Jack White at The Blue Room at Third Man Records, 7/30/2025
In another life, Jack White could’ve been a preacher. When he steps onstage, it’s with the confidence of a man ready to lead a spiritual experience. But instead of standing behind a pulpit, he holds a blue-and-white electric Fender. Wednesday night at The Blue Room at Third Man Records, White delivered a sermon of steadfast rock showmanship.
“This isn’t some bachelorette party, driving on a bicycle, drinking beer or walking around on Broadway,” said White, who took the stage in a yellow-and-black jacket that he later tossed into the crowd. “This isn’t Kid Rock’s Big-Ass Ol’ Racist Whatever-the-Fuckin’ Honky-Tonk. … You out there, you’re in my living room now. You feelin’ all right?”
White played a pair of sticky-hot pop-up shows back to back on Wednesday at the rock club connected to his label’s headquarters and Nashville storefront. He announced the gigs hours earlier via social media, and tickets sold out almost instantly — similar to the run he played in jam-packed small rooms last summer, including American Legion Post 82 and The Basement East. White is really making the rounds: He also played two nights in April at Nashville’s new concert hall The Pinnacle.
At Wednesday’s late show, White’s set felt like a celebration for No Name, the album he and his band released last summer, unconventionally without a word of promotion. Built on wall-shaking riffs and elastic hooks, No Name captures a freewheelin’ tenacity that dates back to the singer’s days as a garage-rock upstart in The White Stripes. Onstage, he played the songs as each should be experienced: loud as hell with his razor-sharp band, consisting of Dominic Davis on bass, Patrick Keeler on drums and Bobby Emmett holding down the keys.
The show embraced No Name songs like the rowdy, grifter-beware anthem “Archbishop Harold Holmes,” jumping-jack rocker “That’s How I’m Feelin’” and off-the-cuff “Number One With a Bullet,” a new addition to his touring set list. White also spun through his catalog with songs from The Dead Weather (including “I Cut Like a Buffalo”), The Raconteurs (“Steady as She Goes”) and, of course, The White Stripes. He sprinkled Stripes songs throughout the show, with appearances from the crowd-pleasing “Black Math,” the timeless “Hotel Yorba” and a deep-cut tribute: “Tennessee Border,” made famous by Hank Williams and recorded by Jack and Meg for 2007’s Icky Thump.
Jack White at The Blue Room at Third Man Records, 7/30/2025
“I wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart,” White said as the night inched toward its final song, “comin’ to see us play on short notice, ya know?” He also shouted out his daughter Scarlett, wife and fellow rocker Olivia Jean and a couple other famous folks he’d spotted in the room, namely Jason Isbell and Beverly D’Angelo.
The 90-minute gig closed with an encore that included White solo songs “Sixteen Saltines” and “That Black Bat Licorice,” plus a twangy take on No Name number “Underground.” The band delivered the Stripes’ rock megahit “Seven Nation Army” to close out the show. Was this the start of another tour where he rolls from city to city, playing unannounced shows in unassuming places? Who knows! After all, faith can be found at unexpected moments.
