When I first found out yesterday that the White Stripes would be doing a surprise show in Union Square today, I didn’t quite believe it. But I walked over after my first lecture this morning, about an hour before the show was scheduled, and found a crowd already gathering. I managed to snag a spot up front amongst an alarming concentration of indie bedhead and red shirts. I knew Jon was also going to be there but we’d neglected to really figure out somewhere to meet up, so I just sort of kept an eye out.

I have to say, I haven’t really been a dedicated White Stripes fan. Jon burned me a couple of the albums and I liked them, but that was about the extent of it. Live, though, they blew me away. They’re this little candy cane-colored confection of a band but they’ve got an awfully impressive stage presence for two people. Despite the truly incredible sunburn incurred from the waiting and the outside and the whole sun thing, I have to say it was the most satisfying live show I’ve seen in years.

Apparently, the Parks Department types weren’t that into it. Towards one o’clock, there was an angry-looking official type to be seen perched on the edge of the stage, gesticulating wildly. Jack announced they would play only one more song, but that wasn’t good enough, I guess. Despite only going over their alloted hour by maybe four or five minutes, the power to the stage was cut about thirty seconds into Boll Weevil. Obviously miffed but not to be deterred, Jack shushed all the booing directed at the angry official type and announced they would finish the song without any amplification at all. I was only a row or two back, so I heard it fine and it wasn’t a bad way to end a great set. There’s an article about it here, although it implies the crowd was flipping off the band - which we weren’t, but rather the Parks Department guy who took the newly-repowered mic after Jack and Meg left the stage to thank us all for coming and tell us to get the hell out. There’s another short note here.

The highlight of my day, though, was after I’d grabbed one of the free Stripes posters being passed out by some magazine or other and was wandering back towards NYU. I was walking along Union Square East and noticed another small crowd gathering. “Oh look,” I thought, “There’s the tour bus.” And then: “Oh look, there’s Jack White.” Meg was there also, but so completely swamped in devoted twentysomething men that I didn’t even bother. I had to wait in a different smushed and overly enthusiastic pile of people, but eventually I managed to get my very own sweaty Jack hug and a signature on the flyer that started it all.