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September 2003 was a moment of transition. Not two months prior, the entire existence of the White Stripes was nervously put on hold as Jack White recovered (quickly) from a car crash broken finger, the effects of which had the potential to be catastrophic. Ultimately it only briefly inhibited him from playing the D minor chord on guitar.

Once back into the swing of things, with the profile of the band continuing to rise in the wake of Elephant's release, the shows started to take on a life of their own. Whereas the performances had always been compelling and engaging, this return to stage found the band measurably more ferocious. The unplanned respite, however fleeting, was just the right timing to give Jack and Meg perspective, catch their breaths, and hit back like a fucking rocket.

In the midst of the run of shows in September 2003, a promotional idea was cooked up by the team at V2 Records - 40 or so fans would be flown out to the White Stripes show at the Joint (at the Hard Rock Casino) in Las Vegas, get a meet-and-greet with the band, and then some time afterward be presented with a vinyl pressing of that evening's show.

The original pressing is sparse to say the least. With no printed artwork, tracklisting or even credits "The White Stripes Live In Las Vegas" rubber-stamped on the labels is the only true identifier on this record. A dip through the original paperwork shows only 100 copies were ever pressed, all at United Record Pressing in Nashville.

In celebration of twenty years since the performance, the 58th Vault package from Third Man Records is the first-ever commercially available pressing of the White Stripes triple LP Live In Las Vegas.

Consider this snapshot of the night...Josh Hartnett, Steve Mcdonald, Darryl Hannah, Scott Caan and Josh Klinghoffer were all there, not necessarily together or gambling. Soledad Brothers and Whirlwind Heat tore it up as the opening bands, and the Stripes' set itself was spectacular. The unpredictable moments electrify...an off-the-cuff take of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" to a mid-set abandonment of "Offend In Every Way" because of its reliance upon the D minor chord and an opportune tease of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" imbue the evening with spontaneous joy. Songs from Elephant had taken shape as muscled, taut beasts of energy as the blasting jolt of pure rock and roll lava via "The Hardest Button To Button" testifies. All these factors make this night stick out as measurably better than the rest.



The White Stripes

Live In Las Vegas

3 x 180-gram colored vinyl LPs



Tracklist:

Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
When I Hear My Name
Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly)
St. James Infirmary Blues (traditional)
Black Math
The Big Three Killed My Baby
I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
Death Letter (Son House)
Take A Whiff On Me (traditional)
In The Cold, Cold Night
Wasting My Time
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (Burt Bacharach / Hal David)
Offend In Every Way (incomplete)
The Union Forever
Seven Nation Army
You've Got Her In Your Pocket
I Think I Smell A Rat
Look Me Over Closely (Terry Gilkyson / Marelene Dietrich)
Cannon
Mary Had A Little Lamb (traditional)
Cannon (reprise)
Ball And Biscuit
The Hardest Button To Button
You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)
Hello Operator
We're Going To Be Friends
Hotel Yorba
Fell In Love With A Girl
Your Southern Can Is Mine (Blind Willie McTell)
Screwdriver
Boll Weevil (Leadbelly)



7-inch single:

Ball And Biscuit (live March 17th, 2004) - Bob Dylan & Jack White
Ball And Biscuit (live May 2nd, 2002) - The White Stripes