What's black and white and red all over?

When the White Stripes' Elephant was first released, a friend of mine asked me when the Detroit rock duo was going to "give up on the red and white thing and dress normally again." It seemed like a ridiculous question. When the White Stripes open their closets there are seven pairs of red, white and black pants hung next to seven red, white and black shirts. Like Charlie Brown or Nickelodeon's Doug, there is a uniform to be donned.

In cartoon cities, the weather always seems to warrant wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Since the White Stripes' introduction into the musical community, the climate of rock and roll has seemed well suited for raw riffs, endearing amateur thumpage and alternating black and white pant legs. So why bother spending time picking out different clothes every morning?

White Stripes posters of the past two years have often embraced the duo's tri-chromatic tendencies. The art becomes about reinvention of the theme, freshening an identity set in blood and soot and the absence of the like. Swirled peppermint lollipops, mammoth enraged scarlet elephants, close up photos collaged with crimson cityscapes, skeletons and detectives and heart-shaped guitars - all imagined in hues of cherry and newsprint.

I come to the White Stripes tonight because they have begun to announce plans for their upcoming tour. It only seems natural that the new concert posters absorb the rules and shades of their predecessors. But perhaps this year Satan will tempt poster artists to break the Stripes' garage god color code. If song titles are any indication, Latin America-bound cardboard should be on the lookout for a sapphire invasion.