Jack White gets 50th birthday serenade from John C. Reilly at Detroit Tigers game
Detroit rocker Jack White got to celebrate his 50th birthday Wednesday, July 9, in grand and quirky hometown style: with a rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" from actor friend John C. Reilly at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
Reilly, clad in a Tigers baseball jersey, stepped to the mound ahead of the team's game versus the Tampa Bay Rays. At first, it looked to be your standard ceremonial first pitch by a visiting celebrity.
White, a lifelong Tigers fan, sat in a stadium suite with his wife and mom.
Then came the moment that clearly surprised White: With a count of "1, 2, 3," Reilly led the crowd in a birthday serenade to his musician pal.
The live sing along was followed by "Seven Nation Army" over the PA at Comerica Park, where that White Stripes classic has been a longtime go-to song for the Tigers.
Reilly is a Chicago-born comic actor and musician who befriended White years ago through their shared bond as Midwestern-raised Catholics. In 2011, he released a pair of country singles via White's Third Man Records and more recently took a starring role in the music video for "Archbishop Harold Holmes," a hit track from White's "No Name" album.
In a follow-up interview July 9 in the Tigers' broadcast booth, Reilly confirmed that the supersized birthday greeting was a surprise for White, who didn't even know his actor friend was at the ballpark.
Reilly also noted that his jersey was the same one he wore in the 1999 movie "For Love of the Game," the Kevin Costner film in which Reilly played a fictional Tigers catcher.
White, a southwest Detroit native, was born on July 9, 1975. He went on to form the White Stripes and lead a Motor City rock renewal at the turn of the 21st century.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.