After spending Sunday evening belting out tunes to a boisterous, beer-soaked crowd of 10,000 in Burnaby, BC, the White Stripes landed in Whitehorse early Monday morning.
Only those working the show will be allowed in the Yukon Arts Centre theatre as the band sets up and thunders through sound checks for Monday night’s sold-out show.
Security guards hired by the venue will enforce the rule.
“This is an abnormal gig for us,” said co-organizer Eric Epstein while en route to the centre early Monday morning.
“It’s a big show for us and we’ve certainly got all the staff deployed on this.”
Jack and Meg White and their 23-person entourage made up of assistants, technicians and a film crew landed at 6 a.m. on a private charter flight, which was closely followed by a cargo plane loaded with sound and technical gear.
The Detroit duo will take the stage at the Yukon Arts Centre Monday night at 8 p.m.
The art centre’s 400 tickets up sold in just 12 minutes last month, leaving dozens of fans disappointed and damp after spending a rainy night waiting in line.
Having House of Blues reps — the Stripes’ concert promoter — see the arts centre theatre is good for the city, said Epstein.
That said, it’s too early to say whether more bands will now consider the North.
“It’s hard to say — I don’t think anyone has done this kind of tour of the North and I don’t know if anyone else will attempt it,” said Epstein.
The doors of the arts centre will open at 7 p.m., the auditorium at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
The band will play for about 90 minutes with no intermission.