M'Lou Elkins
JACK WHITE
5/6/25 – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX
©M’Lou Elkins / Skip2Photography.com
Rain or shine, rock ‘n’ roll waits for no one, and neither did we. On Tuesday, May 6th, a sold-out South Side Ballroom pulsed with electricity as Jack White rolled into town, guitars blazing and hair wild. Determined to get as close as possible to the action, I camped out all day in the downpour with my partner-in-rock, Nadine, a fellow Jack devotee I met in line at his Trees show in Deep Ellum last November. Rain jackets? Optional. Commitment to the music? Absolutely. And with our places against the barricade secured, we waited for the show to begin, passing the time by talking to other fans around us.
At precisely 9:15 p.m., Jack stormed the stage with “Old Scratch Blues” from his No Name album, the same name that graces this tour. True to form, he ditched the setlist. Jack doesn’t follow the show, he is the show. With a nod or a flash of the eyes, he leads his band through a wild, instinctive ride that keeps you guessing and wanting more.
Guitars swapped, pedals stomped, hair brushed back mid-set, Jack’s the kind of rock star who disappears into the music, eyes shut, fingers flying, every note a lightning strike. And just when we thought we’d seen it all, he dug deep and hit us with “I Walked From Dallas,” a searing Howlin’ Wolf cover that shook the walls.
After 13 mind-melting tracks, he and the band took a short break, only to come roaring back with a 7-song encore that culminated in the ultimate crowd eruption: “Seven Nation Army.” You could feel it in your chest, see it in every raised fist…it was a full-on rock baptism.
Even as the house lights came on, no one moved. Nobody wanted to leave. But eventually, we spilled out into the Dallas night, the rain gone, the sky clear, and Jack’s voice still ringing in our ears.
Check out our concert photos from Jack White below:
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