Rock legend Jack White and his band gave Ho Chi Minh City a rare treat of gluttonous guitars and riveting rock n’ roll that you couldn’t take your eyes off
There are trade-offs we Westerners make when moving to Vietnam, and for music nuts forgoing touring live acts, it’s one of those pills we must – for the most part – swallow.
Sure, we can fly to Bangkok, Seoul or Manila to get our fix, but there’s nothing quite like drinks at your favourite bar beforehand, then a taxi home to kip in your own bed with your ears still ringing afterwards.
But thanks to Jack White and promoter Loud Minority it is again our turn to make friends back home jealous following a successful gig here in 2022.
White needs little introduction and as part of garage rock two-piece the White Stripes in the 2000s, he achieved worldwide stardom whilst helping to transform alternative music.
After they split in 2011, he’s had an interesting and eclectic solo career whilst leading his own record company, Third Man Records.
Before the show on December 2, a queue snakes around Capital Theatre in District 3 with bemused Vietnamese driving past on their scooters wondering what the rumpus is all about.
Vietnam is by no means arable land for rock music.
Records from America and Britain were even banned here in the years after the war with local fans forced to hide their cherished LPs from authorities.
Thankfully, those days are long gone, but the venue is busy without being packed out and we easily make our way to the third row for an envious view of the action.
A show in Saigon must be logistically challenging and can’t be much of a money-spinner for White. I’d like to think he was drawn to the romance of playing Vietnam, way off the beaten path, to an audience that is starved of this sort of thing.
Credit must go to Loud Minority, too, for earning his trust and bringing him back for a second time. It really is a huge coup for the city.
Support on the night comes from Vietnamese supergroup Hải Bột & The Farmers who offer 70s-inspired classic rock with singalong choruses that go down a treat.
As it gets closer to 9pm, eyes turn to Jack White’s roadies. They are better dressed than most, in waistcoats and trilbies tuning the band’s instruments on stage.
White’s latest album No Name was released earlier this year. It wiped the slate clean for him and posed the question: If nobody knew who he was, would he be able to start afresh?
It’s a gimmick-free return to the garage rock sound he was originally known for, and for me is his best collection of songs since his White Stripes days.
I’m excited to hear the songs live and as soon as he comes onto the stage dressed in black and rips into album opener Old Scratch Blues, I know the night is going to be a little bit special.
Perhaps with the knowledge that it might be a while before another act with such pedigree visits Saigon, the guitar riffs hit harder and the songs pack an even more potent emotional punch.
As you might expect, the crowd gives the best reception to White Stripes songs, like Black Math from 2003’s Elephant and later singles Blue Orchid and Icky Thump.
There are obscure covers and hits from his other bands like the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.
There is even a rather rusty-looking mosh pit at one point, with older fans relying on muscle memory from decades ago. To be fair, they don’t get a lot of practice.
WHAT A NIGHT!
An absolutely amazing show with the legendary Jack White – thank you to everyone who came and made it…
Posted by Loud Minority, Saigon on Monday, December 2, 2024
The show was only announced a few weeks in advance of it taking place, which is a rarity in an age of corporate sponsors and dynamic ticket pricing.
Speaking about this current run of shows, which included stops in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia, White said:
“I want to walk through orchard fields and grab apples off of trees at will and fill my belly full of that fruit if the desire strikes me. I’m looking for that cool breeze you know?”
His thinking feels very in tune with the freewheeling spirit of modern Vietnam, spontaneous in spirit, with Saigon the perfect city.
All evening the crowd is totally transfixed by his charisma, mastery of his instrument and those trademark vocal velps and roars. Now almost 50, this is not an artist going through the motions.
It seems refreshingly unrehearsed with White playfully challenging his drummer and bassist to keep up with him.
The last song before the encore is Seven Nation Army, yes, that one.
Although it was a hit for the White Stripes in the 2000s, its chorus is now a ubiquitous presence at sporting events around the world with its ownership passed now into public consciousness.
The song is played with glee by White and his able band and is pretty much the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
Outside after the show, staff are giving away free posters, a generous memento of when Jack White came to town.
There are wide grins on people’s faces as the crowd empties out onto the still-humid Saigon streets.
These sorts of nights happen so rarely here and this one won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
But it did leave me pondering that if perhaps things were different and we were spoilt for live music, would it have been so much fun?
About the Author: Thomas Barrett recently traded in his career as a reporter in the UK for life on the warm sandy beaches of Vietnam where he plans to continue writing and creating content indefinitely, fuelled by an endless supply of great local coffee.
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