Reports from Chicago Saturday Show???

[Caseydog]

Okay, just got a very close up cell phone pic of Jim with the following message:  "Oh Lord, NYE is going to kick *ss!"  :)

I got the same text.  I will be there tonight.  Clearly I'll be hearing a Cobra--Steam Engine----Run Thru----Dancefloors like I got with Ms. Sassbox in Louisville.  Best four tune progression in my 10 shows.

Prediction--a special guest tonight.  Not sure who.

T-minus 12 hours until I'm in my seats with Avolady. :)

[Caseydog]

again with the specialness.

now sitting in my friend's apt, green holiday lights illuminating the dining room.  freshly showered with a cup of genmaicha tea (from metropolis coffee.  oh, how i love them), watching the wind blow the powerlines around outside the window.

the chicago theatre is gorgeous.  gilded and baroque and luminous.
there were two new e.u. owl banners hanging behind the stage.  i got to my seat a bit early:  watched the crew going through their set up, listened to the crowd filing in.  when the bears came out, i noticed that pooch was on the left side and the girl bear was on the right.  thought, "huh.  new places for the bears."  about 10 min before the show started, a couple of the techs came out and did a quick bear-position swap.   ;D

putting the previous poster's set list in vertical form...
band came out at 8:05, according to wendy.  ;)

--evil urges
--touch me pt 1
--otr
--aluminum park
--i'm amazed

--thank you too
--sec walkin
--way he sings--why does my mind blow to bits, indeed.   :D  
(at this point some people in the row in front of us left for a few minutes and the very friendly guys in front of us grabbed my hand and pulled me into the front row.  he said, "someone should be here while they're gone."   ;D thanks for sharing!)

--jim greets the crowd, thanks chicago for all that chicago has given the world.
--mahgeeta--ARE YOU READY TO GOOOOOOO?  jim's guitar looked chrome.  crazy shiny.  bo was sporting the biggest smile this entire song.

--jim tells crowd he was serious about all that chicago has given the world...
--golden--this was the first time i took a moment to take in the big picture:  the band, stage, lights, the crowd.

--where to begin--first suprise of the night:  BEAUTIFUL!
--librarian--again, the delicacy of this song in performance is stunning.
--evelyn!!--as the band got ready to play this carl, tom and jim gathered around the drum riser.  jim counted out the 1!  2!  1, 2, 3, 4! on his fingers and they launched in.  right before the last words of the song the band froze in position...the longer they held their poses, the more the crowd hollered!  sometimes at these shows i just laugh from all the momentum and the crowd fervor.  fantastic!

--war begun--SWEET JESUS.  :o wendy asked me if the name of the song was, "oh, fuck!" b/c it was all i could manage to say when they started playing it.   ;D --DAMN.  wonderful to hear this live!!
(worth mentioning the tennessee fire songs in order moment here...still holding a torch for an appearance of "it's about twilight now" in a show  ;) )

--lay low--cape and strobes!   quotes of the evening from my friends re:  lay low:  allison, "i don't know what happened.  i couldn't stop dancing."
--phone went west--my note says, "jim, where are you going?"--they opened the song up in the middle.  i think the new arrangement disarmed me a bit b/c when they brought the song back around for "THERE'LL BE A KNOCK ON YOUR BACK DOOOOOOR" it broadsided me emotionally.  whoof.

--gideon!
--dondante--where didn't this song go?!  :o there is a physical phenomenon with this song:  while the music and vocals are blowing your body back, that bass keeps your feet rooted to the spot.  kind of fucking fantastic.  damn.

--smokin from shootin--build!
--touch me pt. 2--DANCE PARTY

-------------
--as the band came out for a few more songs, jim talked about having to cancel the chicago shows last oct. b/c of his accident.  said that he wasn't 100% but was feeling pretty good.  also said he was disappointed to have not performed the benefit for barack obama at schuba's.  more excited words about the election, chicago and obama, then, "Let's do this shit!"

--wordless chorus!--nothing but love coming from the crowd at this point.
--highly suspicious--DANCE PARTY, PT. DEUX!
--anytime!--jesus, these men were throwing down tonight!
(here i got a cramp in my side.  and i ate light, dammit!  ;D )
--one big holiday.--as patrick started this song the crowd roared.

SO GOOD TO SEE THESE MEN AND THEIR CREW, making music, kicking our boo-tays and filling our hearts.

OH, THIS FEELING IT IS WONDERFUL!   [smiley=beer.gif]

and...it is late and my computer battery is toast for tonight.

hope to see more of you tomorrow!

hey, great to meet you alady!
--on the facial hair front:  jim is indeed clean shaven, and carl is sporting a well established moustache.

Great review.  Spending time with Alady certainly adds to the wonderment of the night.  

[Ive got an EVIL plan babe]

Any info on the concert poster?

[j_rud]

--evelyn!!--as the band got ready to play this carl, tom and jim gathered around the drum riser.  jim counted out the 1!  2!  1, 2, 3, 4! on his fingers and they launched in.  right before the last words of the song the band froze in position...the longer they held their poses, the more the crowd hollered!  sometimes at these shows i just laugh from all the momentum and the crowd fervor.  fantastic!

They did this at Philly in early September as well, hilarious. At first the crowd was confused and it got quiet, then they just cheered louder and louder. They held it for about 20 seconds before Jim laughed and they brought it home.

Sounds like a great show, hope you all get another one tonight!

[Sherpa]

again with the specialness.

now sitting in my friend's apt, green holiday lights illuminating the dining room.  freshly showered with a cup of genmaicha tea (from metropolis coffee.  oh, how i love them), watching the wind blow the powerlines around outside the window.

the chicago theatre is gorgeous.  gilded and baroque and luminous.
there were two new e.u. owl banners hanging behind the stage.  i got to my seat a bit early:  watched the crew going through their set up, listened to the crowd filing in.  when the bears came out, i noticed that pooch was on the left side and the girl bear was on the right.  thought, "huh.  new places for the bears."  about 10 min before the show started, a couple of the techs came out and did a quick bear-position swap.   ;D

putting the previous poster's set list in vertical form...
band came out at 8:05, according to wendy.  ;)

--evil urges
--touch me pt 1
--otr
--aluminum park
--i'm amazed

--thank you too
--sec walkin
--way he sings--why does my mind blow to bits, indeed.   :D  
(at this point some people in the row in front of us left for a few minutes and the very friendly guys in front of us grabbed my hand and pulled me into the front row.  he said, "someone should be here while they're gone."   ;D thanks for sharing!)

--jim greets the crowd, thanks chicago for all that chicago has given the world.
--mahgeeta--ARE YOU READY TO GOOOOOOO?  jim's guitar looked chrome.  crazy shiny.  bo was sporting the biggest smile this entire song.

--jim tells crowd he was serious about all that chicago has given the world...
--golden--this was the first time i took a moment to take in the big picture:  the band, stage, lights, the crowd.

--where to begin--first suprise of the night:  BEAUTIFUL!
--librarian--again, the delicacy of this song in performance is stunning.
--evelyn!!--as the band got ready to play this carl, tom and jim gathered around the drum riser.  jim counted out the 1!  2!  1, 2, 3, 4! on his fingers and they launched in.  right before the last words of the song the band froze in position...the longer they held their poses, the more the crowd hollered!  sometimes at these shows i just laugh from all the momentum and the crowd fervor.  fantastic!

--war begun--SWEET JESUS.  :o wendy asked me if the name of the song was, "oh, fuck!" b/c it was all i could manage to say when they started playing it.   ;D --DAMN.  wonderful to hear this live!!
(worth mentioning the tennessee fire songs in order moment here...still holding a torch for an appearance of "it's about twilight now" in a show  ;) )

--lay low--cape and strobes!   quotes of the evening from my friends re:  lay low:  allison, "i don't know what happened.  i couldn't stop dancing."
--phone went west--my note says, "jim, where are you going?"--they opened the song up in the middle.  i think the new arrangement disarmed me a bit b/c when they brought the song back around for "THERE'LL BE A KNOCK ON YOUR BACK DOOOOOOR" it broadsided me emotionally.  whoof.

--gideon!
--dondante--where didn't this song go?!  :o there is a physical phenomenon with this song:  while the music and vocals are blowing your body back, that bass keeps your feet rooted to the spot.  kind of fucking fantastic.  damn.

--smokin from shootin--build!
--touch me pt. 2--DANCE PARTY

-------------
--as the band came out for a few more songs, jim talked about having to cancel the chicago shows last oct. b/c of his accident.  said that he wasn't 100% but was feeling pretty good.  also said he was disappointed to have not performed the benefit for barack obama at schuba's.  more excited words about the election, chicago and obama, then, "Let's do this shit!"

--wordless chorus!--nothing but love coming from the crowd at this point.
--highly suspicious--DANCE PARTY, PT. DEUX!
--anytime!--jesus, these men were throwing down tonight!
(here i got a cramp in my side.  and i ate light, dammit!  ;D )
--one big holiday.--as patrick started this song the crowd roared.

SO GOOD TO SEE THESE MEN AND THEIR CREW, making music, kicking our boo-tays and filling our hearts.

OH, THIS FEELING IT IS WONDERFUL!   [smiley=beer.gif]

and...it is late and my computer battery is toast for tonight.

hope to see more of you tomorrow!

hey, great to meet you alady!

--on the facial hair front:  jim is indeed clean shaven, and carl is sporting a well established moustache.

Amazing recap! I love reading the excitement and joy in fans who truly had a great time.

[JacketGal]

Ms Y~ Can't add anything to your review, it's perfect. Saw you and Ravi talking before the show. Looks like you had a great spot.

The only thing I might say is that the sound from Row H center - was the BEST EVER - that is no lie. It was fantastic to hear Bo's additions, and the interplay between guitars was sumptuous! I guess when you are way up front it is sometimes not so clear. The bass on Highly Suspicious was throbbing and beautiful again.  The band seemed SOOO into every song.

War Begun!! Hell yes, that was my secret wish....yay!

Was it a full 3 hour show?

BRING ON NYC! We are getting packed and ready to hit the airport. I was secretly wishing for a delay - so we could go to tonight's show at the Chicago Theater.

p.s. I noticed the bears were not in their normal position too - we are nerds? Not.  ;D

[ultravisitor]

Any info on the concert poster?

Not the best pic, but...



The date is the 27th, but it says "2 nights only!" so I'm not sure if there is a different poster for tonight or not.  If there is a different one, I'll get it and post a pic of it, too.

[hizzo]

Close ups of the shaved face??  :)

[ms. yvon]

War Begun!! Hell yes, that was my secret wish....yay!

Was it a full 3 hour show?

p.s. I noticed the bears were not in their normal position too - we are nerds? Not.  ;D

;D
it was about 2 1/2.  they started later than scheduled, so that may have cut the set shorter than they'd planned.

hooray for your hearing war begun!  glad they played it at the show you could see!

tonight my seat is in row mm.  looking forward to hearing the show from there.

disapppointed we missed each other after the show! realized that you must be bustling home to get ready for your trip to nyc!

also:  didn't get to sleep until about 4:30am.  i think that tea i was drinking was caffeinated.   :P

[herbsworld]

NYE w/MMJ @ MSG is going to be my first MMJ show & I cannot wait. I bought these tix IMMEDIATELY after hearing the radio city show. I'm 46 yrs. old, the wife & I go to Many varied shows during the year. we live on L.I. and AVOID the city like a plague 2x a year, Thanksgiving (parade) & NYE (strictly amateur hour, for tourists only).
BUT ... I feel like a little girl, my nipples are getting hard(er) and I have douche chills constantly AND I'm LOVIN' IT! : :)D ;D :o
(the best part is we are bringing my 21 year old daughter. never been to a show w/us, Never been to the garden and NEVER Heard MMJ b4. I'm excited for her!) Special Nite, indeed! did I mention I can't wait?

[Sassbox]

Close ups of the shaved face??  :)

Well now...this is a cell phone pic sent by a friend, but the shading is deceptive b/c it looks like he's still rocking the beard, doesn't it?

[johnfromindiana]

There were MANY beautiful guitars, but Jim's shiny one was absolutely titties and cream! :o

[Loonyj]

It was a great show, not quite up to the last show I saw in Detroit prior to JJ's great McHurtin.  Still it was an all heart show with killer lights, and a great overall effort.

They were just a touch rusty, you can tell it's been a while since they toured, but tonght should be even better, and by the time NYE rolls around I expect them to be at full boil!!!

Jim is sans beard, and his voice is in great form.

See my little brothers pics will be posted here in bit.

[johnfromindiana]

The venue itself is sooo wonderful.  Absolutely amazing.   I was awestruck by it all.  The guitar interplay in "off the record" made me giddy.  

[Bob Loblaw]

Reporting from the balcony, the show was ridiculously great but the crowd, at times, left me disappointed.  I happened to be in one of the sections where people weren't even standing up.  I couldn't understand it.  How can you listen to these guys at all, much less rockin' it live, and not move your feet; bob your head, weave your shoulders?  Maybe it's just me.  I go insane at concerts.  It's tough to watch people sitting there like they're watching a movie.  I mean, I go more crazy when I'm sitting at home watching Okonokos.  Then to see people leave before the encore was ridiculous.  

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, when good live music was around, we'd go crazy.  You could tell last night there were a good chunk of people that treated the show like their Saturday night warm up.  They were more concerned with the club they were going to after the show.  Sometimes Chicago shows crowds disappoint me in that regard.

Meh, maybe I was just jealous of those on the floor, closer to the action, getting their groove on.  That's ok though, I'm row AA tonight on Carl's side of the stage!  I expect a heavier night with even more intense rocking out from the band.  Can't wait.  See you all there.

Can I get an O is the One That is Real to follow Where to Begin?

[ultravisitor]

Actually, had I been in the balcony, I would have had absolutely no problem sitting down.  I would have totally enjoyed the show while relaxing in my seat because I would have had a great view.  I don't need to flail my limbs around to enjoy music.  It sounds the same either way, and if I can relax, watch easily, and listen, then that's what I'll do.

I don't understand people who sit down when they're in the front or in the very front, though.

[haggardphunk]

Actually, had I been in the balcony, I would have had absolutely no problem sitting down.  I would have totally enjoyed the show while relaxing in my seat because I would have had a great view.  I don't need to flail my limbs around to enjoy music.  It sounds the same either way, and if I can relax, watch easily, and listen, then that's what I'll do.

I don't understand people who sit down when they're in the front or in the very front, though.[/quote

i rocked the hell out the whole time.  limbs going everywhere. i could never sit at an MMJ show.  and ill be rocking out the same way tonight

[ultravisitor]

Good for you.  But if people in the balcony or far in the back are sitting, then it doesn't make them lesser fans.  As I said, I'd have no problem sitting in the balcony, and tonight's show will be my sixth.  Clearly, I love this band.

[likethetwilight]

i have several photos. i had fifth row seats, but they didn't turn out nearly as well as i would have liked...but i will post later this evening when i get a chance to upload a few.
my 8th time seeing MMJ...and another excellent show by the way.

[grace6697]

you guys are killing me here. this show was last night. where are the pictures?! videos?!

something. anything. please.

signed,
desperate fan in NYC.