Michigan hero Jack White pumps up 'Saturday Night Live'

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In seven days, Jack White makes his 20 Monroe Live debut in Grand Rapids. Local Spins will prepare fans with daily posts about White, his band and his new album, starting with a recap of his SNL appearance.

Back on ‘Saturday Night Live’: Jack White is promoting his latest album on tour and on TV. (Photo/Rosalind O’Connor)

Jack White’s legacy has continued to grow not only as a boundary-pushing musician but as an artist who pays homage to America’s diverse musical heritage – especially when it comes to celebrating his Michigan roots and Detroit upbringing.

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From establishing Third Man Records in his home city (as well as in Nashville, where he now resides) to continually moving the needle, so to speak, with his music and his collaborations, White has earned the sort of attention and acclaim generally reserved for music’s most influential icons.

‘Connected by Love’: White and his band, including bassist Dominic John Davis, during “Saturday Night Live.”

The buzz over his most recent, head-spinning recording, “Boarding House Reach” – which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart – has included appearances over the past week on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Saturday Night Live,” where he performed with a band that features longtime bassist and childhood pal Dominic John Davis, also a Michigan native with a rich legacy of his own.

On Saturday, the 42-year-old White will play a sold-out show at 20 Monroe Live, returning to Grand Rapids for the first time in many years. WLAV DJ and music historian Steve Aldrich notes that White has a background here, playing Grand Rapids’ old Intersection many times as drummer for Detroit’s Goober & The Peas, his first band, and perhaps even with The Go.

To commemorate this milestone concert, Local Spins will feature a “Jack White countdown” with daily stories, features and classic Local Spins Rewind posts about White and his band leading up to Saturday’s show at 20 Monroe Live which comes two days after he kicks off his U.S. tour at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena. (By the way, if you’re looking for tickets to the sold-out 20 Monroe Live show, demand is high: Ticket broker StubHub is offering scalped tickets from $132.25 to $550 each.)

The first installation of the Local Spins countdown recaps recent media coverage of White, starting with videos from his appearance this weekend on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” where he and his band delivered rousing performances that certainly were the highlight of an otherwise dull episode of the show.

VIDEO: “Over and Over and Over” (Saturday Night Live)