Northampton show...

[pingybrown]

...kicked ass. A new sound with the addition of Carl on guitar. He didn't have the same kind of intensity as Johnny, but sounded great nonetheless. I do miss Johnny though. His stage presence and frantic playing. He rocked a little harder. Not to diminish Carl's playing abilities or anything. He's got his own style and I respect that. I just could tell that Johnny was missing and it kinda bummed me out that he wasn't up there. MMJ will continue on and I will be at every show that I can. peas.

[Sooner]

Yeah,

Johnny was definitely missed up there. However, Carl seems to have more technical and stylistic ability on the guitar. Should help to move the sound forward a little, which never hurts. Plus, he's still pretty new, give him a few more tours and i bet you he'll rock out with his c?ck out then.

plus. SOONER! was played. I'm psyched about that.

-Dr. Dog Fan.

[erik swanson]

My first MMJ show totally blew me away!  I was sweating my ass off in Pearl Street jumping to every note--I love these guys.  PLUS--BONUS!!!!--All the guys signed one of the tour posters I received as a member of the street team and buddy system.  I was totally psyched to meet the guys up close and tell them how much the music means to me.  The show was wicked tight and Jim's voice was spot on.  Thanks for the music guys and COME BACK SOON!
Erik

[eric_clapton]

My first MMJ show, reluctantly fell in love with "it still moves",became totally haunted by the songs, had to play them over and over, dragged 3 concert buddies up to northampton, cuz I had a good feeling we were in for a great live show. What an understatement! We were unanimously and totally blown away...Never would have expected such a tight, explosive live experience from listening to the disc,now that I've seen them the discs are even more fun..Help me out, what was the slower song where jim jammed on that long sick, sick guitar solo? thanks see you next time gr

[lfish]

Though I wasn't there, I would dare to say Jim was playing War Begun from their first album The Tennessee Fire.  On Cd this song only last for three minutes or something, but live it can last for ten minutes or longer, depends on how his improvisation gets along.

[pingybrown]

here's another review of the show. http://www.metroland.net/live.html

Movin' Right Along
By Ashley Hahn

My Morning Jacket, Dr. Dog
Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton, Mass., Jan. 26

My first experience seeing My Morning Jacket was two years ago when they were touring on their second full-length album, At Dawn, and I was so thoroughly underwhelmed. Their set was an unbroken roar of psychedelic metal dueling with Southern rock, replete with Flying Vs and flowing tresses worthy of Valhallan rock gods. But the sheer oddity of the performance couldn't overcome the fact that Jim James' subtle melodies were lost amid the band's wall of sludge. What sounded beautiful on the albums was rocked to an unrecognizable extent, and I expected a repeat performance on Monday night. How wrong I was.

When they opened with "Mahgeetah," the leadoff track from their newest album, It Still Moves, it was obvious that My Morning Jacket have found balance. Live, they're finally using the power packed by occasional punches instead of giving in to total sonic overload. At moments, the quietude of some songs was recaptured, while in others the band played like a wrecking ball.

James delivered note-perfect renditions of his songs from somewhere behind his trademark tresses with his voice drenched in ever-present reverb. The band tore through a rapturous set of material primarily from their last two albums, without a peep until 10 songs in, much to the delight of the crowd. No one—from the middle-aged man playing air piano to the indier-than-thous actually grooving along—seemed able to resist the charged performance.

As the story goes, James' life was changed when his mom bought him Neil Young's Harvest as a kid, so it's no surprise that MMJ gravitate toward Crazy Horse-inspired jams. They made each song's inevitable crescendo burst with ratcheted-up rock-outs that set songs like "Run Thru" ablaze in soaring explosions. And their intense, stormy rendition of "One Big Holiday" made me think of Kiss' "Black Diamond" if Skynyrd had done it—all hair and pulsating power.

It's also notable that MMJ are touring with two substitutes in their midst after their keyboardist and founding guitar player announced their retirement from the band last week. Their big shoes are formidably filled at the moment by touring guitarman Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster. Broemel in particular was far from shy, and shredded his solos, despite the fact that his hair was far too coiffed to truly fit in. When he finally took a breather, James swept his hair out of his face, graciously thanking not only the audience, but the substitute band members who, he said, "kicked their asses" coming to the tour with almost no practice. He added that he needed a Tetanus shot because his bare feet kept finding nails onstage, and he'd be happy to receive one at the merch table if there was a professional in the house.

James encored with three solo acoustic songs and brought the band back for a few more for the road, while the crowd lapped up every last note and roared for more. After more than 300 shows in the last year and a half, MMJ have discovered the golden mean that allows their songs to alternately breathe and wail.

The openers, Dr. Dog, were a bizarre circus act of guys who reminded me of an unholy union of Ween, Smoking Popes and any number of new-era jam bands. Their occasional squawking and dissonant digressions were hard on the ears, and their melodic and rhythmic antics tried my patience. A valiant effort, but they might take a cue from the road-seasoned veterans in MMJ, who have a show that would please even Goldilocks.