Brendan Benson has been singing the first verse from The Raconteurs’ song “Consolers of The Lonely” for the past minute and it’s absolutely incredible. The sweetness of his voice and his rapid fire delivery have worked the crowd into a frenzy. There is, however, a palpable feeling of anticipation in the air. Then, the mercurial guitar player in the strange orange suit grabs the microphone and screams:
“If you’re looking for an accomplice
A confederate
Somebody that’s helpless
You’re gonna find, find yourself alone. ”
The crowd outside Gentilly Stage erupts as Jack White tears holes in the sun with his blood curdling yell. With a guitar that seems more like an assault rifle than an instrument, White rips off riff after punishing riff. The Raconteurs have gone out of their way to assert themselves as a “real band” rather than a Jack White side project, and they’ve done a good job considering. However, when your lead guitarist is as polarizing as Jack White it’s hard to focus on the band as a collective.
After leading off with “Consolers of the Lonely”, the band pours through songs from their sensational sophomore album of the same name. “Hold Up” is complimented by White and Benson leading the crowd in a chant of the song’s chorus, and “You Don’t Understand Me” benefits from an incredible piano/guitar jam conclusion.
The new songs all sound better live than they do on the album, but it’s the material from the band’s debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, that really energizes the crowd. The requisite “Steady As She Goes” features another crowd singalong, and the call and response aesthetic of “Level” showcases Benson’s sugar sweet vocals. It’s like a veritable greatest hits of 1970’s rock and roll, without the indulgent noodling.
After finishing on a chilling “Carolina Drama”, the band took their bows and left the stage. It was a wonderful way to end this year’s New Orleans Jazz Festival.
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