Wanda Jackson and Jack White Bring Their 'Party' to New York -- Exclusive Photos

When Jack White took the stage Friday at Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Music Hall of Williamsburg, it was not as the main attraction. Leading the 10 other members of the Third Man House Band in a warm-up jam, White was mainly there to be heard as the guitarist, not seen. The star of the show was, as he announced, "the Queen of Rockabilly, the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Wanda Jackson."

Even with her hair teased up, Jackson barely made it to White's shoulders, but with her motherly charm and "nasty" voice, she can absolutely command a room as well as any other frontwoman or man around. After opening with 'Riot in Cell Block #9,' she picked up a lyric sheet to sing 'Busted,' a track off her White-produced new album, 'The Party Ain't Over,' and made it clear she wasn't exactly proud of having to read the words in front of the audience. "I saw Elvis do this in Vegas," she said. "If it's good enough for the King, it's good enough for the Queen."

With a mix of her classic material and her new album's tracks, Jackson offered up both a history lesson and a sweet commentary on her working relationship with White. Before performing her cover of Amy Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good,' she told the crowd that when White insisted she record it, she "thought the poor boy lost his mind."

For 'Right or Wrong,' she said, "In 1961, I wrote a song for Brenda Lee. My producer heard it and said, 'You're going to do it.' At the time, she had more hits than me, so I'm glad I did." Then, in one of the more tender moments of the show, she sang Jimmie Rodgers' 'Blue Yodel #6,' the first song she ever learned to play on guitar and sing, backed on her yodels by her two backup female singers, whom she referred to as her "cupcakes." Jackson's professionalism, thanks to over 50 years in the business, was in full display during 'Rip It Up,' when White's guitar cut out just as he was getting ready for another of his fiery guitar solos. After ending the song ended prematurely, Jackson apologized for not getting to sing the last verse but, at White's behest, kicked back into the song once his technical troubles were solved. Next, on 'Fujiyama Mama,' her 1959 chart-topper in Japan, she stopped the band for playing too fast, proving that she wasn't afraid to rein in White's frenetic enthusiasm.

White's first and only vocal contribution came during the set's closer, Jackson's biggest hit, 'Let's Have a Party.' While staying out of the spotlight aside from his solos, he spent much of the night watching Jackson with obvious glee. During this song, it seemed as if playing all these rockabilly covers became too much for him -- he just had to slouch over and scream along.
Forgoing a standard encore break, Jackson wandered over to the side of the stage, shielded by her road crew and husband, Wendell, White took time to introduce the band like an old-school revue leader and implored the audience to make some noise to get Jackson back out. With the crowd sufficiently hyped, she returned to cover her old boyfriend, Elvis Presley, this time with a pounding version of 'Heartbreak Hotel.'

With the song wrapping up, Jackson's fans -- new and old alike -- clearly wanted more, and Jackson hinted that they might get their wish down the line. "This is off our next album," she said of 'Heartbreak,' beaming the smile that hadn't left her face all night. Once the show ended with "Shakin' All Over,' We can only hope she was serious.

Wanda Jackson Performs 'You Know I'm No Good'

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