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The man who in many ways has spearheaded rock music in the 21st century has been no stranger to some of Toronto’s biggest venues, having played Budweiser Stage his previous two times in the city. For his latest tour, in support of his sixth solo album, 鈥淣o Name,鈥� White has taken a decidedly no-frills approach to his live show, opting for more intimate spaces coupled with a Ramones-like esthetic and efficiency.

The east-end club History hosted the first of his three dates here; he plays the grand old Massey Hall on Friday and Saturday.

And while he may be foregoing the kaleidoscopic video projections of past gigs, White is as energetic as ever as he approaches his 50th birthday.

On Thursday’s set list were six selections off 鈥淣o Name,鈥� a record that marks a revitalized return to the garage rock and punk blues he made famous with drummer Meg White in the White Stripes. About the only breather he took in a whirlwind, 90-minute set that seem to end all too quickly was when he traded his electric guitar for an acoustic on the slower 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Done Is Done鈥� and 鈥淟ove Interruption.鈥� Things picked right back up again for the country-tinged favourite 鈥淗otel Yorba,鈥� which White announced Stompin鈥� Tom Connors would have liked. And the sold-out crowd at History wholeheartedly agreed.

If anyone in attendance on this bitterly cold Thursday night even thought of questioning White鈥檚 political allegiances given the tensions between Canada and the country where he resides, he put those to rest with an exclamation mark early on after performing 鈥淚t’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking).鈥� For someone whose lyrics don鈥檛 feature much swearing, he went on an expletive-filled tirade about 鈥渢he biggest rat of all, Donald Trump鈥� to rapturous applause. He also made sure to remind the crowd how his Gillis family鈥檚 roots go all the way back to Nova Scotia.

While introducing his current group (including Patrick Keeler on drums and Bobby Emmett on keys) he mentioned how bassist and childhood friend Dominic Davis once rode his bike across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit into Canada. White then yearned out loud how it would be nice to go back to those days of friendliness and co-operation between neighbouring nations.

Openers Bad Waitress bill themselves as a 海角社区官网band, but singer Kali-Ann Butala took the growl out of her voice long enough to tell a sweet story about growing up in Yellowknife and chasing down the White Stripes’ car following their 2007 concert in one of Canada鈥檚 most remote towns. She ended up getting a wave from White, and now, nearly 20 years later, is sharing the stage with him.聽

For a White Stripes purist, this show would have been a revelation, as a third of the songs were cuts from the band鈥檚 first four albums. However, in maybe the biggest surprise of all, the familiar riff of their biggest hit, 鈥淪even Nation Army,鈥� went unheard at History. Its omission may mean White is using this mini-residency as an opportunity to remind us what a vast catalogue he has to draw from.

Can’t wait to see (and hear) what other surprises he has in store for his 海角社区官网fans.