"And Though You Are Not On The Right, Are You All Right There On The Left?"

There is one mind-numbing question that racks my mind every time I hear a song by the White Stripes, and that question is "Why are these two so popular?" Now hear me out. I love the White Stripes, probably more than most people (but that's the egotistical-indie-kid in me speaking [i.e. "I appreciate the White Stripes on a whole 'nother level" type things], which, even though I know about, is still hard to suppress sometimes). But, seriously, why is it that these two are so devilishly popular amongst the non-indie among us? While listening to this live set, I finally answered that question for myself: "these two bring the rock, so unadulteratedly, spontaneously, and lovingly that humans, by definition, cannot help but sway ... nay ... bound back and forth in an attempt to absorb as much of the brought rock as they can.

We, folks, are Sphelar solar cells, and the Stripes are the sun. Soak it up:

(This live set is, unfortunately, incomplete in my heart. I wish they would have played my 2 favorite tracks off the new album. Because they did not, I will host them here for those of you still undecided about our boy and girl in red and white:

The White Stripes - Rag & Bone
The White Stripes - Bone Broke )

Band: The White Stripes
Date: 2007-06-14
Venue: the O2 Wireless Festival, London

Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground/When I Hear My Name
Hotel Yorba
Icky Thump
I'm Slowly Turning Into You (3rd favorite off Icky Thump)
I Think I Smell A Rat
I'm A Martyr For My Love For You
Death Letter/Motherless Children
In The Cold Cold Night
Jolene (another stellar performance of this song. Jack's voice is so pained. It sounds like it's falling down a flight of stairs. For another [really, better,] performance of this song, check out this older blog)
Cannon/John The Revelator/Astro/Ball & Biscuit
Blue Orchid
The Denial Twist/Wasting My Time
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
We're Going To Be Friends
Seven Nation Army