Jack White Storms Off Radio City Stage, Angry Mini-Mob Forms

Jack White Leaves In The Middle Of Huge Gig
US singer Jack White performs at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde on July 6, 20102. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX DENMARK / Andreas Beck ***DENMARK OUT*** (Photo credit should read Andreas Beck/AFP/GettyImages)
US singer Jack White performs at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde on July 6, 20102. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX DENMARK / Andreas Beck ***DENMARK OUT*** (Photo credit should read Andreas Beck/AFP/GettyImages)

Jack White is currently in New York City promoting his new album Blunderbuss with a pair of concerts at Radio City Music Hall, but when he walked off the stage Saturday night he gave fans more "blunder" than anything else.

White's sold-out Saturday night concert at Radio City got off to a "rollicking" start, but 45 minutes into the show he abruptly left the stage, according to The New York Observer's Hunter Walker. Concertgoers initially thought an encore was coming and continued to cheer and clap. Twenty minutes later, the lights went on and ushers told the crowd to go.

Once outside Radio City, a group of more than 100 people gathered by the backstage exit, according to The Observer. The mini-mob booed and hissed, demanding to know why White's concert ended so suddenly. They became more irate when a pizza deliveryman showed up to bring multiple pies backstage.

Rumors as to why White left percolated the crowd. Some thought he was annoyed at the half-hearted crowd ("Jesus Christ, is this an NPR convention?" White reportedly asked at one point during the show). Buzzfeed speculated that it may have had something to do with a vast amount of tickets going to scalpers.

The 37-year-old reportedly had issues with the sound when he played at Boston's Agganis Arena. "Jack White is a control freak," wrote the Boston Herald's Jed Gottlieb. "Yes, he’s obsessed with a sound, image and branding devoted to making him look like a mad genius. As he should be, that’s what’s rock ‘n’ roll is about."

Many disgruntled attendees, who paid at least $40 for a ticket, took to Twitter to voice their indignation.

Excitement turns into disbelief as one of my most influential music heroes plays 45 mediocreminutes and leaves. I'm done with Jack White.

— Jeremy Current (@jeremycurrent) September 30, 2012

Prior to the concert, White discussed his impulsive nature in an interview with the New York Post: "I’ve got friends who are very indecisive and they hem and haw for weeks. I think it would be better to make your decision within a couple of seconds. Even if you make the wrong decision, at least you didn’t sap all your energy by worrying and over thinking things.”

White is scheduled to play Radio City again on Sunday night.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Blunderbuss as Blunderbass.

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