The White Stripes Across Canada: Saskatoon

Canada Day in Saskatchewan is a funny thing. For the majority of the population, this holiday generally involves getting cross-eyed drunk on pilsner, listening to "Summer Of '69" at ear-splitting volume and wildly overestimating the Roughriders chances of winning the Grey Cup. It's not a glamorous life, but it's simply how things are done around here. However, for a select number of residents, Canada Day was a whole other animal altogether — it was the day that a pair of chalk-skinned troubadours came to town and stole our hearts.

As you've likely read, Jack and Meg White have been making a habit out of dropping by unexpected locales and playing surprise sets. Today was no different, as the duo selected the Eastview Bowl as the site for a thrilling mini-concert. The pair stormed through a brief but exciting 15-minute set that concluded with Jack launching a ball down the lane with his guitar slung on his back. This drove the 200 fans in attendance into a frenzy, and justifiably so. Immediately after the set, everyone was on their cell phones bragging to their friends that they'd witnessed the most exciting thing to happen in a bowling alley since Walter Sobchack pulled a gun on Smokey in The Big Lebowski. This was the stuff of local legends.

Hours later The White Stripes returned for their proper concert at the 2,000 seat TCU Centre (known affectionately to locals as "The Teacup"), and they didn't disappoint. The duo can knock a festival crowd's dick in the dirt, so what match is an intimate venue of salivating fans? None apparently, as everyone in attendance went berserk during their raucous set. From the kneebuckling hits ("Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground," "My Doorbell") to the fantastic deep cuts ("Apple Blossom," "The Union Forever") to the live staples ("Jolene"), Jack and Meg had the charisma and the tunes to keep the crowd enchanted for every moment of their performance.

For the 100 minutes they crashed about on stage, Jack was a whirling dervish on guitar. A red blur with an enormous bulge in his pants and a possessed look on his face, Jack hammered out the tunes while Meg played the drums with what is either a bashful grin or a bratty pout on her face. Much is said about Meg's unorthodox approach to rhythm, but when she's on stage with Jack they are simpatico. As a result, the crowd hung on their every word, strum and backbeat.

The show closed with Jack waving the Saskatchewan flag to the adoring public. The crowd left awed, sweaty and completely drained. We have two kind folks from Detroit to thank for giving us a Canada Day we'll never forget.