In the canon of White Stripes live performances, there are certain shows held in high-regard for an obvious reason. Like the early shows in the band’s hometown, before anyone knew who they were, or a breakout performance on TV or radio, or a performance at a famous festival. Or it could be a show in a city they had never been to before, or a performance in a large venue, testing the band’s ability to draw a crowd, or a secret event in a deliberately smaller-sized place. Others, like this show in Cincinnati, on the Get Behind Me Satan tour, could rightly be known for being the band’s final visit to a city where they had played great shows in the past, home to their touring mates The Greenhornes. Or, this show could be remembered for the dizzying setlist that reaches an hour and forty-five minutes, including one-of-a-kind performances like the version of "Truth Doesn’t Make A Noise" played here on the grand piano, or "Instinct Blues", where Jack spends over a minute playing a series of single notes as if stuck on repeat, or even what might technically be the longest ever live performance of a song by the band, with the version of "Screwdriver" getting a single verse, before the band pivot away and return to it 12 songs later. Or it could even be the guest appearance by Johnny Walker of Soledad Brothers, famously credited with teaching Jack White how to play slide guitar, appearing here on "I Fought Piranhas" and the Stripes’ final performance of "Goin’ Back To Memphis" originally by Walker's band Henry and June. Or how about THREE performances of the Meg-sung classic "Passive Manipulation"?

Yes, all of those reasons would be more than enough to elevate this show into that rarified air alongside others like the Gold Dollar, the Peel Sessions, Union Square, Masonic Temple, Conan, The Greek, Manaus, Tasmania…

And yet, even with all that this performance has going for it, what this show is most known for can be summarized using three simple words: Cheese Danish Dream.

If you don’t know, now you know.

- Ben Blackwell