I was at the Beachland Ballroom with my college roommate, who was in town visiting. He'd heard about an up-and-coming two-piece calling themselves The White Stripes and suggested we check them out.
When the first few chords of Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground crashed through the speakers, I was hooked — instantly.
From that moment, with the raw, simple thunder of Jack and Meg White, something clicked. It was love at first note, and I fell hard. I've since passed that love on to my daughter, Norah, with whom I share a deep musical kinship (and to whom I proudly gave impeccable taste in music).
This Saturday, The White Stripes will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And it feels not just appropriate, but inevitable. They didn't just ride a trend — they created one. As the Hall itself notes, they "reinvigorated rock & roll by returning it to its primal blues roots, proving that a duo with unique style could captivate."
That night at the Beachland changed how I heard music. I was lucky enough to see The White Stripes live four times before they disbanded, and Jack many more times across his various projects. I even had an unforgettable chance encounter with him in the House of Blues' Foundation Room before a Raconteurs show.
But that first show is etched. It was the beginning of a relationship that forever changed how I listen.
When their induction happens — with or without the notoriously reclusive Meg, with or without an on-stage reunion — I'll be thinking of that August night at the Beachland. I'll be thinking about how a two-piece from Detroit rewrote what live rock could feel like. And I'll be thinking about sharing that sound with my daughter, and what it means to pass that love on.
Read more about the band and their induction:
- The White Stripes join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame − their primal sound reflects Detroit's industrial roots — via The Conversation
- Meg White's Drumming Spoke Louder Than Words — via The New York Times
- It's Long Past Time to Give Meg White Her Respect — via Rolling Stone
- Conan O'Brien To Join White Stripes Reunion? — via Alternative Nation
Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.
AI & Hiring – The Laws Are Coming — via Dan Schwartz's Connecticut Employment Law Blog
AI is Everywhere – Almost — via ADR Prof Blog
Judges Admit the Obvious, Concede AI Used for Hallucinated Opinions — via Above the Law
Employee Discontent Is on the Rise. Here's What to Do About It. — via Harvard Business Review
Bay Area Brewers Speak About Why They Joined This "Collective Resistance Movement" — via The Brewer Magazine
Associate general counsel is fired after 'call ICE' taunt at baseball game goes viral — via ABA Journal
Trump administration charges influencer and congressional candidate over ICE protests — via The Verge
My Boss (Who Has ADHD) Bombards Me with Rapid-Fire Requests. Can I Ask Her to Slow It Down? — via Improve Your HR by Suzanne Lucas, the Evil HR Lady
Amazon, Paramount Layoffs Reinforce Need for WARN Act Compliance — via Joe's HR and Benefits Blog
A Potential New Roadmap for Religious-Accommodation Requests — via Eric Meyer's Employer Handbook Blog
My job wants me to be both an employee and a contractor — via Ask a Manager
BA Submits Responses to OSHA's Proposed Heat Safety Rule — via Brewers Association