Roll Call -- SF -- Nob Hill Masonic Center -- ALL 3 NIGHTS!!!

[buymycar]

Carl was on fire tonight. I saw him look down at his hand after Easy Morning Rebel and it was shaking. He really enjoys playing that song. And I can see why, it kicks ass live!

Kind of a different experience tonight. The crowd was bigger and louder and more obnoxious. Friday night brings out the first class d-bags, it seems.

The show sounded a whole lot louder than Thursday night, too. Did anyone else feel that way or do I need to adjust my earplugs?

So happy to hear Tonight I Want To Celebrate With You, which did not feature the omnichord. Was ecstatic when they followed it up with War Begun and I Will Sing You Songs.

Nothing To It and State of the Art sound fantastic with the full band, but I kinda wish I could hear more MMJ tracks.

Can't wait to hear what tomorrow brings.

[mentos]

great show last night!

[Varitek]

Spot on review from buymycar IMO. Lot of great possibilities for tonight. Let's do it again   

[mahgeetah]

Fruit Bats played (I think) the exact same setlist as Thursday. Tony The Tripper, Ruminant Band, Unusual Friend, new song (w/ banjo), Love Somebody closer... 2 or 3 others. Played 35 minutes. Sound was a little more dialed in than Thursday. I'll try to make a stronger mental note tonight of their songs (before I get blasted for MMJ).

And Wild Honey was amazing...

[Stevie]

just got a chance to listen to the first 10 songs from night 1... WOW!!

what a strange and awesome feeling that must have been to be in the audience and get so many mellow songs right off of the bat.  beautifully and expertly performed, it really seemed to be a new level for them in terms of building and performing such a unique and harmonious set of songs, especially At Dawn through Like a River.  Speaking of Like a River..

They FINALLY did it justice live.  Maybe this was the hardest song for them to translate from the studio but i felt like in previous renditions the ending got a little short-changed.  Not this time.  While it wasn't quite the wailing, shrieking ending of the album version, it still felt explosive and transcendent.

I'm thinking now that New York could get a more laid back set like that as well,  the odds are good.  4 nights, lots of time to fill, and sentimental holiday stuff in the air.  I would miss two thanksgivings to go back in time and be able to attend Night 1 of SF. 

..and now one of the coolest Dondantes i've heard in a while. 

[Stevie]

..and... what a HELL OF A JOB on that recording!

Jim's guitar on Dondante is crystal clear

[GO4IT]

mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/download/2a7ovhbaohlzli9/MMJ_2015-10-15_mp3.zip

Thanks, jYac, for sending along the link!!!  Listening to this literally "at dawn" this morning really made my day.

[silentjay]

Anybody know where the aftershow is tonight?

[meltingaway]

but that first show though...

Pictura De Tu!!!!

[tippitoes22]

Fruit Bats played (I think) the exact same setlist as Thursday. Tony The Tripper, Ruminant Band, Unusual Friend, new song (w/ banjo), Love Somebody closer... 2 or 3 others. Played 35 minutes. Sound was a little more dialed in than Thursday. I'll try to make a stronger mental note tonight of their songs (before I get blasted for MMJ).

And Wild Honey was amazing...

Thanks mahgeetah... MUCHAS GRACIAS!
-Super Jelous of y'all gettin to see EDJ sing with Yim :)
(Hell, super jealous period, those selists look HOT!!!)

have a good show,
Tippy

[Varitek]

10.17.2015
Nob Hill Masonic Center
San Francisco, CA

Victory Dance
Compound Fracture
Evil Urges
The Way That He Sings
I'm Amazed
Hillside Song
Where To Begin
Thin Line
Evelyn Is Not Real
Masterplan
Steam Engine
Lay Low
I Think I'm Going To Hell
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' w/ Eric Johnson
Run Thru
(encore break)
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt 1
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt 2->
Cobra->
One Big Holiday

[mdbee]

but that first show though...

Pictura De Tu!!!!

Agree. Loved all three shows, but the first was magical

[rossini]

I may have already said this but with all three in the books.. night 1 was the most unique, profound MMJ show I've ever witnessed.  Truly magical in such a unique and blissful sort of way.  That show will be one of legend.

[buymycar]

I'd like to give a coherent review of night 3, but my brain melted sometime during Steam Engine. I will say that Big Decisions is in the doghouse, as that was the only Waterfall tune they didn't play over the 3 nights. Maybe it strains Jim's voice like Remnants? I'll take Hillside Song in trade, though. That was pretty sweet.

I'll agree with the sentiment...night 1 followed by night 3 followed by night 2.

[jaye]

Carl was on fire tonight. I saw him look down at his hand after Easy Morning Rebel and it was shaking. He really enjoys playing that song. And I can see why, it kicks ass live!

Kind of a different experience tonight. The crowd was bigger and louder and more obnoxious. Friday night brings out the first class d-bags, it seems.

The show sounded a whole lot louder than Thursday night, too. Did anyone else feel that way or do I need to adjust my earplugs?

So happy to hear Tonight I Want To Celebrate With You, which did not feature the omnichord. Was ecstatic when they followed it up with War Begun and I Will Sing You Songs.

Nothing To It and State of the Art sound fantastic with the full band, but I kinda wish I could hear more MMJ tracks.

Can't wait to hear what tomorrow brings.

Carl was unreal.  And yes my ears were ringing all night after the show! 

[ElHombreLobo]

My son was at night 3. He's in the army, currently in Monterey and saturday was the only night he could get off post. Meanwhile, I was in KY staying way up past my bedtime awaiting his pics, texts, and social media updates. He got what would have been my dream setlist. So jealous.

[Stevie]

After listening to the full recording of Night 1, I can firmly say that that was a LEGENDARY performance.  Let's take a look at the first 7 songs:

1.  At Dawn
2.  Bermuda Highway
3.  Get the Point
4.  Golden
5.  Like a River
6.  A New Life

That's bold.  That's EXTREMELY bold.  You have a band that has a reputation for high energy, explosive shows playing a 3 night run in a major market, and they come out with 5 acoustic songs in a row followed by a song that the band has only played one other time together.  I couldn't help but think that this may have been a tip of the cap to groups like CSNY with all of that plucking going on.  But it's so much more than just being unique or rare, or that the songs were mostly acoustic.  There is an emotional depth here that you don't always reach with some of the more high energy songs and a theme of triumph and transcendence that finally peaks and explodes during A New Life.  Then, Circuital (a song that I generally tolerate more than enjoy) becomes the PERFECT bridge to what will be a more upbeat leg of the setlist.  I've never heard Circuital like that before. 

Other things that make this show just so absolutely amazing:

1.  The crowd:  I've never heard a crowd THAT QUIET for Dondante before.. ever.  Either that was some wonderful work by the guy that did the recording, or that was THE MOST respectful crowd I have ever witnessed.  You could have heard a pin drop when Jim went into his first set of hushed improvs.  It was as if they hung on every note, just as I always attempt to do with a level of success that is sometimes negatively influenced by those around me.  Also, the crowd's song recognition for the rarest tracks really impressed me.  Many seemed to know Old September Blues, Picture of You, and Carried Away after only a couple of notes.  And speaking of Carried Away...

2.  How beautiful was that?  How powerful was that?!  It's always so great to see Carl get some of the spotlight after all that he does (and he really does do A LOT) to supplement was Jim is doing.  When he does get it, he doesn't disappoint and he does it his way. 

3.  just in terms of rarity alone:  At Dawn, Bermuda Highway, Get the Point, Like a River, A New Life, XMas Curtain, Old Sep Blues, Picture of You, They Ran, Lowdown, Quick Like a Flash, O is the One, Knot, Slow, Down on the Bottom, Carried Away.. ALL IN ONE SET!!  That's practically a full set of songs that have some element of rarity to them.  (i know the two tracks from the Waterfall aren't SUPER rare but they are not commonly played like the others from the album).  I've long thought about devising a ranking system based on frequency of live renditions so that we can get a quick number for how rare overall a setlist is.  I think i've seen something similar with other bands like Dave or Pearl Jam.  If we did have that system, I think this would be the hands down winner for overall rarity (if we are talking about MMJ, Jim, and Carl originals and not including covers). 

..alright.  I think that's enough.  I'm on a high right now that I never thought I could achieve without actually being at the show.  I see a pattern though.. finally... if you look at Chicago Night 1, it's not really like SF night 1, but the rarity factor, and the mellow factor, is most definitely there.  I think when they have shows on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday nights, especially when it's a 3 nght run and they know they have to save their heavy hitters for the nights when more people will show up, you will get shows a bit more like SF Night 1.. but i don't want to take away from what was surely a night for the ages.  My only hope, after this, is that the band now realizes that they can go even further outside of the formula and people will still have an amazing time.  It's my one wish, that they continue to experiment and evolve their live setting to the point where some day you will truly not know what to expect when you go to a Jacket show.  Time will tell.

[jaye]

^^^  Excellent summary Stevie.  It was all that and more. 

  I've long thought about devising a ranking system based on frequency of live renditions so that we can get a quick number for how rare overall a setlist is. 

Someone on the forum must have this already??

[Shug]

I thought night 2 was the heads-down Rock-the-hell-out best show of the run by a large margin. I like my MMJ rockin' and that made night 2 stand out but I also felt the band was tight, focused, confident and effortlessly took control in laying down the rock. I felt the crowd was on the same wavelength of musical telepathy as the band and all that made the night a symbiotic feeding frenzy of the finest kind!  We all have our different fave styles and songs from Jacket and its damn amazing they can do three consecutive shows so different from one another and so high quality too, but night 2, for me, was a near-perfect example of why MMJ is the best live band in the world right now

[Varitek]

What a great run of shows. I feel very fortunate to have seen this band at this stage of there career do a 3 night stand in that venue. Beautifully constructed setlists, fantastic sound. Had a different vantage point each night and enjoyed them all. It's a great time to be a live music fan. So many solid live acts playing in nice venues with My Morning Jacket at the top of my favorites list. I feel like I'm a bit older than the majority of the fan base and I was worried I might become the jaded "all the best music already happened" type of guy who sucks the life out of music conversations. MMJ have revived me and this run proved that the best is yet to come....