It's time for MMJ to step out of the shadows!

[Seeker]

I'm still smiling about the Red Rocks gig, but there is one thing I wish MMJ would change, and that is their light show.

When I saw them at the Ogden Theater more than a year ago, on almost every song the audience would be blinded by various bright lights, projected from behind the band. I saw this on the DVD too, and sadly it continues on this tour. The lighting and strobes are an interesting effect at first, or on occasion, but then it starts to get uncomfortable and finally downright annoying.  

And does the smoke machine have to be turned on 24/7?  With the smoke and lighting from the rear, the band is always playing in shadows. Jim is raving on his guitar and he isn't even in a spotlight. And not once was the audience treated to a spotlight on the pedal steel guitar playing.

The lighting depicted on the top of this very page is a good example. The best lighting is on the drummer! These guys are a blast to watch, the way they bounce around and interact with such exuberance. We should be able to see them without always having to peer through blinding lights and fog. It's time to step out of the shadows!

Charles

[Angry Ewok]

I have to admit that sometimes I can't watch the stage because of one of the types of strobes they use. If you've had a seizure in the past, you should definitely stay away from the front of the venue.

[Salacious D]

^^Yikes! Do they put some sort of warning on the ticket?

"Caution, show may cause seizures."

[Love Dogg]

I think they would rather step out of the shadows occasionally than to be in the spot light.  I think their light show is spectacular!  The crowd lights aren't that often.  If you don't like it, close your eyes.  At that point, you're not supposed to see the band anyway.  Plus, when the heavy strobes do stop, those two eyes on the back drop start to stare you down in a way that makes you look around to make sure you're not alone.

[Angry Ewok]

If you don't like it, close your eyes.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I do when that strobe gets too hardcore.

I love the smoke machine, though. Keep it running 24/7. Too bad the eyes in the backdrop can't shoot flares or something ridiculously awesome like that.

;D

[DaFunkyPrecedent]

just saw radiohead last night...and man, THAT was a light show!!!!!  



...and also one of the great feats of live music I have EVER seen.

[LowDownLuvDawg]

radioheads light show is really cool but its almost over the top... i think that the jacket's is very well done.  The strobes usually only hit at epic moments which really, to me, makes the moment much more intense... run thru for example...i also like the beaming purple and yellow lights along with the new circular ring lights...  i guess if you can't take it bring some shades 8-)

[billybluebeard]

...i also like the beaming purple and yellow lights along with the new circular ring lights...  

Ah yes... the purple glow with the yellow strobing beams flashin' out over it... that was beautiful... as were the rainbow spots.  Even the simplicity of the slowly brightening golden lights during that one song was nice... what was it?  The one with the golden lights???  ;D  There were a couple times when the lights in the middle of the rings were aiming at me I could swear a train was about to plow through the band, but other than that, awesome!  

Oh, and speaking of the kick-ass ring lights, when the tours over and those are getting stuck in storage, well I could really use one in my bedroom... just a thought!    

[songdiver]

The lighting is fucking amazing, and unless you are over 70, or prone to seizures, then you should probably be okay with it.  I guess if maybe I was stone sober and/or not enjoying the show, then I would be annoyed, I mean if I were at some boring folk concert, then yes, the stobe lights and smoke might be annoying, but this is My Morning Jacket, and I have never been bored for even 1 second at their shows.

To me, "step out of the shadows" means that you want them to just be a regular boring band that just tours, plays their show, and then you drive home saying, "good show."  I want MMJ to destroy us.  I want to leave a MMJ saying, "what the fuck just happened to me."  The coolest thing about the band being in the shadows, if you will, is that it creates this fun confusion; sometimes I wasn't even sure if they were still on stage when a song would finish b/c of the smoke or darkness, and then out of nowhere....!!!!!!!THE BAND EXPLODES AND THE LIGHTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!, and the crowd freaks out.

Please MMJ, don't ever become boring.  I love some of the bands that just play regular shows, like Ryan Adams or Wilco, but they lack in the excitement category.  And Christ, how annoying would that be if we went to a MMJ show and Jim started talking about he's a recovering alcoholic like Tweedy, or if (and I like Ryan Adams) Jim spent 30-40 minutes of each show bitching about something.  I mean, come on, The Flaming Lips are all in their mid-40s and their shows are still fucking nutty.

More smoke, more strobe lights, more shadows, more everything.  MMJ puts on the best show in the world and they are not going to go into semi-retirement anytime soon and start playing dull shows.  Keep it fucking crazy MMMJ.

Maybe when Jim is 60, then we can go to the shows, and be like, "damn, remember when they had all the smoke and lights and Jim was a totally awesome manimal on stage and destroyed us?...Yeah, I miss those days."

[Seeker]

Well, I kind of figured I might get responses like this. I am not advocating  turning down the lights and strobes when they are cranking it at the end of some of their songs. That increases the intensity. However, if you looked at the screen during any of Jim's solos (or the band at less intense moments) you could hardly see him because he didn't have a spotlight on him. That wouldn't make MMJ "boring" it would make them visible. The best live bands like Pearl Jam, U2, and The Who have great light shows but they don't allow the pyrothechnics to detract from the music or the visual appeal of watching the members play. And it surely doesn't make them boring.

If you are like me, you want to turn your concert friends on this band. Here is an excerpt of a post on a Who listserv from a friend I literally dragged to the Red Rocks show to see MMJ:
============

Well I've been listening to Charles talk about these guys for a couple
of years, and I've finally seen, and heard what he's talking about.
These boys can sure put on a show! Just under three hours of
everything from beautiful, mellow, melodic, acoustic ballads, to full
out frenetic, kick ass, massive rock assaults, sometimes during the
same song!! Wow, it was a great experience.

One note, if you are in
any way strobe light sensitive, this show will put you in the
hospital. It's quite possibly the only show I've ever been to that lit
the audience more than the band. It's a shame because these guys are incredibly active up there, and their light show leaves them in the dark most of the night.
=========

MMJ's shows would not be boring if they were less obscured by smoke and rear lighting. Their fantastic music would dominate. 'nuff said, it's just my opinion.

Charles

[songdiver]

Mysterious Morning Jacket...I like that...keep it up

[megalicious]

i think the lighting designer does a hell of a job. i know marc brickman did the okonokos tour; anyone know who is designing this tour?

random note: for some reason, when i read the title of this thread i thought about that billy ocean song... get out of my dreams... get into my car...