Houston Setlist - New Songs On Video

[Jernigan]

I'm floored personally.......I haven't smiled like this since
I first laid on eyes on my kids for the first time, or maybe my first
new bike....maybe I'm making it a little complex, but I felt
like a giddy little boy when rocking these on my crappy laptop..
it was refreshing to say the least.

June seems so much further than it really is now.....

[mjkoehler]

I stopped watching. I don't want to be tooooo spoiled. I'm going to miss the SXSW broadcast as I'll be traveling.....I think quiting smoking is gonna be easier then resisting watching these or listening until the album hits.

[size=11]Resistance is futile[/size]

[fitzcarraldo]

damn, ive been embeddin these vids aroun to friends on the interweb without checkin em out. Yeah I'm wit you Hermo.

Good luck quittin the ciggies M.  I sometimes miss them but its So worth it. :)

Eggs, you have the comp in the parking lot? Like the stealth bomber!  

[George_Savage]

this is leaked ? I know the videos but the whole thing is already leaked

         I got home about an hour ago from Dallas via Houston.   I arrived yesterday about 5 PM from Commerce via car (300 miles or so NE of Houston).   We got a little bit buzzed pre-show and I had given up my thoughts of trying to tape prior to arriving.  It's a good thing, I guess - they searched everyone (or at least us, maybe we looked suspicious?), and I had to dispose of my disposable camera at the gate!   I had no idea that those weren't allowed, and I doubt if taping was allowed.   I don't suppose that a good tape has been found yet?
         Anyway, the show was great, lots of new songs...all kinds of vibes: funk, good ol' straight-ahead rock, maybe even a little bit of country rock (one of them reminded me of The Byrds).   Overall, I was really impressed, lots of energy from the group, etc.  Was happy to hear The Way that he Sings and all of the stuff off of Z.   Our seats were in the balcony, which was okay.  It made it more difficult to realize that I wasn't taping because we were on the second row in the back with a perfect view of the stage.   We had binoculars and that was a treat as well.  Looking back at these last couple of releases, (ISM and Z) we had the album prior (or we had tapes of most of the new songs by the time they were released) to hearing the songs live.   So last night marked the first time that these songs were heard by most of us, I assume?   I haven't had much time to keep up with the board, but it's always cool to see one of the greatest bands in the history of recorded and live music!   One of you old-timers holler at me if you can get any tapes of this new stuff, will ya?     Obvious Prediction:  we're going to like the new album!   Long live the Jacket.

Low Dog
"any time your war gets out of hand I'll take it on"

[BH]

this is leaked ? I know the videos but the whole thing is already leaked

         I got home about an hour ago from Dallas via Houston.   I arrived yesterday about 5 PM from Commerce via car (300 miles or so NE of Houston).   We got a little bit buzzed pre-show and I had given up my thoughts of trying to tape prior to arriving.  It's a good thing, I guess - they searched everyone (or at least us, maybe we looked suspicious?), and I had to dispose of my disposable camera at the gate!   I had no idea that those weren't allowed, and I doubt if taping was allowed.   I don't suppose that a good tape has been found yet?
         Anyway, the show was great, lots of new songs...all kinds of vibes: funk, good ol' straight-ahead rock, maybe even a little bit of country rock (one of them reminded me of The Byrds).   Overall, I was really impressed, lots of energy from the group, etc.  Was happy to hear The Way that he Sings and all of the stuff off of Z.   Our seats were in the balcony, which was okay.  It made it more difficult to realize that I wasn't taping because we were on the second row in the back with a perfect view of the stage.   We had binoculars and that was a treat as well.  Looking back at these last couple of releases, (ISM and Z) we had the album prior (or we had tapes of most of the new songs by the time they were released) to hearing the songs live.   So last night marked the first time that these songs were heard by most of us, I assume?   I haven't had much time to keep up with the board, but it's always cool to see one of the greatest bands in the history of recorded and live music!   One of you old-timers holler at me if you can get any tapes of this new stuff, will ya?     Obvious Prediction:  we're going to like the new album!   Long live the Jacket.

Low Dog
"any time your war gets out of hand I'll take it on"

Sup George!  You know we'll get a copy of Thursday.  I got ya covered.

[TheDude]

Is it wrong that I'm going to be thinking of these videos when I'm "with" my gf tonight???  ::)

[The DARK]

 Looking back at these last couple of releases, (ISM and Z) we had the album prior (or we had tapes of most of the new songs by the time they were released) to hearing the songs live.   So last night marked the first time that these songs were heard by most of us, I assume?  

With the exception of Look at You at the Rud, this is the first time we have heard any Evil Urges songs. This does seem to be the first time we are going into an album mostly fresh; we had heard nearly all of ISM before and the Z songs had been debuted earlier in 2005 (and we had It Beats 4 U before then).

Always good to see you round here, Low Dog.  :)

[Grudge]

Thanks so much for recording and posting the songs on youtube. So nice to hear new MMJ. This will tide me over till June and then whenever the hell they come back to Seattle.  Summer of 08 is going to be one for the ages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[George_Savage]

Sup George!  You know we'll get a copy of Thursday.  I got ya covered.[/quote]

   Thanks, Kory, and thanks to The Dark, too!    I keep playing the show over in my head (what I can remember, at least), and I was sitting there loving the new songs, or realizing that I was *really* going to love them once I heard them a few times each!    It's tough to have been there and to realize that I couldn't, or didn't try, to tape.   I just chickened out, and I assume that they would've found my gear at the Gestapo check-point!  
    Jim did allude to the fact that they hadn't played Houston in ages.   He said something like 'it's kind of a cliche to say that we haven't been here in awhile, but in this case it's really actually true!   We had the old 'illness' and 'things came up' excuses that forced us to cancel and we want to apologize to you for that' - it was a genuinely beautiful and humble move on my son's part!   And you could tell that he meant every word of it, I kid you not!    This was the largest audience that I had been a part of, and I've seen them/him 30 times or so.  
     Another crazy thing - I'm 45, I'm be 46 on March 30 - so obviously, I was one of the "old folks" in attendance last night.   My friend Tommy went with me.  He lives in Houston, I met him in '79, and he was a Jacket nubie.  He was really impressed with them, and they got yet another fan now, which is certainly a daily occurence!   I was telling him later that it seemed to me that most of the people in the balcony looked to be in their 40s and 50s, which led me to a grassy knoll theory about Ticketmaster.  
      Ticketmaster knew my address from the phone number that I entered, so did the computer put us in the balcony automatically - thinking "this geezer would rather sit down in the balcony than mingle with the masses down front"!    Crazy theory?   Tommy wasn't too convinced about its validity!    But remember:  just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you!
     I got my usual late start from Commerce, as I usually do on any road trip or even on a daily trek to work.    I *still* haven't installed a CD player in my 2002 Civic!    But my friends had given me a portable CD player that I use from time to time.   Since the lateness of the hour was upon me in departing, I threw the CD player in the car, and I grabbed four other cassettes from a stack.  "We got solid state technology and tapes on the floor" -Wilco, '96  
      Travelling South on Highway 34 between Greenville and Ennis, I started my CD player up and At Dawn sounded different - it sounded like Jim was recorded while singing from the bottom of a well.    It turns out that there is a short in the power cord, so that was a mess.   I finally gave up and reached into my bag of cassettes, and what did I find?   Luckily and fortuitively, one of these four cassettes was At Dawn!  And I already had ISM in the car from last weekend.   I listened to ISM on the way to see South San Gabriel/Centro-matic at the Granada Theatre in Dallas - that was a helluva show, and I did manage to tape it.   I haven't heard it yet but two other tapers have already put their copies up for those that are interested in *those* badasses!!!!  
         So I started my journey, which was hindered by the rain, with the beginning of my favorite MMJ album on cassette.   I hadn't heard it in awhile, but I was once again assured by this listening that it's still my favorite (they're hard to rate, they're all awesome!).     I listened to all of that plus filler (Xmas Curtain/I just wanted to Say/Christmas Time is here again/WFPK's 'O Holy Night') and then I put in ISM - so two and a half hours of MMJ in the rain on the way to see 'em again.   I recommend it!  
         Thankfully, the only mishap I endured was a slow-down on I-45 near Conroe - a 35 minute period of moving about two miles due to a wreck - but at leat I wasn't involved in the wreck, right?!   That's what I tell myself during these delays.
I just enjoyed the music and the experience of seeing them again - not much else is better in life than MMJ live, right?    I had the perfect vantage point for seeing not only the band, but their massive throngs in front of 'em, too (because Ticketmaster put the geezers in the balcony, I'm sure of it!).   They have once again outdone themselves - further proof that, as I used to tell 'em, "there is no 'on/off' position for the genius switch" -David Letterman
           I heard much of ISM today on the way home.   I went through George, Texas, too.   I took a slight jaunt off of I-30 at Madisonville ('look that up in your Rand-McNally!'), headed West about 15 miles to North Zulch, Texas and North to George, a town that I didn't know existed until today!     It's not much of a town, actually...just a few houses on Texas FM 39.   I got a picture of the road sign and one of myself in front of it (maybe/hopefully).   I was reminded, once again, of the sheer brilliance of stuff that I don't listen to enough:  Just One Thing, One in the Same, Masterplan, Rollin Back.   Also listened to Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II and various Belle and Sebastian EPs I'd taped.  
            Man, I'm ramblin' - a short but very sweet trip to Sweat City - MMJ did 'em proud.   Was reminded of the fact that the other times that I saw  in Houston that they opened for 1) Guided by Voices, 6/10/02, Ben Kweller, 7/16/02, and The Doves, 9/25/02, I think?   All of those shows were at the Engine Room, and I heard They Ran for the first and only time until fall '06 shows...also, my all-time favorite version of Honest Man is from 7/16/02 in Houston....an 11 minute masterpiece!!!    One of these days I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter....and I'm going to finish my 'Live At Dawn' project...something I've had in my red-eyed man for three or four years that contains every song from At Dawn recorded live by myself, including 'If it Smashes Down', recorded live in my living room, circa spring 2004, using audience noise from The Sleepy Jackson from Austin, SXSW, '04!!!   Look for that soon!!    Thanks for listening, sorry for the rambling!

Low Dog
np:  Steam Engine from 'Okonokos'

[mjkoehler]

So far I am resisting the evil urges to listen to the songs (outside of the intial once through on a few of them when they first hit). I'll just live vicariously through y'all.

[bignewt]

Finally getting my wits back about me and wanted to chime in on the Houston show. We were able to easily get right in front of the stage, at the rail in the center and were literally a few feet from the boys! Amazing, amazing show. Loved the new stuff, loved the energy. I was kinda disappointed that there wasnt a bigger crowd but all the better way to experience such a defining moment of being the first to hear new music from such a band. Heard a rumor they will be in Dallas in October! Looking forward to hearing reports from Austin after Thursday.

[megalicious]

i wish i had been there.

i caved and listened to part of "touch me i'm going to scream part 2" and then that other song... highly suspicious, which both were effing sweet.

damn. is it june 10th yet?

[bignewt]

HA! Just watched the videos! My girl and I were standing right in front of you! We are a hair to the left of you and every once in a while you can see the back of my head and my girl's arms in the air! You can DEFINITELY hear us SCREAMIN!

:D

[Sherpa]

Im not sure what to make of this new music. Thrilling, for sure. Funkiest stuff Ive heard in awhile.

[Sherpa]

Touch Me Part II blew my mind!

I cant wait to hear that one in studio quality.

[MarkW]

Nice.  Now I really can't wait for June...

[ms. yvon]

george, what a great travelogue!

those long stretches of road before and after a show are wonderful for just steeping in the moment!

i wish i'd met all of you kids at the houston show!

[ms. yvon]

just remembering:  during Lay Low jim stepped on teh mic cord and it came unplugged.  he was up at the front of the stage singing his heart out and suddenly the sound was just gone!   jim dropped the mic to his side and kept singing without an amp! ;D  brucie came out, found the cord, fixed the mic and got it back into jim's hand to finish out that bit of the song.

for the record:  IT SOUNDED GREAT DOWN FRONT!  i had a beef with the venue sound on friday night, but no issues with this show.  

soup to nuts, this crew is badass.  [smiley=beer.gif]

[evil horn]

here's my pics from the show:

http://flickr.com/photos/jensenkram/sets/72157604155271332/

and my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap_KVC-F-zc

[pingybrown]

http://37flood.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-morning-jacket-recording-from-sxsw.html

disc 1:
01 NPR intro
02 Jim James interview
03 Show intro
04 Evil Urges
05 Off the Record
06 Gideon
07 Highly Suspicious
08 What a Wonderful Man
09 I'm Amazed
10 Thank You Too
11 Golden
12 banter 'Hello Austin'
13 Sec Walkin'
14 Wordless Chorus
15 The Way That He Sings

disc 2:
01 Aluminum Park
02 One Big Holiday
03 Run Thru
04 Smokin' from Shootin'
05 Touch Me I'm Going to Scream [pt. 2]
06 banter 'NPR encore break'
07 banter 'Austin Town'
08 Steam Engine
09 Lay Low
10 Mahgeetah
11 Anytime
12 NPR outro

http://www.sendspace.com/file/d30oyr