Day 4 of Local Spins’ ‘Countdown’ to Jack White’s Grand Rapids show sheds light on how fans will have to lock away their phones, even for a special pop-up concert tonight in Detroit.
Leave it to Jack White to mix things up, throw an entertaining wrench into the works.
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In short, expect the unexpected.
That’s certainly true of the Detroit native’s tour kickoff this week in Michigan, with much-ballyhooed shows at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on Thursday and 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids on Saturday.
First, White has laid down the law with cellphones by making these “phone-free shows” – and that really means phone-free.
Concertgoers arriving at 20 Monroe Live on Saturday will be required to put their phones and any “video-capturing gizmos” into a secured Yondr pouch that they can keep with them during the concert, but can only be unlocked to gain access to the phones after the show or in a designated “Yondr Phone Zone” located in the lobby or concourse. (See how the Yondr pouch works online here.)
The idea behind banning all photos, video and audio recording? “We think you’ll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN PERSON,” the tour proclaims, noting the official tour photographer will post photos and videos on White’s website after the concert so fans can share the experience via social media.
This is the first time this sort of thing has been tried in Grand Rapids, so it will be fascinating to see how fans react to having their phones imprisoned for a few hours.
On the flip side, White also announced – at the 11th hour – an incredible opportunity for lucky fans in the Detroit area tonight (April 18): White will perform “a short, intimate all-ages set at Third Man Records Cass Corridor at 9 p.m.,” according to the Third Man Records Facebook page.
Wednesday night’s concert in Detroit, the evening before White’s tour-opening spectacle at Little Caesar’s Arena, will be free for the first 200 Third Man “Vault” members and $33 for the general public (after 200 Vault members are allowed to enter). By the way, the same phone-free, Yondr pouch system will be in effect for this cozy pop-up concert, too.
Grand Rapids fans will have a chance to experience some Third Man Records love, too. During the day Saturday – which happens to be Record Store Day – the Third Man Records “Rolling Record Store” will set up shop outside the Grand Rapids Art Museum, selling merchandise and exclusive vinyl. The rolling store will also be open near 20 Monroe Live before and after the concert.
All of this speaks to the unusual approach that White has taken not only with his music (e.g., the edgy and genre-shifting new “Boarding House Reach” album) but in the way he wants fans to experience it. For some, that could be an adjustment. For others, it’s a revelation.
Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC