The Raconteurs played Baby's All Right

The Racontuers have released their first new record in 11 years and to celebrate, the band are on a crash course through New York City. They came through Baby's All Right in Williamsburg on Saturday for a night of rock and roll bliss.

Jammed into the intimate setting, the Raconteurs resurrected their rock and roll status, continuously revving up their sound and taking advantage of such a small crowd through impressive solos and absolutely righteous, dueling guitar melodies that centered the band. Brendon Benson and Jack White are impeccable frontmen who drive the show, each one riffing off the other and providing such a harmonious balance that it's hard to believe they've stayed apart for so long. The band felt impressively tight, as if they've been playing together every day for the past decade, their grooves are understood and their rhythms are sharp, ready to be put on display. While Jack is the obvious star of the group, Benson was the true leader of the evening. His songs took hold and really drove home the night, their messages perfect and their craftsmanship stunning. Newer tracks "Bored and Razed," "Help Me Stranger," and "Sunday Driver" all sounded so much larger in-person and the live setting only heightened the overall feelings of each number. The guitars were attacking and ready to raise some hell, their bluesy nature begging for epic solos and fire-power riffs. Blown apart and with a massive push behind them, it felt like the only proper way to experience the new material. No matter how great your home set-up may be, nothing is able to top White on stage and watching him and his band unleash such a raw power was incredible. Older jams like "Many Shades of Black" and "Steady as She Goes" were absent from the set list, but once the band came back for the encore and ripped into "Salute Your Solutions," the crowd went off the walls. Hands were in the air and it was easily the most rocking portion of the show. Rock and roll may have fallen out of fashion in the decade since the band's last album, but that only fueled their fire to return and prove that rock still has a place in the musical landscape. While the new record won't ignite the same spark as many bands did in the early aughts (White's music included), it surely helps suggest that there is still a hunger for live music played with guitars, drums, and bass and the Raconteurs are ready to fill any void.

Set list

01 "Consoler of the Lonely"
02 "Bored and Razed"
03 "Live a Lie"
04 "Old Enough"
05 "Only Child"
06 "Help Me Stranger"
07 "Hands"
08 "Don't Bother Me"
09 "Level"
10 "Broken Boy Soldier"
11 "Sunday Driver"
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12 "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" [Donovan cover]
13 "Salute Your Solution"
14 "Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)"
15 "Now That You're Gone"
16 "Carolina Drama"