressed gratitude for the crowd’s effort and enthusiasm, recognizing the fans who mirrored her signature style with platform heels, glitter, and lipstick marks on their shoulders.
From artists such as Cher, Donna Summer, and Deborah Harry to Madonna, Beyoncé, and others, many women in pop music have explored the boundaries of expression and sexuality in their art. Sabrina Carpenter continues that tradition with confidence, balancing playfulness and self-awareness while maintaining authenticity and respect for her audience.
