The White Stripes release live album from historic Mexico show
A new White Stripes album that includes most of their first night on the Get Behind Me Satan tour on May 11th, 2005, is now available to purchase online.
The historic show took place in Monterrey, Mexico. The duo performed a 25-song set at Auditorio Coca-Cola; 23 songs from the night are now available to stream. However, ‘Let’s Build a Home’ and a cover of Soledad Brothers’ ‘Going Back to Memphis’ have been removed from the recording, though it is not immediately apparent why.
The show features live debuts of seven songs from the Get Behind Me Satan LP, which was released a month following the show. Despite debuting many tracks, the set includes fan favourites, such as their classic opener ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’, ‘Fell in Love with a Girl’, and, of course, ‘Seven Nation Army’.
The album is available for purchase on Nugs. The description on the site offers more insight into the night of the recording. It states: “As it turns out, the venue was apparently only half-full, due to the two local soccer teams both having important games on this day. Something poetic about the sport that had co-opted the band’s music from the last tour, turning “Seven Nation Army” into an anthem, now also co-opting their audience at the start of the new one. “
It marked the duo’s first show in eight months, and they were accompanied by a new Rob Jones-designed backdrop of a Garden of Eden setting with a giant white apple in the centre.
Despite the series of firsts, the show was a triumph, and the recording allows listeners to understand otherwise lost quirks and quips. The description later continues: “You can still hear Jack off-mic confirming with Meg before each new song gets played. Still the same spontaneous Stripes, no setlist required. With the new songs having been recorded just weeks before the show, the performance still manages to have an experimental feel to it.”
Back in January, the duo decided to celebrate 20 years of their fifth album by releasing a new box set on Third Man Records, including demos, alternative takes, live recordings and more of the album’s songs. More releases can be expected soon.
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