On the surface, the April 4 episode of Saturday Night Live was already set up to be brilliant. Jack Black was hosting once again (and received his fifth-timer's jacket), and Jack White was the musical guest. How could the show be bad?
And, in fact, it wasn't. Some of the sketches were a bit flat, but would have been much worse if not for Black's manic energy. For SNL, he can uplift an episode all by himself. What the series has been missing a bit in recent years is full-on rock, and that is where White comes in.
He performed two songs, of course, and each was a recent release. Instead of doing one new one and "Seven Nation Army," Jack White knows not even to sell himself out. His songs are almost all elite, and two new ones are likely just as good as those from 20 years ago. Such was the case with his performances.
Jack White delivers two gems on Saturday Night Live
"Derecho Demonico"
White can play clean solos, but he likes his sound messy and edgier. The use of the large blue skull on the back of the set added to the menace of the bass and drums, too. But the song, of course, belongs fully to White, who mimics the sound of the newly released single pretty closely.
Still, the blues-rock is strongly felt, and White knows exactly when to let his fellow musicians stand out, as there is a keyboard "solo" a bit over halfway through the tune. The guitarist could make all his solo work firmly about him, but he understands music is a collective enterprise.
If you haven't yet heard the single before you watch Saturday Night Live, be forewarned. The simple rhythmic breakdown between verses will absolutely get stuck in your head the rest of the day.
"G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs"
As opposed to how this other newly released track begins on the recorded version, White and the band begin the SNL version almost as if the song is a swirl of rock feedback that would make for a proper ending, not a beginning. It's unsettling and wonderful. That's when White finds the simplicity of what makes the song great.
If you are familiar with the "Archbishop Harold Holmes" from White's most recent album, No Name, then you might wonder if this is an extension of that tune. It's not, but it pays homage in the best of ways.
White finds the space between the verses to add some short solos of spastic excellence, and each musician has their own turn to showcase their skills at different points of the song. The only drawback is that the tune doesn't change much. It's fun, but feels more like a floor for greatness than greatness itself.