IQALUIT–Does anyone else get the sense that the White Stripes are applying for the job of Canada's favourite band?

They've had the appropriate, red-and-white colour scheme down for years, so the presence of a single, crimson maple leaf on front man Jack White's guitar amp throughout the duo's breathless set at Iqaluit's Arctic Winter Games Arena last night was so unobtrusive that one didn't even realize it was there until halfway through the show.

Beyond that, though, the Detroit-born, lately Nashville-based duo is so obviously thrilled to be playing to grateful audiences in every out-of-the-way nook and cranny of the country on its current tour.

Seriously, in more than a decade as a rock critic, I have never seen a rock band smile as much onstage as Jack and his uncharacteristically glowing drummer/"big sister" Meg did last night — that they're likely to walk away from this trip with honorary Canadian citizenships.

Call it a publicity stunt to drive up domestic sales of the Stripes' terrific new record, Icky Thump, if you will, but there's no way anyone's making any money off lugging families, a road crew and thousands of pounds of gear between arctic outposts like Whitehorse, Yellowknife and the wonderful little Nunavut capital of Iqaluit – easily the smallest and most remote destination Jack and Meg have ever blown into –before hitting such neglected eastern locales as Glace Bay and St. John's in the weeks ahead.

The White Stripes are doing this because they want to, pure and simple, and their evident pleasure at being able to see this part of the world fairly oozed from the stage all through their 90-minute set.

Iqaluit will, it's safe to say, welcome the White Stripes – who spent the day checking out the rugged northern scenery, perusing the local Alianait! arts festival and dining on raw caribou with Inuit elders – back with open arms.

For a crowd of 600 (a small number, perhaps, but that's nearly one-tenth of Iqaluit's 7,000 residents), the audience in the Arctic Winter Games Arena transmitted a consistent, giddy energy rarely witnessed at shows in Toronto.

All the non-stop dancing and squealing on the floor – filled as much with moms, dads and small children as it was Iqaluit's remarkably hip and happenin' young people, not to mention the Nunavut territory's premier, Paul Okalik – was soaked up and spat back from the stage in a performance unhinged even by the White Stripes' lofty standards.

Jack screamed himself raw on searing versions of "I'm Slowly Turning Into You," "Icky Thump" and "The Hardest Button to Button," and threw himself into an encore rendition of the anthem "Seven Nation Army" with such violent gusto that a guitar tech had to whip out after one verse and repair his tormented guitar while he and Meg adlibbed briefly on an organ.

In a marked departure from his usual, standoffish stage demeanour, he beamingly took a request for "Fell In Love With a Girl" from the crowd and coaxed the mob to sing along with the chorus to "De Ballit of De Boll Weevil." And the dedication that led into the winning ballad "We're Going to Be Friends" was downright sweet.

"If we stay here a couple more days we're gonna know everyone in town," he laughed. "What do you say, Meg? You wanna stay here another week?"

One got the distinct sense they were actually mulling it. A tip of the hat, then, White Stripes, for bothering to bring rock `n' roll to places most Canadians, let alone Canadian bands, never get to visit. When your home country goes finally, completely to hell, you're more than welcome to join us up here.