"An Evening With..."

[walterfredo]

Really wish the band would scrap the opening acts entirely. "An Evening With My Morning Jacket" is always preferred, and I think most fans feel the same way. Even when it's an opener that I enjoy, we are all really there to see MMJ.

Can we please just stop with the opening bands!!?? It detracts far more than it adds. 2.5-3 hours of the jacket, please and thank you!

[dookie shoot bandit]

Really wish the band would scrap the opening acts entirely. "An Evening With My Morning Jacket" is always preferred, and I think most fans feel the same way. Even when it's an opener that I enjoy, we are all really there to see MMJ.

Can we please just stop with the opening bands!!?? It detracts far more than it adds. 2.5-3 hours of the jacket, please and thank you!

^ this
YES PLEASE 

[ericm]

Right there with you Walter. 

Bums me out even more when there's a curfew and an opening act. That's the double whammy of bummed for me.

[mdgsolo]

I don't entirely disagree- but it's complicated.  This is a great way for bands on the come up to get a boost or endorsement from the main act and for the fans to discover a 'new' band too.  The 'warm up' aspect is a great part of it also in theory- however, when you have a unique band such as MMJ with this much depth and catalog to pull from, 'Evening With' would always be my personal preference.  It's kind of like: if you're super in love with someone and you go out with another couple (no matter how much you like them) but the whole time you're just thinking- "man, I wish it was just me and her.."

[Lonndown27]

YES......GET RID OF OPENING BANDS.
When I saw them in 2012 there was a local opener and he was all solo, no fuss left in 25 minutes and then it was all MMJ for exactly 2 hrs 40 mins. With an opener, you have to cut out War Begun, 4 minutes of Run Thru, the 7 minute Gideon, maybe even Phone Went West.

CAN THE OPENERS. 3 HOURS BABY. WELCOME TO THE FEVERDOME

[ranyart]

I always loved going to Dead shows and hearing folks asking who the opening band is.  And why are they starting so late.

[shumatec1012]

I actually really enjoy seeing who the band chooses to open for them. This band's influences are so varried, and they themselves arguably got their first break as an opener- I think that its in the spirit of diversity and music to keep an open mind towards their openers ( I've been turned on to: Dr. Dog, Floating Action, Strand of Oaks, some of my favorite music)

Also- MMJ exerts A lot of energy on stage- for that to be sustainable as our boys enter their 40's- I'm fine with the abbreviated two hour sets- understanding that it might be needed to not " phone it in" or burn out.

Unpopular opinion.. :P

[ericm]

I always loved going to Dead shows and hearing folks asking who the opening band is.  And why are they starting so late.

Haha. Classic.

I get a kick out of people at Bruce shows being bummed when he doesn't start exactly the time it says on the ticket. I'm like who cares? We don't have an opener to deal with and he'll play practically all damn night anyway.

[ericm]

I actually really enjoy seeing who the band chooses to open for them. This band's influences are so varried, and they themselves arguably got their first break as an opener- I think that its in the spirit of diversity and music to keep an open mind towards their openers ( I've been turned on to: Dr. Dog, Floating Action, Strand of Oaks, some of my favorite music)

Also- MMJ exerts A lot of energy on stage- for that to be sustainable as our boys enter their 40's- I'm fine with the abbreviated two hour sets- understanding that it might be needed to not " phone it in" or burn out.

Unpopular opinion.. :P

I can respect your thoughts and opinion in the first paragraph. To each their own and I don't think those of us wanting "An Evening With" has much to do with the actual openers themselves, it's the time it takes away from MMJ on stage that we don't like.

As for your second paragraph I gotta call BS on that type of thinking. Yes they exert a lot of energy on stage but that's what they do.

If Springsteen and the E St Band after decades of touring can put  on a rocking four hour show in their mid to late sixties with no intermission or encore break, I don't think a band approaching their forties would have a hard time playing 2.5 - 3 hour shows. Especially when the band has such a nice extensive acoustic catalog where they could definitely ratchet it down for a bit if needed.

[shumatec1012]

 

That's fair. I think another consideration is how Jim and the boys really do like to hang, and have a great sense of comradery with a lot of other musicians out there. Life on the road is hard- it's better when you can bring your friends/ make new friends.

I recall Jim talking about how excited he was to tour with Dylan, thinking he would hang with him every night and how disappointed he was that Dylan said two words to him the whole tour, and was incredibly reclusive.

I def get the impression there are some very genuine vibes occurring back stage at a jacket show 

[Lonndown27]

exactly the band can pace themselves with a laaaaarge array of slower songs, plenty of which we love that are ignored, such as Where to Begin, Strangulation!, They Ran, Rollin Back, etc but Jim could hate Rollin Back for all I know.

[justbcuzido]

I would love this; however, I'm going to guess that the band doesn't want to routinely do 3-4 hour shows. Over the years it seems the sets have gotten tighter/shorter with the occasional 3+ hour show being rarer and rarer.

Just hearing about how much touring damaged their bodies kind of makes me think they wont be playing these marathon sets routinely. Who knows though, Jim seems to be in the best shape he's ever been in so maybe they will be up to it.

[ericm]

I would love this; however, I'm going to guess that the band doesn't want to routinely do 3-4 hour shows. Over the years it seems the sets have gotten tighter/shorter with the occasional 3+ hour show being rarer and rarer.

Just hearing about how much touring damaged their bodies kind of makes me think they wont be playing these marathon sets routinely. Who knows though, Jim seems to be in the best shape he's ever been in so maybe they will be up to it.

Yeah I agree about those long shows. We probably won't see them regularly again except maybe a Roo or NYE type of night.

All of us here obviously love this band and their live shows. I don't think anyone expects marathon shows, at least I know I don't. It's just their shows are so damn good we want more.

Here's hoping as the guys get their stage legs under them as the tour progresses the shows get to at least the 2:30 range. I don't think that's too much to hope for or even expect from them considering how much great material they have to draw from.

Just my .02 

[justbcuzido]

I would love this; however, I'm going to guess that the band doesn't want to routinely do 3-4 hour shows. Over the years it seems the sets have gotten tighter/shorter with the occasional 3+ hour show being rarer and rarer.

Just hearing about how much touring damaged their bodies kind of makes me think they wont be playing these marathon sets routinely. Who knows though, Jim seems to be in the best shape he's ever been in so maybe they will be up to it.

Yeah I agree about those long shows. We probably won't see them regularly again except maybe a Roo or NYE type of night.

All of us here obviously love this band and their live shows. I don't think anyone expects marathon shows, at least I know I don't. It's just their shows are so damn good we want more.

Here's hoping as the guys get their stage legs under them as the tour progresses the shows get to at least the 2:30 range. I don't think that's too much to hope for or even expect from them considering how much great material they have to draw from.

Just my .02 

Totally agree! I am always left wanting more which is always a good sign. I do really hope that after this long break and they get a few shows under their belts again that we get more towards the 2:30 range as well as the standard with the occasional special marathon show. No matter what, like everyone else, I am just grateful for what we get!