REPORTS FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN NYE

[NoVa_NoLa]

Mine too, NoVa_NoLa.  Actually I'm sore everywhere.  My feet hurt so badly after the show that I literally could not walk...we had to pedicab it the two blocks back to the hotel.  WEAK!

Hey, we should catch up re: JazzFest.

I made the rookie mistake of taking off my shoes at Stout's after the show.  Even in sneakers, I wore my feet out!  Could barely get the sneakers back on.  Wound up taking a cab like 4 blocks to BB Kings... ;D ...where the fool in me danced a little more.  :D

With NYE out of the way, I can begin my full on obsession with JazzFest!   Maybe we could meet up at DBA.   :)

[Sassbox]

Definitely...especially for a Lost Bayou Ramblers' set!

[GiorgioNYC]

This was my first NMJ show. I have to admit I came to this band only recently. But I absolutely love them. Wonderful show, lots of energy, enthusiasm, both onstage and in the crowd. I'm an older guy, 50, but still love rock, and especially bands like NMJ. This is a classic rock band, well versed in the history of rock and R&B, yet totally contemporary. Loved the covers, from the opener, "Move on Up" by The Impressions, to Dion's "The Wanderer," Sam Cooke's "Bring it On Home to Me," James Brown's "Cold Sweat,"  "You're All I Need to Get By,"  and even "Celebrate" and "Get Down On It,"  both of which were surprises, but totally apt.  I was blown away by the "Great Dictator" clip during the intermission. Very powerful, and its inclusion in the show speaks volumes about what kind of a band NMJ is. They put out such a positive vibe without being in the least bit preachy or corny.  What I don't get, tho, is why people in the crowd were texting during the show, calling each other on their cell phones, and otherwise paying more attention to their digital devices than what was happening onstage. This certainly wasn't true of everyone, or even most, in the audience. But it was happening enough for me to wonder, WTF? That aside, I had a great time, my best New Year's Eve in years. and I have nothing but admiration and respect for NMJ and ther incredible musicianship.

What's this NMJ band you speak of?

Ny Morning Jacket, they're the hot new thing. Didn't you know?

LOL...i should always proofread posts when hungover from 3-hour plus rock concerts....

[blenderbaby]

First things first, apoligies to the people i WAS looking forward to meeting in the Ginger man pre show, a couple of reasons made sure that appointment was not kept.  I was flying in from Chicago, and all was on time to land at about 2.30pm'ish, till La guardia Airport decided (at that time of the day!) to only use "1" runway for landings as our plane approached, so we flew around in a circle for all of an hour...  Finally getting off the plane about 4ish.  I thought getting to MSG from La guardia would be a cinch, as it is only 9 miles away, man, was I wrong, stupidly penny pinching trying to use NY's Public Transit instead of just jumping a cab!).  I was told to "take the M60 Bus, it might take a couple of hours to get you there, or take another Bus to 8th street (8th street is not marked 8th street of course, it is marked as a street name!!!) then a subway train.."  Some buses you need "the" exact change, trains are lettered (a b c d e f g..etc) some are numbered (123456..etc..), long story short, i had a hell of a headache when i was lost in Harlem somewhere :-[.  Got in sight of the MSG at 6ish, anyway, about the show..   AWESOME performance by the boys, Dondante/Runthru/Touchme part2 etc, all worth my Transit headache.  I understand the set list was to cater for the New years eve party vibe, so the soul covers i enjoyed, but still, i was thinking we will be getting Simply Reds Holding back the years soon....  So thank you My Morning Jacket, for forcing me to travel nearly 4 corners of the states to catch you guys live this year, and re-affirming my belief that you guys are  possibly the best live band on the planet :) even if you DID sound like Simply Red on occasion) 8-)

[EgoTesticle]

First things first, apoligies to the people i WAS looking forward to meeting in the Ginger man pre show, a couple of reasons made sure that appointment was not kept.  I was flying in from Chicago, and all was on time to land at about 2.30pm'ish, till La guardia Airport decided (at that time of the day!) to only use "1" runway for landings as our plane approached, so we flew around in a circle for all of an hour...  Finally getting off the plane about 4ish.  I thought getting to MSG from La guardia would be a cinch, as it is only 9 miles away, man, was I wrong, stupidly penny pinching trying to use NY's Public Transit instead of just jumping a cab!).  I was told to "take the M60 Bus, it might take a couple of hours to get you there, or take another Bus to 8th street (8th street is not marked 8th street of course, it is marked as a street name!!!) then a subway train.."  Some buses you need "the" exact change, trains are lettered (a b c d e f g..etc) some are numbered (123456..etc..), long story short, i had a hell of a headache when i was lost in Harlem somewhere :-[.  Got in sight of the MSG at 6ish, anyway, about the show..   AWESOME performance by the boys, Dondante/Runthru/Touchme part2 etc, all worth my Transit headache.  I understand the set list was to cater for the New years eve party vibe, so the soul covers i enjoyed, but still, i was thinking we will be getting Simply Reds Holding back the years soon....  So thank you My Morning Jacket, for forcing me to travel nearly 4 corners of the states to catch you guys live this year, and re-affirming my belief that you guys are  possibly the best live band on the planet :) even if you DID sound like Simply Red on occasion) 8-)

"Lost in Harlem" ....  Welcome to NYC!!! LOL

[Penny Lane]

First things first, apoligies to the people i WAS looking forward to meeting in the Ginger man pre show, a couple of reasons made sure that appointment was not kept.  I was flying in from Chicago, and all was on time to land at about 2.30pm'ish, till La guardia Airport decided (at that time of the day!) to only use "1" runway for landings as our plane approached, so we flew around in a circle for all of an hour...  Finally getting off the plane about 4ish.  I thought getting to MSG from La guardia would be a cinch, as it is only 9 miles away, man, was I wrong, stupidly penny pinching trying to use NY's Public Transit instead of just jumping a cab!).  I was told to "take the M60 Bus, it might take a couple of hours to get you there, or take another Bus to 8th street (8th street is not marked 8th street of course, it is marked as a street name!!!) then a subway train.."  Some buses you need "the" exact change, trains are lettered (a b c d e f g..etc) some are numbered (123456..etc..), long story short, i had a hell of a headache when i was lost in Harlem somewhere :-[.  Got in sight of the MSG at 6ish, anyway, about the show..   AWESOME performance by the boys, Dondante/Runthru/Touchme part2 etc, all worth my Transit headache.  I understand the set list was to cater for the New years eve party vibe, so the soul covers i enjoyed, but still, i was thinking we will be getting Simply Reds Holding back the years soon....  So thank you My Morning Jacket, for forcing me to travel nearly 4 corners of the states to catch you guys live this year, and re-affirming my belief that you guys are  possibly the best live band on the planet :) even if you DID sound like Simply Red on occasion) 8-)

"Lost in Harlem" ....  Welcome to NYC!!! LOL

--thank god you made it in on time. i hate la guardia. normally the m60 isn't too bad---probably would have been ok any other day. Harlem, yikes!

[ALady]

Hi guys, this is my first post here.
I just wanted to respond to the couple of folks complaining about the crowd, or comment, rather.
My boyfriend and I are really big fans (he's been listening since 2001, its my 3rd show, etc) and we've always had a great time seeing mmj together.
However, in section 8 on the floor (row B), we were trampled by a bunch of sloppy drunk assholes who climbed over chairs and pushed everyone and stole seats all while talking the whole time and trying to hit on me during songs while i danced. there was absolutely no security (which i hate dealing with, but, they serve their purpose and come on, its the garden on NYE) and the usher was 90 years old. finally, some guy fell over/passed out over the back of my boyfriend's chair during librarian and hit him in the back of the head and knocked my boyfriend out for a few. we had to leave and make sure he didnt have a concussion. his whole neck is bruised and he's having xrays and an MRI today.
so, yeah, the best new years ever turned into the worst.
anyone know where i can get a boot (if thats kosher on these boards; if not, pretend i didn't say that) since we missed most of the show?

Oh, oof.  That's terrible - is he okay?

The crowd was pretty reasonable where I started out - about 3 people back on Jim's side of the pit.  There was a big group of college-aged girls from Louisville who could not have been more amped for the show!  They let me toss my coat on the rail in front of them, and for that I'm eternally grateful...thanks ladies!   :)  It did eventually get a little rowdy, and not in a good way, so I moved back.  'Twas a shame to lose my sweet spot, but I felt like the amateurs were gonna ruin my NYE...glad I moved when I did.

I have to say it was very cool to look around at the sea of people dancing and generally going nuts...what a great night!   :D

My first Jacket show and I was blown away. When the lights came up I felt really sad about a lack of old school Jacket, but now that I look back it was a party night and in my opinion they had a perfectly arranged set list for such an event. Slow songs would have ruined the momentum. I have never, ever danced so hard in my life and they rocked like nothing else. Incredible. The balloons, the lights, the white tuxes and the confetti (that is still falling out of unknown places) made for an awesome evening. I was with a great group of strangers who quickly became friends.

The lack of Jacket rarities means that I will have to see them again live, but last night was a party night and they brought it. The covers were incredible. (The duet could have been axed, though...) Ooooohh, man what a night.

I have some good pictures to post once I get home.  Good to meet you ALady & Sass...Pennylane I will find you at the next show. And Kenny...I loved watching your hat bobbing in the pit.

When will they be back in the U.S.? I'm going...

Lovely meeting you too, Ky!  And I have to say I agree with just about every word of your review.   :)  It felt like a party setlist, not a hardcore fan setlist, and I think if that's what they were going for, then they were successful.  I could have done without Nicole Atkins entirely...she's so vanilla, IMO.  But I was thrilled to see Will Johnson...definitely check out Centro-matic and/or South San Gabriel if you get a chance!

http://www.myspace.com/centromatic
http://www.myspace.com/southsangabriel


And as for Patrick's arm thingy during Run Thru... (I always think looks like he's doing the hands of the clock...   ;D)...it's even better when they have the strobe lights going!

[gkitt80]

Hey all, first time poster, but thought I would drop a line and say hi! Was at the show, sitting in section 129, and all I can say is simply "WOWZERS." What an awesome band, awesome concert, and an awesome evening. I am sorry to hear about the bad experiences with drunken frat boys, but the people that were in my section were all solid peeps there to have a good time and I am very grateful for that positive experience.

The concert itself was SOOOO awesome. I consider myself somewhat of a concert veteran as going to concerts is like my super duper hobby, so I feel confident in saything that MMJ's NYE show was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time, maybe ever. Not only was the band spot on, but the accoustics in MSG were surpisingly good and the crowd (at least around me) was totally awesome. I honestly couldn't imagine spending NYE doing something better. The atmosphere, concert, people, etc were all spot on, providing for a somewhat surreal experience.

Anyhow, back to work for me, I look forward to spending more time 'not working' on these forums talking with you folk.

P.S. BTW, hi Kydiddle, this is Greg from the Greg and Allison couple you met on the train.

[retroelectro]

aw you guys are so sweet. the xray machine was down at the emergency clinic today so he's at the ER now since he's still in pain. the doc at the clinic says he has severe whiplash and shouldnt do much of anything for 2 weeks to a month. we play in a band (shameless self promotion: //www.tourmalinerocks.com) and are having our big record release show tomorrow...cross your fingers that he can play.

[kydiddle]

Hey all, first time poster, but thought I would drop a line and say hi! Was at the show, sitting in section 129, and all I can say is simply "WOWZERS." What an awesome band, awesome concert, and an awesome evening. I am sorry to hear about the bad experiences with drunken frat boys, but the people that were in my section were all solid peeps there to have a good time and I am very grateful for that positive experience.

The concert itself was SOOOO awesome. I consider myself somewhat of a concert veteran as going to concerts is like my super duper hobby, so I feel confident in saything that MMJ's NYE show was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time, maybe ever. Not only was the band spot on, but the accoustics in MSG were surpisingly good and the crowd (at least around me) was totally awesome. I honestly couldn't imagine spending NYE doing something better. The atmosphere, concert, people, etc were all spot on, providing for a somewhat surreal experience.

Anyhow, back to work for me, I look forward to spending more time 'not working' on these forums talking with you folk.

P.S. BTW, hi Kydiddle, this is Greg from the Greg and Allison couple you met on the train.

Hey! Good to see you on here. I emailed you some pics a little bit ago!!  :)

Lady you crack me up. He DID look like the hands of a clock!!  ;D Thanks for the links...

[Michaelfeld]

So after a few days to think of things and reflect I thought I would post my thoughts of the show. I started off in section 129 ( I think) and rolled in with a group of about 16 (ALL DRESSED TO IMPRESS). After the intermission i found myself dancing in the isles and found my way right next to the stage in the first row on Jim's side.

Overall, the show was fantastic, great covers, great people, everything went as planned. I was given the honor to see the guys at Bonnaroo and I couldn't help compare that show to this one. I was the one who was yelling "Bonaroo!! "for about 15 minutes after the show in case i ran into you.

I personally thought that everyone i met was as nice as could be. It's funny because I felt like if you were dressed up you were automatically much nicer and understood the feel and vibe of a MMJ show. While dancing in my row, i fell on the guy in front of me who was insistent on fighting me and as you can probably guess he was not dressed up to the nine. I talked him down and gave him a hug and the show went on. Was great, kissed a cutie for new years, danced my face off, saw the biggest smiles on people's faces and could tell there was a fantastic energy in the building. After reading a couple posts I figure I wouldn't repeat myself too much and would just comment on some things that have been said.

The video monitor not being on was fantastic. No matter how far away the stage was from the seat this is a band who you come to see for their music. I know we would like to see them a little closer but i feel not having the monitor on made it much more intimate and much less like a rolling stones reunion show.

I have been going back and forth for a little while on what I think of the set list. Overall, I would say I was kinda let down (as a die hard fan). Especially after the Bonnaroo show this year. I really think we could have atleast gotten Steam Engine. Especially after seeing the set lists for the Chicago shows, where to begin and other gems, I feel like they left out some great tunes for a few unneeded covers.

On the other hand I know how my face lit up when I heard get down on it and cold sweat over the summer so I am happy that the people at MSG got to experience it too, and although us board nerds would love the gems, a lot of people there wanted their hits and I'm sure if Steam Engine wasn't 16 minutes long with a solo we would have gotten it.

I realized that I couldn't compare this show to other shows, especially not Bonnaroo because it was just totally different. The Roo was a homecoming of sorts to where they got their start and grew and matured. They closed with home sweet home for god sakes. This show was a celebration of what has been accomplished this year, and boy have they accomplished a lot. I think with that in mind it is fair what they played and chose to do that night.

Showing the Chaplin clip almost brought me to tears because for a while i thought that very few people knew how special that film is and especially how special the end monologue is. It was a needed message and I'm glad they put it out there.

I am also very happy that they didn't cover Zeppelin, I have always been so happy that they choose songs you wouldn't expect and they went against the grind. This show was a party and as much as I love Zep, this wasn't the place for stairway or any other classics. They'll bust it out one day though.

Finally, after really thinking about things I realized that especially after Jims accident and only playing 2 shows before this, this is extremely impressive. If they had been touring for the past 3 months I would have expected something different. But they put together a fantastic show with great covers and overall gave us a wonderful party and isn't that what we all knew it was going to be going into this. I sure had a blast.

Again, I could not be more proud of the fans, the band and the people who put the show on. It was simply a pleasure to be able to share that night with all those people. I am so happy that I decided to make the trek out there from LA, it was worth it. Enjoy 2009, we all have a lot to be proud of with a band we love so much-
Mahalo.

[jmk]

Fantastic show. I've never done so much dancing at a show. Me and my bud Anthony were in Section 12, dressed to the nines of course. I had on a brown 3-piece suit with a brown fedora, and was fully sporting the stache and goatee combo. Hopefully a few of you guys were near me.

I agree with the sentiment of disappointment in the setlist. I was ecstatic to hear The Way That He Sings, but I was expecting more like that, which I didn't get. I'm talking At Dawn, I Think I'm Going to Hell, Strangulation, Where To Begin, etc. I was really looking forward to Steam Engine. I'm really disappointed that I didn't hear it.

That said, I understand what they were trying to do, and it was such a great party. Of course it would have been that much better with those oldies, and I think they could have included them without decreasing the party mood. In my opinion, some of those covers could have easily been replaced by the golden rarities.

Fantastic show, though. The boys sounded great. The stadium was rocking. It was a rocking party for sure.

[Cuff]

11th show since March and I didn't stop moving the entire time!  I thought it was a fantastic show.   I have to say I felt just the eensiest bit of disappointment because I think I was hoping for the theatrics of the 2006 NYE show and didn't get them, but overall I was really happy with closing out the year with my favorite band ever!

What's the deal with Nicole Atkins?  I saw two songs of her set at Lolla and thought she was pretty mediocre, so I was puzzled to see her as a guest.

Nicole Atkins has a great voice, but I was a bit underwhelmed with her as the special guest for NYE.  I guess when I heard there would be special guests, my mind went crazy with all of the amazing possibilities as to who would be there.

well jeff coffin was there... that's pretty special

[Sassbox]

On the other hand I know how my face lit up when I heard get down on it and cold sweat over the summer so I am happy that the people at MSG got to experience it too, and although us board nerds would love the gems, a lot of people there wanted their hits and I'm sure if Steam Engine wasn't 16 minutes long with a solo we would have gotten it.

What a really nice thought...it hadn't occurred to me before, so thanks for saying it.

11th show since March and I didn't stop moving the entire time!  I thought it was a fantastic show.   I have to say I felt just the eensiest bit of disappointment because I think I was hoping for the theatrics of the 2006 NYE show and didn't get them, but overall I was really happy with closing out the year with my favorite band ever!

What's the deal with Nicole Atkins?  I saw two songs of her set at Lolla and thought she was pretty mediocre, so I was puzzled to see her as a guest.

Nicole Atkins has a great voice, but I was a bit underwhelmed with her as the special guest for NYE.  I guess when I heard there would be special guests, my mind went crazy with all of the amazing possibilities as to who would be there.

well jeff coffin was there... that's pretty special

I agree completely...Jeff Coffin was a fantastic special guest.

[Dorothy_Mantooth]

yeah i was bummed when nicole came out because i was told it was going to be taylor swift instead  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[dinan]

I understand what everyone is saying but I sat (stood) pretty far from the stage and would have loved to have a video monitor. I could tell they were wearing white tuxes but that was the extent of it. I had read on the boards that Jim shaved and looked different but I couldnt' see that. I sat in a very similar spot for Neil Young and to me it was more intimate to see him up close because (on the monitor) because of his relationship to his guitar and music. I'm not sure, but I think I'm too old to be in the pit too (37).  Regardless, a fantastic concert, fantastic night.

[Sassbox]

You are not too old to be in the pit!  I'm 45 and I was on the rail for Neil Young/Wilco...and many Jacket shows this year.  I couldn't do it for NYE as my fiance is just not as in to the band as I am, BUT YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD!   :)

If I hadn't seen them so many times this year I would be in complete agreement on wishing for a more up close view, too.

[AllyDee]

I looooooooooooved this show, but again, as another diehard fan, the idea someone mentioned of a Jacket residency sounds really nice.

5 shows, play each album in it's entirety, and b-sides/covers as well?

I would love it.

[gideons]

Show was epic. Everyone was rocking out and dancing. great energy, some drunk people but whatever...they had no idea what hit them. Show was a slap in the face. I love pearl jam, and these guys made rock harder than any other pearl jam show ive been to. NYE @ The Garden....says everything.

[Ghostess on TV]

I thought the show was incredibly awesome and I had a blast....but......I was a little disappointed they didn't play anything from TTF.... This was my third show... Bonnaroo 08' and Philly.. NYE was my least favorite... It was still awesome, but maybe because the other two were too awesome maybe??