Photo by David James Swanson
Jack White played a show at Fenway Park’s Bleacher Theater in Boston on Wednesday night. The real headline, however, was what the Third Man rocker said in between performances.
As Pitchfork points out, White took swipes at Foo Fighters and Rolling Stone magazine during what he himself quipped to be a “Kanye West-esque rant.”
Much like Kanye, White’s comments were all over the place. He began by defending the sanctity of live performance, expressing his displeasure over how “most performers don’t use microphones anymore … singers don’t use microphones that have cords.” He went on to point the finger squarely at Foo Fighters, saying the band uses a second guitarist “playing the same parts” to cover up for any mistakes.
Update – 3:00pm CT: White has issued a statement through his publicist in which he clarifies his comments about Foo Fighters. Read it here.
Update – 2:00pm CT: Foo Fighters have responded to White’s comments with this not-so-subtle tweet:
https://twitter.com/foofighters/status/512662322427351041/photo/1
White then turned his attention to Rolling Stone, mocking the music publication for its click-baiting content. He joked that the site was “brought to you by the Kardashian family” and that it features articles like “15 outfits that will blow your mind that Taylor Swift wore this month,” “10 reasons why Rolling Stone did not cover the Newport Folk Festival for 50 years straight,” and “12 reasons Rolling Stone won’t put a black and white cover on the cover of their magazine unless you’re dead.” He also noted how Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner also owns gossip mag US Weekly.
White wrapped up his comments, saying, “OK, I’m officially supposed to stop now, because this is becoming a Kanye West-esque rant. Because apparently, nowadays, you aren’t allowed to speak to your own fans about anything, lest it be a rant.” He concluded, “So forget ISIS, forget the war in the Middle East, forget any problems at home, forget gay marriage, forget everything you ever thought about everything. This not a rant. This is just me saying, HELLO CLEVELAND!”
Listen to a recording of White’s speech below.
White previously expressed disdain for Rolling Stone during his headlining set at Bonnaroo last June, after White claimed the magazine took many of his comments out of context in a cover story. However, this marks the first time White has said something negative in regards to fellow rock titans Foo Fighters.
