Philadelphia Show 5/21

[EC]

But what was with JJ's bandage

?

Yay show!

[Ross]

Don't get me wrong - the show was FANTASTIC, and I REALLY look forward to seeing MMJ again. But that was short as hell.

[Rya]

Jim has an ace bandage wrapped around his head for the first song.  His hair is cut pretty short compared to how long it was. But at the end of the song, the bandage was at the very top of his head with hair coming out of the top like a volcano.

With his new hair cut and beard, he looks like Will Ferrell in "Anchorman" when he's down and out drinking milk on the street.

[doEVILslittle]

Don't get me wrong - the show was FANTASTIC, and I REALLY look forward to seeing MMJ again. But that was short as hell.

yeah it was pretty short...but being first row and making everyone stand up was worth it just to be there...rockin show...loved the maestro..i got his setlist. I wasn't familiar with a few of the tunes, am i just being a newbie or are they new songs or ones they usually do live that aren't on any of their releases? on the setlist they are listed as "off the record" (which somehow i did recognize and i think at some points they played the cobra drumbeat) "what a" and "don dante." i have pretty much everything they've recorded save the two new darla releases, and still didn't recognize anyone wanna help out?

there were also two more songs on the setlist one i didn't recognize "it beats for you" and my favorite mmj song "run through thru" (written verbatim) that seem to have been written on by jim himself comparing album note handwritting. kinda disappointing they didn't come back for those last two. run thru would of left me speechless this morning

[BIGVICLBI]

Dude thanks for making everyone stand up, I worked myself into a sweat during One Big Holiday and I was sitting down. That new song when everyone stood up started slow and then went incredibly hard, awesome to the nth degree! Magheetah also started slowly and my stupid ass was almost dissapointed because it seemed like they were holding back, but then when they went wild it was totally awesome. Jim had a shit eating grin on his face during Magheetah, it was so cool to see how into it he was!!I can say that the first time I heard Jim sing solo I was farther from the stage and have to say that his voice is done more justice than it was in the 8th row where I sat, everything was so loud but believe me it was awesome. I really would like to see a show where there is no seating so there would be a better vibe. I thought the conductor thing was cool but kind of wore thin as the night went on. I am Definately going to Penns Landing and any other show I can wiggle away from work.

[britton]

rya is right, this was a radio show featuring mmj.  the other artists were good too, i enjoyed west indian girl and son volt a lot (plus all the uncle tupelo irony of mmj playing with both son volt and wilco in a month's time). the problem with show's like this is that everyone comes out and races through their tunes without relaxing or getting into the crowd, plus there were many songs by many of the groups which were completely new (which, i think, is good and bad).  i thought the my morning jacket section was brilliant.  i guess that was jim james' idea of theater attire?  his hair looked less gov't mule style and more like the irish guy from braveheart.  i think the only words he said to the crowd were "my friend" between songs.  very cryptic, but i guess he's getting back into things after 6 (?) months off the road.  the new songs sounded typically jamesian - curious, delicate, and explosive.  the maestro added so much, speaking with speculation, it felt more like an event than a concert - maybe like an mmj halloween show?  if only carl had gotten that bari sax blowing...

[hellaciousc]

MMJ rocked.  it was a weird environment though, as it was a sit down theater and they only had 45 minutes to play.  i assumed they wore the t-shirt suits and had a conductor since it was in a 'theater'.  that's funny.

Jim skipped the whole second stanza of One Big Holiday.  Don't know why.  He stepped up to the mic to sing it, then kinda grinned, and stepped backed and wailed on the guitar.

it was rockin.
the new songs sounded good.  (i assume they were new songs).
Mahgeetah was awesome.

son volt was good, but didn't play enough old stuff for my liking.   their new stuff sounded good to though--- i would have liked more of the 'classics' from them though.

i enjoyed Bob Mould's set too.
glad he's given up on the electronica.
good stuff.

[EC]

Yaaayyyy!!  I was wondering when you'd make it to post.

From an outsider, it all sounds really weird.  Jim wearing a bandage on his head.  Some maestro?  But ONLY for MMJ?  I wonder if that's going to be the new thing...  I wonder who the maestro was...  Tuxedo t-shirts?  

So, just to be clear, Jim doesn't have any head injuries, the whole thing was just, like a costume or something.  (right?)

It sounds like maybe he forgot the words in One Big Holiday...  Or else maybe the leather kids weren't being loud enough.

Awww, BIGVIC, I'm so excited that you had a good time.  That's really nice.  :)  (Not that you should care that I'm so happy about your being happy, but I just liked reading your posts.)

[Joe]

Anyone tape this show? i drove up from Raleigh, NC to see it, was blown away!

I saw a video taper and audio mics set up around the soundboard.

I have plenty to trade.  www.geocities.com/binky132

I'm also looking to trade other MMJ shows too!

thanks in advance,
joe
thatbeat@hotmail.com

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

so.  very.  jealous!  :o

[thatbeat]

If the video taper needs help transferring to dvd, i'm more than happy to help!

[hellaciousc]

yeah, no actual head injury as far as i could tell.
i think it was all part of the elaborate 'costumes'.

jim had a suit jacket, and 1 of those t-shirts that makes you look like you're wearing a tux.  the rest of the band had the tux t-shirts too.

i wonder if the bandage was an homage to his haircut perhaps?

[asthma]

i was not pleased that the
management said no encore due to neighborhood...
but MMJ fuckin destroyed last nite... worth putting
up w. all the other acts just for their set.

anyway... taken from the setlist:

off the record
one big holiday
the way that he sings
the bear
what a
don dante
mahgeetah

it beats for you
run thru

i assume the last two werent played?

[Ryan Cormi]

Yeah -- they didn't get to the last two.

Who said no encore because of the neighborhood? I can't believe that was the reason for the 11 p.m. cut off.

[Ronnie Dobbs]

The curfew has everything to do with the Tower - they curfew isn't as strict during the summer months (from June on), but it's a pretty tight 11 p.m. rule ... I've seen a bunch of shows there and they only last past 11 during the summer ....

Overall a great set. "Off the Record" and "What A" were the strongest of the news songs IMO. "Don Dante" was ok - but there is a lot going on so I imagine that it's gonig to be a much different beast on the new LP.

Saw JJ before the show and asked a coupla questions - he said the new album is called "Z," but you never know. He's operating on a different level.

"Off the Record" is built a round a riff that sounds a little like the themee to Hawaii Five-Oh ... the chorus and the outro are ace. "What A" featured JJ on a 12-string electric guitar and the band launched right into it. Very little intro -just a big guitar sound and immediate vox.

Jason Mraz played about four songs before MMJ and each song put me close to suicide. He's good at what he does, but so is acid rain. And if I had to choose between enduring either, I'd probably leave it up to a coin flip. It's just that bad.

[EC]

He's good at what he does, but so is acid rain.

That is fucking hilarious.

Thank you for all the notes regarding the new songs.  Mmmmmmm can't wait to hear themmmmmmm...

[kymoose]

Ronnie, that's some good shizite.  Thanks for the insights.

[havibulin]

http://www.dondante.com/

[doEVILslittle]

upper darby really isn't that bad of a neighborhood...what's the deal with all this curfew talk, is that really true? the electric factory is in a much worse neighborhood and i know for a fact there's no curfew there

[kerri]

As far as I know, curfews are set so the noise doesn't disturb the neighborhood surrounding the club. I don't think it has anything to do with whether the area is safe or unsafe. Clubs in better neighborhoods are probably more likely to have curfews.