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The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 39

The White Stripes | Opera House | November 21, 2005
By PHOENIX STAFF  |  October 26, 2006

concerts_39
Review: The White Stripes at the Opera House. By Matt Ashare

concerts_whitestripes_2
Getting in front of Satan: The White Stripes
A refurbished Opera House for a refurbished White Stripes. Yeah, Jack and Meg White had done their Zeppelin garage blooze at the Middle East Downstairs and got blown off the stage by an opening band (the Gossip). But this is one band who really benefited from their step up from the no-budget Sympathy for the Record Industry to a real, honest-to goodness-label in V2. There were all kinds of fancy, color-coordinated red-and-white instruments on stage, including a huge, expensive kettle drum, and an even more pricey marimba. But, really, it was all still about the chemistry between Jack’s guitar and Meg’s drums, and her ability, no matter how rudimentary her beats, to follow his every move as he stretched out the solos into long, expressive, string-bending excursions. In the spaces between the riffs and slamming beats, you could hear and see a rock-and-roll band reclaiming rock’s past in the blues, and bringing a little theater back into the process — a sense of theater that grunge, with its flannel and torn jeans, destroyed for a time.
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Were you there? Wish you were? Seen better? Tell us about it below.

Related: The Dead Weather | Horehound, The Raconteurs, Going on sale: May 11, 2007, More more >
  Topics: Live Reviews , The White Stripes, Meg White, Rage Against The Machine
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Comments
The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 39
I was at an earlier White Stripes show as well (I want to say April 2003 at The Orpheum) which I thought was far superior to the one listed above. For one thing the sound was infinitely better that day. The show above was great too, but the distortion and the volume (I love my volume like the next guy, but whoa) was too much. I brought a long time friend who had never seen them after raving about the Orpheum show and afterward I had no legs to stand on. My friend was unimpressed and that was a shame because that Orpheum show rocked my world. Just my two cents.
By John Farrell on 10/26/2006 at 8:57:25
The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 39
I realize putting performances in order of greatnest is a task in itself, pretty much a personal argumennt. But to have left out some of if not the most amazing, powerful amd legendary shows in Boston is a shame. The shows missing ( and i can't remember them all) are the shows of Muddy Waters at the Jazz workshop on Boylston st. for 25 people, the Jeff beck Group at the old tea party, the original Fleetwood Mac, The Faces on the Common, the Kinks at the Orpheum, the Doors at the Crosstown Bus in Brighton,Sam and Dave on the Fenway, the Dave clark five with lighting Lou Christie at the Garden, John Sebastion at the Harvard Bowl, the Righteous Brothers at Blintrumbs in south Boston, James brown at The Sugar Shack on Boylston, and the endless bands that you could see on any given sunday in the park at Harvard Sq. The J. Geils band, Ultimate Spinach,Listening,etc.
By draper on 02/22/2008 at 7:07:55
The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 39
I can't agree more! How about all the Tea Party shows in the 60's with many great bands like, Ten Years After Procol Harum,Howling Wolf,Steve Miller Band,J. Geils,Canned Heat, Fleetwood Mac,The Kinks,The WHO,Jethro Tull,Grateful Dead,Traffic,Yardbirds, to name a few. Many of these bands played at this small venue many times and it is hard to believe many of these concerts were not simple mind-blowing experiences. My favorite concerts were Pixies, The Clash, The WHO, U2 (1st Orpheum) Ten Year After. I will put in my vote for worst concert ever in Boston and that would be The Doors @ The Boston Arena-April 1970, thanks to a s@#tfaced Morrison. This huge Doors fan was extremely disappointed.
By lagunacat on 05/10/2008 at 12:12:11

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