Staff Editor on July 29th, 2019

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After going small with a surprise show last month, the Raconteurs went big on Friday night, staging a free-spirited, jammy and cell phone-free concert at the Greek Theatre. (Attendees’ electronic devices were sealed in pouches that could not be accessed until the show was over.)

The band — Brendan Benson, Jack White, Jack Lawrence, Patrick Keeler and Dean Fertita — were playing in support of their new album “Help Us Stranger,” their third, and visiting the venue they last played way back in September 2008 when they were supporting their second album “Consolers of the Lonely.” A lot has happened since then, but what’s unchanged is the band’s love of the riff. They roared through a nine-song main set (one an extended medley) and returned for an eight-song encore, highlighted by a guest turn from Josh Homme on “Blue Veins.”

It made for a memorable night, even if fans didn’t have a digital record of it.

Setlist: Bored and Razed, Level, Old Enough, You Don’t Understand Me, Top Yourself/Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) [Donovan cover]/Gloria, Don’t Bother Me, Help Me Stranger, Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying), Hands. Encore: Consoler of the Lonely, Salute Your Solution, Shine the Light on Me, Now That You’re Gone, Blue Veins, Sunday Driver, Carolina Drama, Steady, As She Goes.

Photos by Bryan Greenberg