The White Stripes Across Canada: Calgary

With the Stampede only a week away, the park around the Saddledome was full of half-assembled rides and empty fry shacks. Walking toward the 'Dome for Friday's White Stripes show, there was only one question on my mind: would the duo throw in enough curveballs to keep me from yawning?

Hitting the simple red stage promptly at 8:45 p.m., the Stripes began by firing off many of the tunes heard in the early part of their sets thus far on tour. "When I Hear My Name," "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground," "Icky Thump" and "Jolene" all got the crowd moving. Jack White proved to be quite the spaz onstage, while Meg's quiet, composed character balanced him out.

After the fourth tune, someone chucked a cowboy hat onstage, hoping Jack would take the bait. Unfortunately, he didn't. Much like their shows, the banter was kept to a minimum until "Hotel Yorba" when White switched to his now-famous white maple leaf acoustic guitar. He dedicated the song to "all the cowboys in Calgary" and got on with it.

Jack used the stage space well. Powder covered the floor, making for a subtle but cool dust storm effect whenever he stomped his feet to the beat. "Catch Hell Blues" and "A Martyr For My Love For You" were highlights from their new Icky Thump album, as were "In The Cold Cold Night" and "Ball And Biscuit" from 2002's Elephant.

"I want to send a shout-out to my cousin Al MacInnis," Jack said jokingly near the end of the set, referring to the former Flame and recent Hall Of Fame inductee. "This is where it all happened, right?"

As fun as their bluesy garage rock was, the Stripes saved the best for the encore, busting out crowd-pleasers "Blue Orchid" and "Black Math." Going for his best Jimmy Page impersonation, Jack used his trusty whammy pedal to the fullest during these two, combining deep octaves, speedy licks and ear-piecing high pitched notes to his advantage.

"My Doorbell" and "We're Going To Be Friends" were next, both earning goodwill with the 7,000 or so in attendance. The band also threw in "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)," a new song that Jack said "had never been played before live."

Predictably, the Stripes capped off the night with an intentionally muddy but energetic version of "Seven Nation Army" before bringing out an Alberta flag.

And that was it. No impromptu daytime show. No "Fell In Love With A Girl." No "Hardest Button To Button." Not even "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself," which the Stripes have been known to toss into the set list on occasion. It was a fun show, but the overall tone was slightly tedious. A bit more from the all too awesome Elephant would have made it a bit sweeter, as would a more elaborate stage set-up.