Jack White - Barrowland Ballroom 03/03/2025

A performance where everything was alive, shifting, perfect

Nine on the dot, he arrives. No messing around - straight into a blues-rock juggernaut. Jack White doesnt do small talk; he does big, thunderous, soul-shaking music. And in the legendary Barrowland Ballroom, a venue that has hosted everyone from The Clash to Oasis, his raw energy finds the perfect home.

Glasgow has always prided itself on its music scene. Theres something about the city - the grit, the passion, the love of a proper tune - that makes it a place where musicians dont just play; they prove themselves. And tonight, Jack White does exactly that.

White is a master at work. The set begins with a swirling, chaotic Intro Jam, an electrified blues storm rolling in before crashing into Old Scratch Blues and Thats How Im Feeling. Then, the first real explosion - Black Math. Whites fingers blur as he rips through the Elephant-era classic, the room shaking under its weight. One moment, were in a Led Zeppelin fever dream; the next, The Jam are in the room, their raw mod energy pulsing through Summertime Blues.

Then - Hotel Yorba. The crowd erupts. Suddenly, its the start of the 2000s again. A friend leans in: "Im not sure any of the bands know whats coming next." Hes not wrong. White is conducting chaos, waltzing with his guitar, pulling songs out of the ether. Even the bar staff, who arent familiar with the band, are floored: "Dont know half his stuff, but my god he can play."

Every song reborn through sheer force of will. Broken Boy Soldier has the entire room hanging on every word, and Hypnotize is so tight, so sharp, its like White never left his White Stripes days behind.

At one point, he just stands there, soaking in the adulation, staring at the crowd like a showman from another era - Bowie meets the blues in Labyrinth. Cannon feels like a gut punch, and Lazaretto is every bit the powerhouse it was in 2014.

We havent hit the 50 minute mark as the band walk offstage for the encore - it feels like they have been up there for two hours already. We are all in a state of shock, a time for a very quick breath, as we have another half to come! The encore kicks off with another blistering jam before the unmistakable crunch of Icky Thump sends the Barras into a frenzy. I Think I Smell a Rat keeps the energy at fever pitch, and Steady As She Goes turns into a massive call-and-response, the crowd singing back guitar lines as if they were lyrics.

And then - of course - Seven Nation Army. No surprises, but somehow, even after hearing it in every stadium in the world, it still feels electrifying when he plays it.

Gig of the year? Its only the 3rd of March, and already, this feels unbeatable. The set is less a collection of songs, more a storm - jams birthing songs, blues riffs cresting into chaos, a performance where everything is alive, shifting, perfect.

Jack White at the Barras. What else needs to be said?

Setlist:
Intro Jam
Old Scratch Blues
Thats How Im Feeling
Black Math (The White Stripes song)
Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran cover ? snippet)
Its Rough on Rats (If Youre Asking)
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes song)
Carolina Drama (The Raconteurs song)
Freedom at 21
Hypnotize (The White Stripes song)
Broken Boy Soldier (The Raconteurs song)
Why Walk a Dog?
Cannon (The White Stripes song)
Lazaretto

Encore:
Encore Jam
Icky Thump (The White Stripes song)
I Think I Smell a Rat (The White Stripes song)
Archbishop Harold Holmes
Steady, as She Goes (The Raconteurs song)
Seven Nation Army

Review by Craig McGee

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