Under Blackpool Lights

I watched The White Stripes concert film, Under Blackpool Lights, last night, and it was quite a treat. It was one of the first documentaries that truly captured the live experience for me, and it brought back a ton of memories of seeing them at The Greek Theater in the fall of 2003. I don't know if it was the grainy 8mm footage, or just the way they edited it - mixing in so many different vantage points, or perhaps even the awesome sound quality, but it makes you feel like you're right there. They come out rocking too, and just never stop, going full throttle through a twenty-six song, hour-and-twenty-minute set. Meg always is in some state of ecstatic bliss while playing the drums, and in a strange way it makes her hot. I mean, she's not physically beautiful, but just the way she carries herself, the way her head tilts back in rapturous delight, you feel this affection for her. And Jack is Jack. When he sang the Dolly Parton classic "Jolene" my spine had a little tingle going down it, and even though I've heard it a thousand times, seeing it visually takes it to a whole new level of emotional catharsis. At one point I even got a little choked up, connecting it in some ways to my personal life, which is what we always do with great music. Anyway, it's definitely worth exploring.