Jack White rocks out as the White Stripes play the Saddledome last night. The band played to an enthusiastic 7,500 fans. (Robin Kuniski, Sun Media)

Move over Barenaked Ladies. Take a back seat The Tragically Hip.

The White Stripes could very well become Canada’s new “it” band.

They’ve already got the colours down (everything from their clothes to the fabric wrapped around their microphones is red and white), they don’t take themselves too seriously and, by all indications, they are as down to Earth and humble as we Canadians like to think we are.

Then there’s that little thing about them playing in every province in Canada to celebrate their 10-year anniversary as a band and those small impromptu gigs (recently they performed a free show at a youth centre in Burnaby and jammed with Inuit elders and ate raw caribou in Iqaluit) which have earned them several new fans throughout the country.

But most of all, it’s their spellbinding live show which truly makes The White Stripes endearing.

Last night’s concert at the Saddledome, the Alberta stop on the Detroit-bred duo’s Icky Thump tour, was proof of that.

Before we begin, let’s set the record straight — Jack and Meg White are not siblings.

Despite repeated efforts to convince the public otherwise, the pair was married in 1996, at which time Jack took Meg’s last name.

While they have since divorced, they remain great friends and close band mates.

OK.

Now on with the show.

Following a 45-minute set from opener Alabama rockabilly singer Dan Sartain and a quick set change, The Stripes simply walked out on stage, Meg taking her place at the drum kit, and Jack, with guitar in hand, behind one of the four mics.

Wearing the band’s aforementioned colours from head to toe, the blues-rock duo got things off the ground with a one-two punch of Fell in Love With a Girl and Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.

They followed with the new hard-rock single Icky Thump, which spun the mosh pit into full swing for a punked out version of Dolly’s Parton’s Jolene.

One of the early crowd favourites came when Jack broke into Hotel Yorba, a song he dedicated to “all the cowboys out here in Calgary.”

The set consisted of a good mix of new and old tracks, highlighted by Cold Cold Night, one of the few numbers in which Meg sings solo.

Throughout the 100-minute show, which featured a simple screen flashing silhouettes of Meg’s drumming and visuals of white blood cells, the pair’s chemistry was apparent.

It was, however, more like a brother and sister than former spouses, as they constantly egged one other on while trying to outplay each other on their respective instruments.

The only letdown in an otherwise solid night was the show’s monotony.

While one can respect The White Stripes for keeping their stage performance simple, with a lack of projected visuals and laser lights, there wasn’t quite enough going on to keep the crowd’s attention.

White’s amazing guitar playing and his improved stage presence, which saw him cruising all over the two-tiered stage, did help.

And the fact both members of The Stripes seemed truly thrilled to be playing in front of only 7,500 fans on a rainy June night in Calgary, made up for the rest.