Local Spins’ countdown of its top stories of the year continues with Jack White playlists that coincided with the Detroit rocker’s Thanksgiving halftime show at Ford Field. Plus, check out the video of that show.

Ultimate Playlists for the Ultimate Detroit Rocker: Jack White (Screenshot from Ford Field/YouTube)
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve reached No. 4 in our annual countdown of the top Local Spins stories of the year: Two Jack White playlists created to coincide with his band’s halftime show during the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving game at Ford Field on Nov. 27. As it turns out, that brilliant performance featuring fellow Detroiter Eminem turned out to be much better than the game itself. Revisit those playlists, watch the video of that halftime show on YouTube.
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Sadly, an inspiring stage performance didn’t inspire dominating play on the field.
Jack White and band rocked Ford Field on Nov. 27 at halftime of the Thanksgiving Day football battle between the Detroit Lions and the dastardly, villainous and downright hideous Packers.
The Detroit rock icon who’s long been a champion of the Motor City and its incredible musical legacy (along with his bassist and boyhood buddy Dominic John Davis) proved to be the perfect choice for the traditional gridiron tilt, with special guest and fellow Detroiter Eminem joining the fun on stage in the nationally broadcast contest.

Joe Bockheim (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
To help things heat up on Thanksgiving morning, Local Spins came up with two Jack White- and White Stripes-laden playlists as soundtracks for pre-game rituals (and turkey-gobbling feasts).
The first was a football-leaning affair and commentary on the opposing team of Cheeseheads from Wisconsin. The second comes courtesy of another rocker: Singer, guitarist and frontman Joe Bockheim of West Michigan’s The Legal Immigrants. Bockheim is not only a diehard Lions fan, but a former wide receiver for the Central Michigan Chippewas who’s quite familiar with the inextricable link between rock ‘n’ roll and football, not to mention a major Jack White fan.
Check out both below.
THE DETROIT LIONS/JACK WHITE PLAYLIST NO. 1 (By Joe Bockheim)
1. “Ball and Biscuit,” The White Stripes (2003)
2. “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine,” The White Stripes (2003)
3. “Let’s Shake Hands,” The White Stripes (1998)
4. “Fell in Love With a Girl,” The White Stripes (2002)
5. “Astro,” The White Stripes (1999)
6. “Blue Blood Blues,” The Dead Weather (2010)
7. “Consolers of the Lonely,” The Raconteurs (2008)
8. “Lazaretto,” Jack White (2014)
9. “Level,” The Raconteurs (2006)
10. “Take Me With You When You Go,” Jack White (2012)
THE DETROIT LIONS/JACK WHITE PLAYLIST NO. 2 (By Local Spins)
1. “I Think I Smell A Rat,” The White Stripes (2001) – Cheese(heads) and rats go together, right?
2. “There’s No Home for You Here,” The White Stripes (2003) – As we hinted above, Ford Field is OUR house and invaders from Wisconsin will forever be treated accordingly.
3. “That Was Then, This is Now,” Jack White (2022) – The idea was to change the vibe of the season’s opening loss in Green Bay. Tsk, tsk.
4. “Steady As She Goes,” The Raconteurs (2006) – Just a word of advice for Detroit’s offense. (Oh, and that means handing off frequently to Jahmyr Gibbs.)
5. “No. 1 With a Bullet,” Jack White (2024) – The top slot in the NFC North, dammit, was not to be.
6. “Blue Blood Blues,” The Dead Weather (2010) and “Blue Veins,” The Raconteurs (2006) – These tracks from Jack White side projects tell the story of many long-suffering Lions fans: Our blood runs Honolulu blue.
7. “Trash Tongue Talker,” Jack White (2012) – This goes out to those Packer fans we encountered in Green Bay on opening day.
8. “Icky Thump,” The White Stripes (2007) – Just a great, classic song — and great when thumping an opponent.
9. “Conquest,” The White Stripes (2007) – It’s all about the title.
10. “Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes (2003) – A must closer for this playlist, a song that’s become synonymous with football (and soccer) across the globe, played or sung at pretty much every game everywhere. A Detroit anthem.
VIDEO: Jack White Thanksgiving Halftime Show
THE JACK WHITE/DETROIT LIONS THANKSGIVING PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
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