Jack White gets a 50th birthday serenade from John C. Reilly at Detroit Tigers game

Detroit rocker Jack White got to celebrate his 50th birthday Wednesday in grand and quirky hometown style: a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” from actor friend John C. Reilly at Comerica Park.
Reilly, clad in a Tigers 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R15e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R25e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeThen came the moment that clearly surprised White: With a count of “1, 2, 3,” Reilly led the crowd in 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 Wednesday 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1ce4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2ce4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeReilly also noted that his jersey was the same one he wore in the 1999 movie “For Love of the Game,” the Kevin Costner feature 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 [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jack White gets a 50th birthday song from John C. Reilly at Tigers game