Jack White powers through explosive rock 'n' roll set: Riot Fest review

Jack White really knows how to put on a special Chicago show.

In 2022, it was that surprise set at Empty Bottle. In 2024, it was that intimate gig at Metro. And in 2025, it was a blazing performance at Riot Fest that made you wonder why he didn’t get the night’s headlining spot.

Carrying on the lessons from his “No Name” Tour — which logged two other memorable shows at Salt Shed in April —White’s Riot Fest set continued to set a precedent that you don’t need any frills for an explosive rock ‘n’ roll show. No props, no fireworks, no costume changes, no parody bits. Not even a tour name. Hell, he’s the same guy who built a whole guitar from a simple piece of wood, string and a glass bottle in “It Might Get Loud.”

Simplicity, authenticity and raw materials have always been the Jack White Way, and the philosophy pulls from the early rock/punk godfathers and blues gods he holds dear, from The Stooges to Son House.

“Chicago, you know this kind of rock and roll can only be made in the Midwest,” the proud Detroit native shared, while introducing his neighborhood crew including keyboardist Bobby Emmett and bassist Dominic Davis (also from Detroit) and drummer Patrick Keeler (from Indiana) who altogether were so dynamic and so in sync with each other on White’s recent solo material like “Lazaretto” and “That’s How I’m Feeling,” they came off like the four cardinal directions of music, pointing everything in the right direction.

It was especially apparent on White’s guitar playing that was as electric as the lightning bolt on his leather jacket, showing a man possessed when he puts a guitar over his shoulder. With such a vast catalog to choose from, the band dipped into White’s other projects too, adding in a frenetic rendition of The Raconteurs’ “Steady, As She Goes” and big White Stripe numbers, including the psychedelic fuzz of “Icky Thump” and transforming a live version of “Seven Nation Army” into the massive stadium song it’s become over time, with everyone in the crowd chanting the “Oh, o o o oh ooh” refrain in unison.

The quartet didn’t break much from the constant churning of hit after hit, and it would’ve only interrupted the flow anyway. Yet when White did want to share a few words, they were hard landings and in line with some of his outspoken political statements on social media as of late.

“Ain’t no one in control tonight,” he said. “Ain’t no MAGA fascists in control tonight. Ain’t no ICE Gestapo soldiers in control tonight.” The crowd applause was as massive for his statements as it was after the final song, as the band ended with one deserving bow.

Now that White has checked the box of playing Riot Fest for the first time, in the event’s next 20 years, we just need The White Stripes for one of those special reunions.