Portland = Does It Get Any Better?

[vespachick]

Okay, NYE was superfantastic, but I literally just walked home from the Crystal Ballroom and I can't even remember doing it.  Were those clouds?  That was some serious rock-n-roll, people!  I tried to get a set list for y'all, but they were all given away.  I'm hopefull that whoever the lucky bastards were who got them will be posting soon.  People at the venue were pretty cool.  Unlike Seat(!)le, from what I hear.  I'm only worried now that it couldn't possibly get any better.  I may have to quit my job and sell my stuff.  MMMMMMmmmmMahgeeta!!!  Nice ending.

[ms. yvon]

 ;D

vespachick, i was one of the lucky set-list recipients, but when i checked into my hotel they informed me that the wireless was NOT WORKING.   :-/

honestly.  my plans for trying to ride out that post-show feeling felt thwarted.


and re:  quitting your job, etc.: a well timed vacation is the other option.   ;)

[LaurieBlue]

http://localcut.wweek.com/?p=1127

I think I saw god last night. And his name was Jim James. The My Morning Jacket frontman is a rock god at the very least, but his otherworldy wail, Southern charm and halo of fluffy, strawberry blonde hair imply something more. And his band—which absolutely brought it for 1,000+ fans at the Crystal Ballroom last night—reaffirmed for me a notion I've had for at least a year, that MMJ is the absolute fucking best live band around today. From the minute the racing opening guitar notes of "One Big Holiday" hit the incredibly enthusiastic audience, it was truly on. And, god (er, James) only knew what we truly in for–over two hours of perfectly loud, awesomely delivered, invigorating rock.

The first half of the set was chalk full of standout tracks (which, for MMJ, means pretty much all of 'em) from the band's most recent studio album, Z. From "What a Wonderful Man," which found James yelling the chorus just enough for his voice to break slightly, to the soulful, ear-shattering (in the best of ways) and aptly named "Wordless Chorus," a track that forces James' ghostly voice into a banshee-ish, atmospheric range that literally gave me chills. The whole night MMJ was, as expected, in perfect form. And the beginning of nearly every song brought hollers of excitement and approval from the refreshingly amped crowd—which was certainly one of the most energetic I've ever seen at the Crystal.

Further highlights (and I'm still talking about just the first hour) included the pulsing, kind of creepy love song, "It Beats 4 U" and a totally unexpected "Phone Went West," from 2001's At Dawn. "Phone Went West," a lengthy reggae jam that features one of most emotive, sing/yell-along choruses around, is probably the song I wanted to hear most, and it prompted a fellow in front of me to comment, "I see why the Eugene kids like 'em now." One of the things that most impressed me about MMJ's live show was how they kept the mood constantly engaging thanks to song choice and order, as well as one of the most bitchin' light shows around. Directly after the extended stoner bop of "Phone Went West," for instance, the band snapped us out of our pleasant daze like a can of Red Bull: The lights brightened, and the opening riff to one of Z's poppiest tracks (which, of course, also includes a spacey, tripped-out interlude), "Off the Record," reinvigorated the crowd.

The band was sure to pause for a softer, acoustic guitar-led break, as well, which featured James crooning the lovely, folk-tinged "Bermuda Highway." Here's where things become a little fuzzy for me; let's just say I wandered into a rather "foggy" area of the crowd before the night's most epic song, "Dondante," began. This is MMJ's crowning live achievement. The haunting track starts out with an eerie, rhythm-section-led musical backdrop which sets the mood for this ode to a deceased friend. The at least 15-minute version delivered last night took on many shapes and traveled through a variety of buildups and breakdowns, but one of the most affecting sections was when, during the lead-in to the song's first vocal explosion, a clean, clear and creepy guitar line appeared slowly, like a snake slithering out of a cloud; then, once it was fully in our site, it bit us by way of James evocative, soul-baring and powerful vocals. This dynamic shift might have only been matched by a section later in the song when James and Carl Broemel's guitars combined to create a wall of noise that waved in and out like a siren made of locusts.

Really, I could go on and on. There were moments when strobe light attacked the audience and James and company simultaneously headbanged, creating an image that seemed as if it were taken straight from a metal video. There were long sessions of straight-up Southern rock that made me wonder if MMJ's live show is something akin to what it would have been like to see Lynrd Skynrd in their prime. I believe a speaker was blown; James paused to tell the audience about a dream he had concerning the Crystal Ballroom's giant chandelier being made of rock candy; a middle-aged dude in a tye-dyed t-shirt handed me a joint; a 3-piece section of trumpet, trombone and clarinet (courtesy of opener Elvis Perkins' band) came out and played along to a song (that I think took place during the encore) led by a honky-tonk piano (the name of which evades me thanks to my exhaustion and inebriation).

Honestly, after "Dondante," I became was so thoroughly rocked that I decided to just close my eyes, stomp my feet and sing along. I stopped taking notes and just took it all in, letting MMJ's sound simply wash over and envelop me. I can tell you that the anthemic "Anytime," a delightful surprise, was played close to the end of the encore, once again pumping energy into the spent crowd. Though I was completely dazed on my way out, I did hear a lot of sarcastic remarks from showgoers along the lines of, "Well, they really half-assed it tonight" and "I feel ripped off." Mostly, those shuffling out looked too happy and worn out to even comment. Actually, they looked stunned, which makes perfect sense; after all, they had just seen god, too.

www.mymorningjacket.com
www.myspace.com/mymorningjacket

Photo: by Danny Clinch. Taken from the band's MySpace.

[sweatboard]

The best part of the review is that he admits to just putting the pen and paper down and resigning himself to just being thoroughly and completely rocked.  I always love to look around during "Anytime" and see people that looked a little skeptical about letting go at the beginning of the show losing their fucking minds.  It means the rock has done its job to the highest level.  I remember when AB and I were planning on taking a bunch of our friends to see the band at sundown in the city, we were at a show the night before (you know, cause I like follow this band around the country and shit) anyway, it was during one of those transcendent moments where every instrument on stage is about to rip through the very fabric of what god created to contain us (the cosmos) and AB and I just looked at each other and smiled and then she says to me "I'm not so sure our friends are going to know what to make of this"  She was right, most of them talked through the show until the music was just way to loud and intense that it somehow broke through their conversation, but then they still just looked confused about what was going on.  Oh Well!