hey hey, my my

rock and roll will never die.

i saw the Raconteurs last night. holy shit was it a good show. both of you who read this need to go out immediately and buy tickets to see them. i saw them last year opening for Bob Dylan shortly after Broken Boy Soldiers came out, and it was real good. but in that set they basically stuck to the album tracks the way they were recorded. this time around they had done some reworks of the older songs that were fucking awesome.

i lost my shit when they played Blue Veins, because i really like the album track, but they stretched that beauty out for what seemed like 10 minutes. they threw in some hard jams, a couple of blazing guitar solos, and more soul and feeling in one song than Kid Rock and even fathom.

ive only had the chance to listen to their new disc a couple times, so most of it is still new to me, but im in love with it already. theres not a bad song that these guys can write. everything Jack White touches turns to gold, and when you add another star in is own right in Brendan Benson the result is staggering songwriting and passionate, brilliant, soulful execution.

the amazing part to me is that this band made a second disc and tour. both White and Benson are front men, but they both yield the spotlight to the other and share it in amazing flurries of ear bleeding guitar glory. they make most popular music sound like a monkey banging on a tin can with a rock and squealing.

Jack White and Brendan Benson wield a guitar like an appendage. not so much like its a tool in their hands, but it is their hands. when the finally put them down at the end of the evening, it seemed odd to me, like they had set their arms in a stand.

the only bad thing about the show was that it ended and a tall guy got in my way a little bit. go fucking see this show. if you do youll also get to see the Black Lips. i was only familiar with a song or two from Left of Center, but they rocked out too. they spanned the spectrum from rather punk rock style to fifties-ish rock stylings to some psychadelia. all of it worked because it was unpretentious, well executed, and real.

i didnt love every song, but its was an excellent show and i intend to buy some of their work.

long story short, this show is well worth the sticker price. its a fucking bargain to see at least two guys who will be in the rock and roll hall of fame in a couple decades. plus theyre both mitten natives which is a bonus in my book.