After less than an hour onstage at Radio City Music Hall last night — where he played tracks from his new solo album Blunderbus and The White Stripes — Jack White just walked off without word (or an encore). By the time that the overhead lights came on twenty minutes later, tempers were high and the explanations were inconsistent. “The show is over, we don’t know why,†said an usher as he directed people out the door. Outside, a crowd of (ex?) fans assembled near the backstage to chant “fuck Jack White!†and “this is bullshit!†while a jeering crowd assembled near the backstage exit. (They were particularly annoyed when delivery men arrived with pizzas for White and company backstage.)
Some speculated that the crowd’s energy wasn’t enough for White: At one point, he wondered aloud, “Jesus Christ, is this an NPR convention?†Others reported that he had “several angry exchanges†with a shirtless attendee in the front row. Meanwhile, a Radio City security team employee told the New York Observer that White “wasn’t happy with the sound.†Whatever the reason, there’s now a JackWhiteDebacle hashtag on Twitter.