Here’s the thing that’s amazing about seeing the White Stripes live, especially in a smaller-than-they-should-be-playing venue like Irving Plaza (and no, I will not call it the corporate-rebranded “Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza Just East of Union Square Inc,” or whatever it’s officially called now).

It’s just the two of them, Jack and Meg, and they make all this wonderful, visceral and incredibly loud noise onstage. Just two people — and really, though Meg’s gotten better on the drums, it’s just Jack, untethered, with an arsenal of guitars and keyboards and yelps from the belly. From what I understand, they played a set similar to their weekend headlining gig at Bonnaroo at comparable volume, for a place that holds roughly over a thousand people. And at over 90 minutes, it’s what a rock show should be like all the way around.

Some notes from the night:

* Getting inside the show was like attending an event at the White House: frisked once, escorted to ticket window, show your voucher, break out your ID, sign your voucher, frisked again, walk straight inside, don’t loiter.

* There was a point during “Icky Thump” — you know, the Yes/ELO keyboardy freakout in the middle of the song — where Jack was playing both his guitar and his vintage keyboard (wasn’t close enough to tell what kind it was, nor am I gearhead enough to know), which was impressive.

* Jack did this whole Dick Dale improv tribute during “I Think I Smell a Rat,” even going all in on “Misirlou” and “Hava Nagila.” For someone who typically likes to pluck through old, obscure blues tunes, it seemed like a conscious acknowledgement that Jack is totally into masturbating with his guitar onstage.

* Jack was also in storytelling mode (embarrassingly so — dude, just play). One story about having coffee and his adventures around the city. Another about being 12 years old in a tent with a boy who killed a squirrel and inundated him with banal stories that made the tent feel like a jail cell. Jack, we know how you felt.

* Meg has not only improved on drums (I could tell because Jack hardly sneered or screamed at her all night), but when she did “In the Cold, Cold Night,” she actually sounded rehearsed. This is a good thing. We love Meg. Especially when she’s behind the drum kit with her left arm cocked on her hip looking very cute.

* Also, while loitering outside before the show, I ran into my man Alex, a.k.a. XXXchange from Spank Rock (and who was also in a great band called Zero Zero a few years back). He was with the Kills, whose new record he’ll be producing. Great guy — and now he has reason to celebrate, as Spank Rock just inked a deal with Downtown Records, home of Gnarls Barkley. Congrats, XXX.

(photo by gaelenh via flickr)