Jim James and friends at the Rud on June 3rd....

[jordan]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nolessthanthetreesandthestars/

I just posted 169 of my photos from the show to my new flickr site.  Enjoy!  I used a variety of cameras and lenses, so the pics aren't really in chronological order.

If you happen to want a higher-resolution version of a photo, just send me an email, and I'll get it to you.

I'll try to post pics from other MMJ shows to my flickr site soon.  (I'm pretty sure I have some pics from every Louisville MMJ show from 2003-present.)

-Scott

Absolutley brilliant pictures.  I'm the guy in the white shirt in picture number 1.  I remember seeing someone taking a picture in my direction and that's the picture.  Anyways, fantastic job with the camera.  You captured so much of the magic on this night.  

[sweatboard]

I'm going to go ahead and post this over here to.  This is how Ron Whitehead described what this evening was like for him, it gets me teary eyed.  There were truly some beautiful people performing that night.  I've heard Jim sing with other people before but like Ron said, Jim and Sarah singing together was (well, I'll let him tell you)...

LIVE at THE RUD

(photo of Jim, Sarah, Carl, Andy, Ron in huddle at The Rud)


The Best concert I've ever had anything to do with. You've got to understand.
Since childhood I've attended, performed at, produced, and participated in
tens of thousands of concerts round the world. Last night, June 3rd 2007,
The Rudyard Kipling Benefit Concert was The Best.

The Best Concert of All Time.

There are many reasons why it was The Best Concert of all time. I'll name
a few. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Sarah Elizabeth Whitehead are
my two favorite singers. They are two of The Best singers songwriters
musicians. But there is more. They have a rare necessary element: deep
passionate compassionate hearts. They have an innate inherent wisdom
that is both ancient and childlike. All those elements birth a charisma that
is electrifying. The energy at The Rud was electric. 4-hour concert. The
audience in rapt attention. There is more. The union of male (Jim) and female
(Sarah) energy produced a duet unlike any other duet, past or present. Plus.
No singers have the courage or ability to go where Jim and Sarah went at
the Live at The Rud concert. They covered the spectrum of musical genres:
from acappella mountain to oldtime to country to blues to jazz to folk to soul
to rock to R&B, from broken hearted spirituals to steamy romance, and more.
In one concert Jim and Sarah proved that they are master singers in any genre.
The audience was mesmerized. Not one person, including the performers, will
ever be the same. That includes Carl Broemel (amazing), Andy Cook (brilliant),
and me. The night was more than special, it was pure alchemy. We were
transformed transported to new realms. Spirit and sex became one energy.
The Holy Spirit The Great Spirit moved in us and through us. The Rud was
filled with angels with spirits. We heard angels sing, perform. We will never
be the same. My heart is open. Tears of joy. Amazing Grace. Thanks.

Ron Whitehead
June 4, 2007
The Highlands
Kentucky
AHA

[Sherpa]

Love the pics scott

[sweatboard]

 Ron e-mailed me this set list.  It's very detailed and includes the entire evening.  Thank you to Dylan for helping me fill in the blanks.


LIVE at THE RUD
Jim James, Sarah Elizabeth & Ron Whitehead
with Carl Broemel and Andy Cook

MMJ sound by Ryan Pickett

june 3, 2007

The Rudyard Kipling
Louisville , Kentucky

Ron/Sarah set:

1) Ron welcome
2) Andy, 2-minute didgeridoo
3) Sarah, Bury Me w/Andy percussion
4) Ron, lost poem w/Sarah dulcimer
5) Sarah, Single Girl Married Girl acappella
6) Ron, Happy Birthday song to Allen Ginsberg & Christian Hansen (Ron & Sarah's official photographer) & all Geminis
7) Ron, Zen & The Art of Driving 110milesperhour past Mayor Abramson
& others from Twice Told Coffeehouse on Bardstown Road to the airport:
Part IV: Down & Out in Kentucky , Allen Ginsberg: The Bridge
8) Sarah/Jim, Fortified Wine w/Sarah & Jim guitar w/Carl pedal slide
9) Ron, I Refuse
10) Sarah/Jim, White Rabbit w/Sarah & Jim guitar
11) Sarah, Those Memories of You acappella
12) Ron, Tapping My Own Phone w/Andy didgeridoo
13) Sarah/Jim, House of The Rising Sun w/Sarah & Jim guitar
14) Ron, As Long As Space Endures (for Jim) w/Sarah wind vocals
15) Sarah/Jim, The Sounds of Silence w/Sarah & Jim guitar
16) Ron, Thank Yous/Message/Presentation of gifts to Ken & Sheila Pyle (Sheila too sick to attend so Rud manager Erin came up w/Ken)
17) Ron, Never Give Up (for Ken/Sheila/Rud, poem Ron wrote
w/His Holiness The Dalai Lama) w/Jim guitar & Sarah wind vocal
18) Sarah, Don't Die Yet w/Andy percussion

20-minute intermission

Jim set:

1) Jim, Tonight I Want to Celebrate w/ Jim omnichord
2) Jim, Look at You w/ Jim guitar and Carl lap steel
3) Jim, At Dawn w/ Jim guitar and Carl lap steel
4) Jim, It Beats 4 U w/ Jim guitar
5) Jim, Bermuda Hwy w/ Jim guitar
6) Jim, Hopefully w/ Jim guitar
7) Jim, Old Sept w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
8) Jim, Way He Sings w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
9) Jim, Gideon w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
10) Jim, I Will Be There When You Die w/ Jim guitar
11) Jim, Wonderful (The Way I Feel) w/ Jim guitar
12) Jim, I Needed It Most w/ Jim guitar
13) Jim, Dancefloors w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
14) Jim, Wonderful Man w/ Jim omnichord
15) Jim, Nashville to Kentucky w/Sarah vocal & Carl sax
16) Jim, Knot Comes Loose w/Sarah vocal & Carl omnichord
17) Jim, Wordless Chorus w/Sarah vocal Jim guitar & Carl
18) Jim, Golden w/Sarah vocal & Carl pedal steel
19) Jim, Into The Woods w/ Jim guitar
20) Jim, The Bear w/ Jim guitar
21) Jim, By My Car w/ Jim guitar
22) Jim, Dondante w/ Jim guitar and Carl sax
23) Jim, Ordinary w/ Jim guitar
24) Jim, Anytime w/ Jim omnichord and Carl sax
25) Jim, Cherish w/Sarah vocal & Carl
26) Jim/Sarah, Settin The Woods on Fire w/Jim & Sarah guitar & Carl pedal steel
27) Jim/Sarah, Louisiana Woman Mississippi Man w/Jim & Sarah guitar & Carl pedal steel
28) Jim/Sarah, Grievous Angel w/Jim guitar & Sarah vocal & Carl pedal steel
29) Jim/Sarah, Nobody w/Carl pedal steel

[LizKing531]

I couldn't get a real good look when he was playing

the drum/tambourine that Andy was playing - Is that a one off custom?  Has anyone seen anything like it before?  

Does anyone have any good pictures of it?

[aMD]

7) Ron, Zen & The Art of Driving 110milesperhour past Mayor Abramson
& others from Twice Told Coffeehouse on Bardstown Road to the airport:
Part IV: Down & Out in Kentucky , Allen Ginsberg: The Bridge

this was one of my favorites of the night.  man, i'm still reeling from that show! fucking amazing.

thanks for the detailed setlist, Brian.

[Kory]

Ron e-mailed me this set list.  It's very detailed and includes the entire evening.  Thank you to Dylan for helping me fill in the blanks.


LIVE at THE RUD
Jim James, Sarah Elizabeth & Ron Whitehead
with Carl Broemel and Andy Cook

MMJ sound by Ryan Pickett

june 3, 2007

The Rudyard Kipling
Louisville , Kentucky

Thanks Brian, nice to see Ron send this along!

[The Big Come Up]

Please tell me we have some kind of recording. Any kind. Please Please Please.

[BH]

Thanks Brian.

Can you guys tell me more about White Rabbit/Sounds of Silence/House of the Rising Sun?

I mean, I know you can't describe it really but how great was that?   Did the Sara/Jim vocals on Sounds of Silence just blow your mind or what?  

What was your favorite of all 8 covers?

[aMD]

white rabbit that was fucking killer!  It began as a duet between sarah and jim but jim kind of took it over by overpowering her with his voice, which is really saying something because she can sing!

Sounds of silence and house of the rising sun were both really good, spot-on covers.  jim played solos which is always fun to see him do.  their version of sounds of silence made me fall in love with that song again.

my favorite cover was either nobody, because... well, just because.  or the return of grevious angel.  i've heard a lot of great duets for this song and their version rivalled any.  

[cmccubbin@work]

Please tell me we have some kind of recording. Any kind. Please Please Please.

i know for sure someone recorded (he was right next to me) so it should surface.  i meant to talk to him after the show, but didn't get a chance.

[cmccubbin@work]

white rabbit that was fucking killer!  It began as a duet between sarah and jim but jim kind of took it over by overpowering her with his voice, which is really saying something because she can sing!

Sounds of silence and house of the rising sun were both really good, spot-on covers.  jim played solos which is always fun to see him do.  their version of sounds of silence made me fall in love with that song again.

my favorite cover was either nobody, because... well, just because.  or the return of grevious angel.  i've heard a lot of great duets for this song and their version rivalled any.  

Jim's solo on acoustic were pretty much AWESOME!  you could tell he was playing the solo as if he were playing it on an electric and it still sounded so great!!!

[capndan]

Just wanted to weigh in as another voice about how sweet this show was!!  I tried to savor it as best I could because I felt it was such a unique opportunity, like I was glimpsing something I shouldn't.   The lighting (artificial and natural) and atmosphere in the Rud with such an appreciative audience really set the mood beautifully.

My buddy and I just looked at each other wide-eyed when Jim started that opening guitar passage on 'Sound of Silence'.   We've talked alot about Jim's haunting, lonesome quality in his voice and how much that echoed Simon & Garfunkel's great work so this was just a natural and so beautifully performed with Sarah Elizabeth.  I've been waiting for that a long time.  Amazing.  Is there really a better opening line than "Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again"?

The rest of the covers were amazing too.  The really ran the whole gambit, just look at those last five songs.   Great energy and interplay on the more country-tinged stuff, the Conway/Loretta-Gram/Emmylou vibes.  Loved it.  I about came out of my chair on 'Return of the Grevious Angel'.  Hard to top that.  I was unfamiliar with 'Ordinary' but that was a terrific song by Aaron? I assume??  That's very much worth checking out.

Loved the new originals too, both were beautiful.  Can Jim write some kinda melody or what?  Such a gift!  Love the spiritual themed 'Look at You' and the euphoric 'Wonderful (The Way I Feel)'.  New favorite line: "I'll never grow older, at least not in my mind".  Amen.  Sorry for gushing, just a really moving performance.  Thanks Jim, Sarah, Ron, Carl and the rest of the gang!!

[sweatboard]

Ron is getting ready to upload something like 200 photos from the show to his website at some point today.  The photos will include behind the scenes stuff.  Check it out....


http://www.tappingmyownphone.com/

[sweatboard]

Here is a little taste (Ron, Sarah, Jim, Carl and Ryan preshow huddle).......

[ms. yvon]

Wow. That was a fucking amazing show.  This is going to be long-winded but I have to start from the beginning.  


The annotated version:
TONIGHT I WANT TO CELEBRATE – jim on omnichord
LOOK AT YOU – possibly an original, jim on guitar, carl on lap steel
AT DAWN – filled the tiny room we were in and just about blew me away.
IT BEATS 4U – I need to update the tabs page (capo on 8).  Great version! Jim solo with guitar
BERMUDA HWY - Jim solo with guitar
HOPEFULLY - Jim solo with guitar
OLD SEPT – Jim and Carl on acoustic guitar
WAY HE SINGS  – Jim and Carl on acoustic guitar
GIDEON– Jim and Carl on acoustic guitar.  Before this song Jim talked about going down to new Orleans last week and seeing all the fucked up shit down there and trying to make sense of it.  He also talked about not wanting his music to be overtly political but being drawn to the those messages when you look at things like Katrina.  I don't think it was any mistake that they played this song next.
I WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU DIE - Jim solo with guitar.  Amazing.  This is my wife and I's song and this was a great version!  This is point in the show when my wife began to cry.
WONDERFUL(THE WAY I FEEL) - Jim solo with guitar. This is definitely a new song.  He said he wrote it after he got out of the hospital and he felt like shit and felt really good at the same time because a lot of good stuff was happening
I NEEDED IT MOST  - Jim solo with guitar
DANCEFLOORS  – Jim and Carl on acoustic guitar
WONDERFULL MAN – Jim on omnichord
NASH TO KY (WITH SARAH and carl) – spectacular version!  This has got to be the best live version of this song hands down!
KNOT COMES LOOSE (WITH SARAH) – wow!  My first time seeing this one live, spectacular! I need to retab this one: capo on 8. (btw, I loved jim's pink capo!)
WORDLESS CHORUS (WITH SARAH) – jim on acoustic guitar.  This is the first version I know of with jim on guitar for this song.  Great version
GOLDEN (WITH SARAH and carl) – wow! All I can say.
INTO THE WOODS - Jim solo with guitar.  For a time during this song jim stepped away from the mic and sang at the top of his lungs, filling the hall with the power of his unamplified voice. He also told a story half way through the song, explaining the lyric "E!".  he said his old roommate and him used to say "E!" if something was good or cool. Like, hey isn't that girl hot, yeah she's totally E! (note to self: correct the tab for this song)
THE BEAR- Jim solo with guitar.  
BY MY CAR- Jim solo with guitar
DONDANTE- Jim on guitar, carl on sax. This was a chilly, morifying, wonderful version of this song. Afterwards jim mention aaron todovich and said that the last time he saw him play was on that very stage.  This is when my wife lost it.  She was friends with aaron and that song always chokes her up.  This version just about did her in.  this was the highlight of the evening for me.
ORDINARY – jim solo with guitar, probably another new song
ANYTIME – jim on omnichord, carl on acoustic guitar.  
CHERISH (WITH SARAH and carl) – kool and the gang cover. before this song jim passed out sleeping masks for everyone to wear.  He told us that we could wear them on this song but we would be required to in a few songs.    He had the audience sing the chorus at the very end
SETTIN THE WOODS OF FIRE (WITH SARAH and carl) – hank Williams jr cover
LOUISIANNA WOMAN (WITH SARAH) – Loretta lynn cover (usually with Conway twitty)
GREIVOUS ANGEL (WITH SARAH) – what a beautiful cover of a beautiful song!!!  Something tells me jim's working on a gram parsons EP along with the george Harrison one already recorded.
NOBODY (WITH SARAH) – a fucking Keith Sweat cover!  This is the song that Jim required us to wear the sleeping masks.  Sarah Elizabeth and Jim broke this slow jam down!  They kept the music rolling and snuck out of the room without the blindfolded audience realizing it.  After some amount of time I finally took my blindfold off to notice the empty stage. It was classic!

I may have messed up on what carl was playing for each song, it seems like played sax on another song as well.  I'm not sure exactly how many new songs we got two or three.
... I'm still reeling from this show, it will take me a while to put this experience into some perspective.  All I can really say right now is wow, just WOW!

THANK YOU for such a great recap of the show!  i got some chills, and eye-watering just reading it.  man oh man.   :D

[Scott D]

Glad to hear people like the pics.  Some of my pics are now up in the gallery (on the MMJ web site, aka where you are right now).  All my pics can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nolessthanthetreesandthestars/

Also, I just checked, and the slideshow (containing great pics taken by Ron & Sarah Elizabeth's photographer) is now up at http://www.tappingmyownphone.com/

-Scott

[Scott D]

re: Recordings from the Rudyard Kipling benefit show on 6/3/07

There was some discussion in another thread about recordings from the recent Jim James show at the Rudyard Kipling in Louisville, KY.  There were signs posted at the venue requesting "no taping."  I talked to Jim about it, and he and the band would really appreciate if these recordings were not distributed in any way (especially posted on public web sites).

It was alluded to in another thread, but I personally made an audio recording of the show.  (My recording has not even been transferred to CD/computer yet.)  If Jim and MMJ are OK with it, I will distribute my recording freely to anyone who wants it sometime next year, after the next album comes out.  (Note: I know absolutely nothing about the next album and when it might come out.)

So...  If you have a recording (audio or video), please don't distribute it in any way or post it to web sites such as YouTube.  

Jim and MMJ are really cool about letting fans record their shows.  I'd like to avoid a situation where this recording with new songs gets leaked out, potentially causing the band to reconsider their generous stance on taping.  I don't think anyone wants that to happen.

Thanks everybody!!
-Scott

[red]

I'm guessing he doesn't want it distributed due to the magic unleashed that evening.  Would that be a correct assumption?

[jeffro79]

I think they need to make an official release of this show from the sound board recording and then donate the proceeds to further benefit the Rud. Also where do y'all think this show ranks in the legend of MMJ?