Boston Night of Supreme Awesomeness Part I

[EC]

Talk about it here.  

[SpacedCowboy]

Gonna save my full impressions for after tomorrow nights show...  but to anyone still considering going but havent quite decided... GO

setlist tonight (out of order, possibly an ommision):

At Dawn
Gideon
I will Sing you Songs
Wordless Chorus
Just one thing
The way that he Sings
Golden
Steam Engine
Bermuda Highway (Just Jim and orchestra)
Run Thru

[corey]

Steam Engine with an orchestra. Wow. Wow.

[midwesterner]

Any idea when they went on and when they played until?  I am driving up from NYC and can't wait.

[MyLifeISought]

I think i would have passed out during a Run Thru with orchestra

[Mr. T.]

Bermuda Highway (Just Jim and orchestra)

*fainting*

 :o

[Fizz]

last night was incredible.  this was my very first MMJ performance and i think i picked an excellent one to sit in on.  now, i hope they come around again and play a proper show, although if they did another orchestra gig i would buy tickets again in a heartbeat.

[BH]

Some lady reviewed this in the globe and claimed that MMJ and the Pops were both trying not to step on the other's toes and the result was less than inspiring.  I would like to hear feedback from real fans about this impression.  Did you get this same feeling?

[naskin]

I was at the show last night...and all I can say is that it was epic.  It was my 3rd MMJ show, and hands down the best (although I hear Bonnaroo this year was ridiculous).  I can see what Boston Globe columnist Joan Anderman is saying about neither side wanting to overpower the other, but I don't think she quite got it.  Of course MMJ could unleash some serious rock if they wanted to, just as the Pops could wow everyone with their prowess.  But that wasn't the point.  The point was a meeting of these two ostensible opposites to create some truly gorgeous music.  Nothing about the show was overpowering, except for the emotions of hearing such beautiful sounds.  If anything, I would say that MMJ overpowered the Pops - the strings often got drowned out, which was unfortunate, but not that big of a deal.  The real showcase of this show was Jim and his voice.  The vocals were crystal clear and as haunting as ever as he hit notes high and low across every song.  

Steam Engine is, hands down, my favorite MMJ song, and last night's version was happiness in song form.  It was that good.  Equally incredible were Run Thru and the closer, Bermuda Highway, with Jim and his guitar playing solo with the Pops.  The acoustics of Symphony Hall made the clarity of his voice and his guitar truly spectacular.  

I personally think there were only two ways the show could have been better:  a little more sound on the strings, and a longer set.  It was as close to perfection as I have ever seen a live show.  

[JSBE]

i'm going tonight and i have two questions...

1. what time did it start? i heard 8pm
and
2. is there a dress code?

[jeddeth]

To anyone who went last night...

What did you think of last night's poster?

Does anyone have a picture of it?

[bndo]

Gonna save my full impressions for after tomorrow nights show...  but to anyone still considering going but havent quite decided... GO

setlist tonight (out of order, possibly an ommision):

At Dawn
Gideon
I will Sing you Songs
Wordless Chorus
Just one thing
The way that he Sings
Golden
Steam Engine
Bermuda Highway (Just Jim and orchestra)
Run Thru

right on, Bermuda was indeed the closer tho.  

It was sonically amazing... tonight will only get better.  The conductor (Keith Lockhart) and Patrick were working together very well.  The orchestra was just amazing, definitely try to catch the opening set of just them before MMJ joins if you go tonight.  Watching the timpanist tune his drums during the performance and the sight of 20 violins moving in concert (pun) was awe inspiring.  Really gave me a huge appreciation for everyone on stage as serious musicians.

Lockhart was having a blast with MMJ.  Pat's kit was toned down so that it wouldn't overpower the room, I believe it was really an electronic kit.

The aftershow downstairs with The Slip is worth checking out too, they've really changed their style since the last time I saw them ('99).

I wish I was going tonight, it was that good.

[BH]

I was at the show last night...and all I can say is that it was epic.  It was my 3rd MMJ show, and hands down the best (although I hear Bonnaroo this year was ridiculous).  I can see what Boston Globe columnist Joan Anderman is saying about neither side wanting to overpower the other, but I don't think she quite got it.  Of course MMJ could unleash some serious rock if they wanted to, just as the Pops could wow everyone with their prowess.  But that wasn't the point.  The point was a meeting of these two ostensible opposites to create some truly gorgeous music.  Nothing about the show was overpowering, except for the emotions of hearing such beautiful sounds.  If anything, I would say that MMJ overpowered the Pops - the strings often got drowned out, which was unfortunate, but not that big of a deal.  The real showcase of this show was Jim and his voice.  The vocals were crystal clear and as haunting as ever as he hit notes high and low across every song.  

Steam Engine is, hands down, my favorite MMJ song, and last night's version was happiness in song form.  It was that good.  Equally incredible were Run Thru and the closer, Bermuda Highway, with Jim and his guitar playing solo with the Pops.  The acoustics of Symphony Hall made the clarity of his voice and his guitar truly spectacular.  

I personally think there were only two ways the show could have been better:  a little more sound on the strings, and a longer set.  It was as close to perfection as I have ever seen a live show.  

thanks for that reiview!  i would kill to hear that steam engine.   this is currently my all time favorite song and to hear it in a new light would be fantastic.  i know it's hard, but describe it to me.  please.  

so. i do believe, it's the best i'm going to get.

[naskin]

You can wear whatever.  People were wearing everything from shorts and t-shirts (under dressed) to suits and ties (over dressed).  Somewhere in the middle is good.

The Pops went on at 8 and played until 8:50.  MMJ came on just after 9 and played for a little over an hour.  

[bndo]

To anyone who went last night...

What did you think of last night's poster?

Does anyone have a picture of it?

I liked the poster, picked one up.  Have a picture on my cell phone... but don't have bluetooth on this PC.

It's got a 50's Horror/Comic book design.  With Lockhart lording over the stage with his baton and lightning shooting everywhere.  At first I thought the big figure was Jim James due to the wild hair, but it's clear that its meant to be the conductor.  There are also silhouettes of the band playing in front of the stage, very similar to the way it actually was (well without the lightning).

[gedgers]

Just FYI, here's a link to the poster.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2006/06/my_morning_jack.html

And here's a link to a quick bite from the show.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/

Geoff

[MyLifeISought]

Just FYI, here's a link to the poster.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2006/06/my_morning_jack.html

And here's a link to a quick bite from the show.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/

Geoff

They quote Corey!!! That's AWESOME!!!

[mrbosworth]

I sat up in the second balcony area at the far end of the auditorium.  Throughout the concert I was thinking to myself that the mix was a little off balance leaning towards Jim's voice, and guitar.  I can't imagine what it took for them to hold back as they did, but I was wondering what people sitting in other sections thought.

I really hope they record the shows and release a mastered live disc.

[douglatf]

Here is my take of last night's show:

It was phenomenal.  Just disgustingly beautiful.  And you could tell that Jim was just overwhelmed at having his music performed so fully, and in such an amazing acoustic space.  To the reviewer at the Globe: no, it wasn't a full-out blast from either MMJ or the Pops.  Can MMJ rock harder?  Absolutely.  Can the Pops pull off more technically impressive works?  Yes.  Would either have benefitted the sound of the show?  No.  It was perfect the way it was.

To be sure, this is a special event, and not a standard MMJ show.  So don't go in expecting a reverb-dripped sea of sound, b/c they dial it back to let the strings out.  That being said, as someone that loves these songs, and wanted to see them played to their full depth and breadth... this was near nirvana.

Some highlights of the show:

'Run Thru' was the absolute highlight of the night.  The middle section of the song was the one point that the Pops attempted to soar and rock with MMJ, and it worked perfectly.  Lights flashing everywhere in the room... the full orchestra doing blasts on their instruments right along with the guitars... seeing 50 bows working furiously to match the intensity of the instrumental... it almost wasn't right, how good it was.  

'Bermuda Highway' was the most perfect encore surprise possible.  Jim, one guitar, and 8 bajillion other instruments just seemed to lift him and his song 3 feet into the air and hold him there.  

Watching Jim do his James Brown impression at the end of 'Wordless Chorus' with the conductor trying to turn arond to see what in the world was going on... priceless.

A couple other songs that really benefitted from the orchestra were 'Just One Thing' (backup vocals replaced by extra symphonic elements, and the chorus is soooo much fuller) and 'The Way That He Sings'.  That isn't to say that 'Gideon', 'At Dawn', and 'Golden' were bad... but you all already knew how awesome they would be.

And lets not forget a really great first set.  The Pops played an overture written by Bjork for 'Dancer in the Dark', as well as an Elvis Costello orchestral piece, an exquisite rendition of Gershwin's 'An American In Paris', and a piece called 'Bump' that is easily the craziest piece of music you have heard live in a long, long time.

One warning: The Slip set at the end of the show sounded pretty muffled and lo-fi after the majesty of the headlining set.  The Slip is a great band, but making them follow this performance up might not be fair to them.  Give yourself permission to leave this part early if it seems underwhelming.

[EC]

They quote Corey!!! That's AWESOME!!!

holy mother!!!  i know a famous person!!  :)  wiggum, have you seen this? :)