Nowhere was this more evident than the first song, "The Hardest Button To Button." White's backing band of white prom-dress-clad women took a song that was once a gristly combo of drums and fuzz and added in violin, bass, piano and more. It was just all too much. (That said, his drummer was a badass.)
Rewind:
ACL 2012: Friday's 12 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker
ACL Last Night (Friday): Avicii at Zilker Park
SLIDESHOWS: Friday's ACL performers and the crazy, crazy crowds
That's not to say there were't high points. "Blue Blood Blues" was one of them. Towards the end of the night he perked up and engaged the audience in a call-and-response for "Steady, as She Goes." Perhaps it just took him a while (like, three-quarters of the set) to get in his groove, because "Seven Nation Army," which came late in the show, sounded like the purest form of Jack White I can remember -- the real Jack White, not Jack White the character.
White's new album, Blunderbuss, has gotten mixed reviews. Perhaps that's the problem with dabbling in a dozen different styles. At one point in the show I started thinking of how Paul McCartney's sound switched from the Beatles to Wings. Think about that and ask yourself: Which version of Paul McCartney do you prefer?
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