The White Stripes revisit a defining 2006 Australian performance with Live In Tasmania, a 33-song archival release capturing Jack White and Meg White at their most explosive
by Paul Cashmere
A long-mythologised Australian performance by The White Stripes is finally set for official release, with Third Man Records confirming Live In Tasmania as the latest instalment in its ongoing Vault series.
Drawn from the duo’s January 31, 2006 concert at Hobart City Hall, the recording documents a band operating at peak intensity. The 33-song set will be issued across three 180-gram vinyl LPs, pressed in black, white and red, alongside a companion 12-inch single featuring a far more recent collaboration between Jack White and Eminem.
For followers of the band, the Tasmania show has long carried near-mythic status. It took place deep into the touring cycle for Get Behind Me Satan, an album that saw Jack and Meg White expand their sonic palette while retaining the stripped-back immediacy that defined their early work. By the time the tour reached Australia, the duo had refined that balance into a volatile, instinct-driven live dynamic.
Performing to just 1,200 fans in Hobart, the set captured an intimacy rarely associated with a band of their global stature at the time. The recording reflects that immediacy, shifting rapidly between garage rock ferocity, blues reinterpretations and unexpected covers that underline the group’s deep musical DNA.
The setlist moves fluidly across the band’s catalogue. Early staples like “Let’s Shake Hands”, which appears twice, and “Screwdriver” anchor the performance in their late 1990s origins, while then-current material such as “Blue Orchid” and “My Doorbell” reflects the evolving textures of Get Behind Me Satan. The inclusion of “Jolene”, originally by Dolly Parton, and “Death Letter”, associated with Son House, reinforces the duo’s long-standing practice of reframing traditional and classic material through their own minimalist lens.
There is also a willingness to dig deeper into lesser-performed songs. “This Protector” and “Black Jack Davey” provide a broader view of the band’s repertoire, expanding beyond the better-known singles to reveal a more nuanced and exploratory side of their live identity.
The closing stretch of the concert is particularly significant. The final side of the vinyl release captures the second encore, a continuous sequence of songs delivered with relentless momentum. Tracks flow into one another without pause, building from “Lafayette Blues” through to a spontaneous take on “Rat’s Nest”, originally by The Gories, before culminating in a powerful reading of “Seven Nation Army”. It is a sequence that encapsulates the raw, unfiltered chemistry between Jack and Meg White, a hallmark that defined the band throughout their career.
According to White Stripes archivist Ben Blackwell, the Tasmania performance stood apart even at the time. He has cited it as the one show where, during the performance itself, it was clear the recording needed to be preserved and eventually shared. That ambition now comes to fruition with this release, nearly two decades after the concert took place.
Complementing the archival material is a contemporary recording, Live At Ford Field, featuring Jack White alongside Eminem. Captured during the 2025 Detroit Lions Thanksgiving halftime show, the three-track 12-inch presents a different facet of White’s live work, bridging rock and hip-hop in a stadium setting.
The collaboration opens with “That’s How I’m Feeling” before moving into a hybrid performance combining White’s “Hello Operator” with Eminem’s “‘Till I Collapse”. The set concludes with “Seven Nation Army”, a song that has transcended its origins to become a global sporting anthem, making it a natural centrepiece for the Detroit performance.
The inclusion of the Ford Field recording alongside the Tasmania set creates a striking contrast. One captures a band in a tightly packed hall in southern Australia at the height of their powers, the other presents two Detroit icons on a major American stage nearly 20 years later. Together, they illustrate the enduring reach of Jack White’s musical legacy across different eras and contexts.
The release also introduces a new collectible element, with limited edition trading cards included in each package, marking the launch of Third Man’s Tripppl imprint. It reflects the label’s continued focus on physical formats and curated archival experiences for collectors.
Tracklisting
VAULT #68: THE WHITE STRIPES LIVE IN TASMANIA (3XLP)
Intro
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Black Math
Passive Manipulation
Jolene (Dolly Parton)
My Doorbell
Wasting My Time / Cool Drink of Water (Tommy Johnson)
Let’s Shake Hands
Blue Orchid
The Party Of Special Things To Do (Captain Beefheart)
Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)
As Ugly As I Seem
Apple Blossom
Cannon
Death Letter (Son House)
Do
Devil’s Haircut (Beck)
Instinct Blues
The Hardest Button To Button
I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself (Burt Bacharach / Hal David)
This Protector
Black Jack Davey (Traditional)
In The Cold, Cold Night
Ball And Biscuit
Fell In Love With A Girl
We’re Going To Be Friends
Let’s Shake Hands
Lafayette Blues
Screwdriver
Rat’s Nest (The Gories)
I Think I Smell A Rat
The Nurse
Seven Nation Army
JACK WHITE & EMINEM LIVE AT FORD FIELD (12-INCH SINGLE)
That’s How I’m Feeling
Hello Operator / ‘Till I Collapse
Seven Nation Army
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