Examples of #jacketmagic

[sillyboob]

I thought I'd take this topic and do a summary of the 14 My Morning Jacket shows I've seen, focusing mainly on the magic, or the unusual. 

08/03/2013 Americarama at Irvine Meadows
First time seeing My Morning Jacket, had heard some rumblings here and there about them.  I remember the Hawaii 5-0 guitar line from Off The Record, I remember Jackson Browne joined them for a couple of songs, and Ryan Bingham came out with them towards the end of their set.  At the end of Wilco's set, they came out for a cover of Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl.  For the record, Bob Dylan was terrible and this is one of the few times my wife & I have left a show early.  We figured we could beat the traffic out of Irvine Meadows and be home in the jacuzzi before the show would be over.

01/31/2015 One Big Holiday Riviera Maya, Mexico
Sooo much to say about this one.  Because we (assume any reference to we is my wife & I) both liked seeing MMJ on the Americarama tour, and we loved Band Of Horses and warm Mexican vacations, I was able to talk my wife into going to One Big Holiday 2015.  But because of the self-inflated ego of my wife's grad school teacher, who insisted that she not miss the first session of his class (1/31/2015), I attend this night solo (did I mention I talked with the guys from Band Of Horses at the airport and flew down with them).  But I wasn't alone, I was surrounded by 2000 new friends.  The War On Drugs kicked off the night, with wind and smoke and hair.  Amazing sound to these guys, they became an instant favorite (I had my suspicions I'd like them).  So now we're all waiting for my Morning Jacket.  It's balmy and a bit humid, about 80 degrees.  Strong winds blow off the ocean.  The drinks are flowing and the air is electric.  The lights go down, the mariachi intro music plays, then an ominous feedback fills the air, until you hear Patrick count in... what's this... is this Ride Like The Wind?  HOLY CRAP it is Ride Like The Wind.  What an amazing opening song.  They've only played it once, and I'm so glad they released the OBH audio because this cover is a favorite.  And that's just their first song on a 4 night music extravaganza.

Second song in, I hear that memorable Hawaii 5-0 riff from Carl's side.  Evil Urges is an early introduction to a funky side of MMJ.  And the songs just keep coming, and they're great.  Slow Slow Tune comes to an end, and they go into Drive, by The Cars.  Adam from The War On Drugs joining them.  They kill it.  Then it's into Springsteen's I'm On Fire, a hypnotic take just brought home by Tom and Patrick in-step rhythms.  I'm amazed at this point, and the night is just getting started.  I'm On Fire segues into Wicked Game, which segues into Mazzy's Star's Fade Into You.  These covers were burned into my brain.  This band knows me.  Then it's my first Steam Engine, again with Adam adding additional guitar.  Mind blown.

The encore brought the debut of Big Decisions (I strangely remember this song, even though most of these songs were first times for me).  A cool instrumental, Cobra, with Hall & Oates' I Can't Go For That (Amelia from Sylvan Esso adding vocals) into a rocking Anytime to close the show.  Luckily all of the OBH shows get released as live albums, so it's so great revisiting them.

02/01/2015 One Big Holiday Riviera Maya, Mexico
So after night one, what comes next?  The wife makes it to the Hard Rock during the Superbowl, so we get her stuff to the room then check out the massive party that is being thrown at the lagoon.  After the game, we get a short set by Pres Hall (always fun), then night two's set.  They open with mariachi intro music into Down On The Bottom, with Taylor from Dawes joining.  Another one that burned into my head.  The main set is mostly a blur, but set closer Dondante is a burner.  The encore covers were great, Luckenbach Texas, Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys with Ben from Band Of Horses, Bennie & The Jets (my wife was loving this), into a reggae song?!?  Our first Phone Went West.  Such an amazing song.  And what do they do next, they play Bob Marley.  Stir It Up, back into Phone, into Could You Be Loved?.  Touch Me 2 & Gideon close out the night with huge style.  This band was melting my brain.

Gonna put this here, because it is MMJ related.  Night three of OBH 2015 was just as epic.  Dr. Dog with a fun opening set, Band Of Horses with a great headlining set.  They played Monsters (my favorite BOH song), but they closed with a weird cover of Cruise by Florida Georgia Line.

02/03/2015 Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Mexico
Fourth show, another beautiful day in Mexico.  Band Of Horses did their laidback afternoon acoustic set.  Jacket's set brought my first War Begun, which I remember being from outer space.  A bunch of guest appearances happened over the next batch of songs, with Taylor and Ben joining in, then a very drunk Bright Eyes coming out and doing a couple of tunes.  I remember going back to space with Only Memories Remain, but then being funkified by Black Metal & Highly Suspicious back to back, with Pres Hall too!  Pres Hall stayed out for a few more, including a cover of the Stones' Happy.  The encore brought some Velvet Underground, a Ferris Bueller call out, and an even more drunk Conor screaming "Everybody must get stoned" as a mass gathering of musicians took the stage with Dylan's classic.  OBH ended the night, except for Biz Markie's "If you were born in the past 100 years, you know this song" DJing.  My first One Big Holiday in the books.

08/14/15 Red Rocks
From February to August, pretty much all I listened to was My Morning Jacket.  So going into this show, our first Red Rocks shows, I was ready.  Wordless opens the show.  Third song in is Off The Record, and I recognize it not by the Hawaii 5-0 guitar riff, but by the opening drum machine.  Our first Bermuda Highway.  Epic closing combination of Anytime, Steam Engine / Only Memories Remain / Steam Engine, Phone Went West, Magheetah.  A huge 8 song encore and our worn out selves get back to the hotel and watch some Norah Jones falling off to sleep.  Two days later we'll see the Drive-by Truckers & Alabama Shakes back at Red Rocks.

02/04/2017 Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Mexico
Back for round 2.  Stoked beyond words.  Had seen video posted online of soundcheck.  Lucius opens.  Now it's time.  What will they open with?  My favorite thing about the download of this night is whoever it is who, at 1:31 into the song, yells "Let's fucking gooooo!!!"  Five seconds later they open with This Land Is Your Land, which in the 2017 political environment, meant everything.  They follow that with I'm Amazed, and the statement has been made.  More amazing tunes, then this: Golden into Here Comes The Sun into a huge Picture Of You into Steam Engine into Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.  Oh. Holy. Crap.  What a run of songs.  And then (there always seems to be an 'and then') they closed the main set with Purple Rain.  Such a killer version, just perfect.  Only to be followed by Bermuda Highway as the encore opener.  I still feel emotional just thinking about that moment.  More encore songs, into a nearly fifteen minute Phone Went West.  That has to be it, right?  Then why is Jim holding that Stratocaster?  What are these chords?  Oh. Holy. Crap. It's Like A Rolling Stone, another perfect cover, ended their night.  We hung out for a bit for the Pres Hall set, then went and collapsed in the room  And this is only night one.

02/05/2017 Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Mexico
Highlights from the show (which was post Tom Brady and the Patriot's insane 4th quarter comeback Super Bowl win) are a great version of Jim's A New Life ("look at the moon"), that song from The Cosby Show (Night Time Is The Right Time by Roosevelt Sykes), a dark Dondante into an equally dark cover of Pink Floyd's Mother, with Lucius adding vocals.  Bowie's Rebel Rebel & Prince's Sign O' The Times are a couple more great covers.

02/08/2017 Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Mexico
First off, Carl's afternoon set may have been the set of the festival.  So laid back, perfect setting sun casting hazy shadows.  Joined by Tom and Bo, and a guitarist and drummer. He did a cool solo version of Talking Heads Once In A Lifetime, looping his guitar.  He fucked it up and started over.  He let his other guitarist take the solo in his biggest solo song, Carried Away, which I thought was very cool.  And they closed the afternoon set with a hot take on John Lennon's Gimme Some Truth (which has still yet to see the light of day, come on, where is the audio?).

Jacket's set gave us an epic (always) War Begun into I Will Sing You Songs.  IWSYS is the song that really got me into the band (along with their Storytellers episode), and I finally was hearing it live.  I remember where I was standing when it started, the grassy area in front of the rooms on Jim's side.  We get Easy by the Commodores, another spaced out Only Memories Remains (no short versions please!).  For a time there by the sea, it was only you and me.  Is there a more perfect spot to hear those lyrics?  Father Figure, with Lucius providing additional vocals is covered.  In the encore, Touch Me 2 segues into Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall Part 2, we get Burt Bacharach's What The World Needs Now Is Love, and OBH to close us out.  With the exception of a late night set by Deer Tick.

07/07/2017 Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville
The wife & I spent 4th of July week in Nashville, taking in the sites and sounds, along with a few stops at Waffle House (my favorite).  We end the trip with MMY in downtown Nashville.  A great varied show, with an early Phone Went West, a huge Carried Away.  A fun show in a great environment.

03/02/2018 Hard Rock Punta Cana, DR
After the epic haul across the US from the left coast, and then further on to the DR, we make it, coming in a day early.  We're lucky enough to catch the sound check, hearing some of Heartbreaking Man and Into The Woods.  Now we wait for day one.  Broken Social Scene open the festival and rival The War On Drugs with how great their set is.  Then it was time.  What will OBH 4 bring us?  As they start off, the pacing is a little sluggish, I wonder why is that...  Not at first realizing it was The Tennessee Fire getting played straight through.  And then people realize, and start to wonder if they're really doing the albums through?  Spoiler alert: they did.  This is different.  The TFF set gives us epics War Begun and Picture Of You back to back, while the At Dawn set give us favorite The Way That He Sings, another Bermuda Highway (can't ever get enough), with Strangulation and Phone Went West reversed to close out the night.

03/03/2018 Hard Rock Punta Cana, DR
Knowing what we knew now, there weren't many surprises.  Still some great performances.  IWSYS, Rolling Back and Steam Engine stand out for the It Still Moves set, with the Z set showing why Into The Woods isn't a set regular, as Jim struggled at times to hit the notes.  Still part of the magic, doing the whole catalog.  The shocker was the encore for the night, a full-length Cobra.

03/05/2018 Hard Rock Punta Cana, DR
So, I have to preface this set with this side note: The day before, during the Hurray For The Riff Raff set, my wife tripped and fractured her foot.  This definitely impacts a concert vacation.  She was an absolute trooper though, bless her heart.  With that said, this last night of OBH4 saw us seated watching from the platform next to the soundbooth.  Three albums.  It was fun watching the pre-planned release of hundreds of glow sticks at a time, strategically launched in unison at key points in certain songs.  There was also a giant inflatable bouncing bear at some point.  Favorite songs from this last night of OBH are Highly Suspicious (with Pres Hall), Smokin' From Shootin', and Touch Me 2; Black Metal, Slow Slow Tune, and Movin' Away; and Big Decisions and Only Memories Remain.  Which got us to the end of the albums.  The encore had Magic Bullet with Pres Hall adding some brass funk, and of course One Big Holiday.  I was hoping for a Tom Petty cover or two to close out, but it was not to be.

08/09/2019 The Capitol Theater, NY
The Tennessee Fire's anniversary show, playing the album all the way through.  Not much as far as surprises.  I do have a few distinct memories though.  The group of guys next to us who kept pulling little baggies of cocaine out of their wallets to sniff from.  The asshole who ripped a huge fart just as the guys started into Heartbreaking Man.  The epicness of Evelyn into War Begun into Picture Of You into I Will Be There When You Die.  By this point, the heat and compressed crowd were getting to us, so we moved to the back.  From there, we caught the encore, giving us a Rocket Man (with Every Rose Has It's Thorn snippet) and Tyrone.  TYRONE!!!!  So made it worth it. 

08/10/2019 Forest Hills, NY
I was lucky enough to get tickets for this show, so the wife & I planned a week in NYC, staying in Brooklyn.  We had a great week, saw a bunch of the city, and ended up going to the Capitol Theater TFF show.  Our last day is the day of the Forest Hills show, and the weather is beautiful.  Upper 70s with a breeze.  Perfect for a show.  We saw the band was in the groove the previous night, and knowing this was a one off show, we knew we were in for nothing but bangers.  The night started off with a great set by Warpaint (I flew from Long Beach, CA to NYC to see LA band Warpaint for the first time).  I really enjoyed their set, totally groovy in the setting sun's glare. 

Jacket's set was a complete singalong.  The crowd was totally into it.  No huge surprised, but the Steam Engine into Phone set closer, along with Touch Me 1 going into Touch Me 2 were definitely high points of the show.  The band brought out a new lighting rig for the four 2019 shows, and I ended up with some great pictures from Forest Hills.  This was a really high energy show.  Walked out of the stadium riding a natural high. 


Wow, okay, I guess that's my take on the My Morning Jacket magic, for the most part.  Definitely seen some amazing shows by these guys, and I feel lucky to have experienced them as many times as I have been able to.

Crazy that I've been to 12 of those shows (no RR15 or Irving Meadows) while living in Birmingham. Thanks for sharing.

Cool that we've gotten to groove together to some amazing tunes!!!  Got six more shows on the calendar, COVID willing and all that.  Here's to the next show!

[Pineapple]

Pineapple...you nailed it. I am so heartbroken I wasn't at that OBH, but I listened to them over and over. The song that I played most of all 4 nights? I Needed It Most. The harmonies from Mr. Koster played like a transcendent spirit lifting the dirge of Jim's earthy and sullen brokenness into the light. From my favorite line "when dark touches your skull" to the crescendo of "I will not crumble..." I could feel the magic from thousands of miles away. One of my favorite pieces of Jacket performance ever.

This gave me chills reading it- the magic still resonates 3 1/2 years later!