2-7-09 Osaka, Japan

[st. john]

this might work a little better

http://www.archive.org/details/duo2008-12-31 :-?

[ManNamedTruth]

Cheers DB! Have you seen the boys before? Sorry but I forgot if you have or not, I'm sure you've mentioned it.

[dragonboy]

Hey True! 2nd time, saw them a couple of years ago in London.

DB,  remember when the guardian called mmj the unsexiest band in rock'n roll?

so glad u guys had such a great experience.

Thanks St. John!

The Guardian really said that?!  :(

[the sun and moon]

Hey, they said that? I disagree!  >:(  haha but that's funny.

[st. john]

well it was a few years ago  - u got to admit that jj did look like he needed to be showered before he could be touched. i'm sure that had appeal for a certain crew but guess not for the young lady of the guardian. maybe she was getting even..... ;)

she also said that their shows were boring cos they played exactly the same sets from town to town and that they did not have much of a stage presence, did not connect with their audience - hid behind sheets of hair... lumped as 'shoe gazers'.  she may have been right - i don't know.  the used to play meters from where i lived but i did not know they existed. not great pr. even now i think their lable could do more.

tell u - that's what i love about james and co - the work ethic - and the smarts to learn and improve their music and themselves. live and learn in action. and the will blows me away. suspect that if u stripped the flesh off jim u'd find steel and that's before the fall.

[nickdavies7]

Similar set list to billboards melbourne.

[crazylove]

DB,

I know exactly how the Mrs. feels.  I always liked MMJ, until I saw them in person........and now I LOVE THEM.  I felt the same way after seeing them in Louisville last summer.  I didn't want to talk to anyone, even Teo, I just wanted to replay the whole concert in my head over and over.  
I stood by Jim's aunt down in front for most of the concert and she told me that Thank You was written about his Grandmother.  Those tasteless, spineless guys who shouted at the concert will more than likely rot in hell for those comments.
Teo and I hope to see you in Memphis this summer!

[capt. scotty]

So going by that 1 pic, was it 68$ for a ticket?? or is that yen or something??

If my understanding of yen is correct, and it was 68, they might as well have played for free!!

[ms. yvon]

what a wonderful account of your night, db!  the line that sums it up:  "we missed the last train"  THAT is the sign of a good time, and good decision making!

the low ceiling in the club is killing me.  must have been pretty small.  damn.  glad you got a pic of the mirror ball in action, too!

i'm gonna read your review again.   [smiley=beer.gif]

[dragonboy]

Thanks Ms Yvon! Yeah I don't regret missing the last train, like I said it added to the adventure!

It was a small venue 700 capacity. I wonder how the guys felt about playing such a small venue after such big shows in the US? Hat's off to them, so many bands have given up on Japan - Wilco played Oz last year but didn't bother coming to Japan. Ryan Adams played Fuji Rock the same time as the Jacket but hasn't been back since.

Fingers crossed the shows will get the stunning reviews they deserve in the Japanese press & the band's popularity will continue to rise here.

DB,

I know exactly how the Mrs. feels.  I always liked MMJ, until I saw them in person........and now I LOVE THEM.  I felt the same way after seeing them in Louisville last summer.  I didn't want to talk to anyone, even Teo, I just wanted to replay the whole concert in my head over and over.  
I stood by Jim's aunt down in front for most of the concert and she told me that Thank You was written about his Grandmother.  Those tasteless, spineless guys who shouted at the concert will more than likely rot in hell for those comments.
Teo and I hope to see you in Memphis this summer!

Thanks Crazylove, good to hear from you! I don't know how many times my wife said "I want to go back, I want to see them again!"

We just accepted the horrible flights that Air Canada have offered us so it's still on at the moment. Our Expedia representative tells us that the flights will continue to change, maybe even get canceled because it's not a popular route (Vancouver - Vegas) but like I said, at the moment it's on! Our good man MJ is talking about making the trip to Memphis too so we could all be in for a fantastic day...all taking place under the shadow of Graceland  :D

[dragonboy]

So going by that 1 pic, was it 68$ for a ticket?? or is that yen or something??

If my understanding of yen is correct, and it was 68, they might as well have played for free!!

Capt, you seem an intelligent man - why on earth would you think we use $US here in Japan?  ::)  ;D

6800Yen, about $70 - worth every penny!

[capt. scotty]

So going by that 1 pic, was it 68$ for a ticket?? or is that yen or something??

If my understanding of yen is correct, and it was 68, they might as well have played for free!!

Capt, you seem an intelligent man - why on earth would you think we use $US here in Japan?  ::)  ;D

6800Yen, about $70 - worth every penny!

I guess Japan's economy must be doing pretty good these days then!!

Funny that in their home country where theyre more popular, they play venues 5 times that size and the tix are half the price  ;D

I certainly wouldve payed 6800 too

[dragonboy]

Tickets have always been silly expensive here. I posted this in the What Shows Are Coming? thread:

"Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck are coming to Japan in Feb (separate shows + 2 nights together with tickets @ 17,000Yen, 15,000, 13,000 & 10,000 each - that's $190 for the most expensive tickets & $110 for the cheapest!!!)

& then Deep Purple with Yngwie Malmsteen in April ($135 - $110!!!)

Hey, at least Journey are only charging $100 for a ticket when they come in March  Wink

Way to represent Classic Rock!!!"

Here's a look at who's coming to Japan & how much the tickets are (click on English):
http://www.creativeman.co.jp/index.html

[capt. scotty]

I can see tix for Clapton being 100$, I mean, theyre basically that much here, but Yngwie Malmsteem?!?!

;D

You going to see Q-Tip in a couple days? Looks like his tix cost the same as MMJ   :D

[ycartrob]

What an incredible show!!! What an incredible day! My wife & I are still glowing & probably will be for days - I can't stop tearing up  ;D

The venue was great. It's amazing to think that the same band were at MSG a few weeks ago & we got to see them play the last night of the EU tour at the kind of venue they were performing at in the US 5 or 6 years ago - so lucky!

We got there early & had a sniff about. Didn't see any of the guys but sat outside for a while listening to the soundcheck. The show didn't sell out but there was a good crowd & the place looked pretty full. They played the infamous soul-mix (James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke too I think) & a minute or 2 after 7:00 they played a really cool old, jazz/big-band sort of song...anyone know what that might have been?  ;)

The sound was amazing right from the start. The only problem they had all night was Carl's sax mike @ the start of Dondante. There was a slight buzz when Jim plugged in his acoustic (for Golden, i think) & he made a funny comment about it. He didn't talk much but kept thanking the crowd in both English & Japanese.
The songs from EU are completely different beasts live. I'm Amazed was excellent. Jim played an incredible (short) solo that begged to be let loose.
They played a fantastic intro to one song, almost Spanish guitar sounding - i think it was Mahgeetah? Incredible!
Gideon was out of this world!!! Absolutely amazing! & the way they played it into Librarian was superb! The whole show was amazing but halfway through the first set (from Mahgeetah right through to the end of Run Thru) things got turned up to 11! I think I said the same thing after seeing the band last time - Carl plays like a man possessed! He plays with such amazing focus & intensity, a truly amazing sight to behold...the man is incredible!
The first set was nearly 2hrs on the dot...

Bermuda Highway solo was beautiful as was Look At You until some c*nt at the back shouted out something that made my blood fucking boil! It set my heart racing & my wife (who I was hugging at the time) must have felt my adrenaline rush because she told me to 'just ignore them'. The poor sound guys stood there with their jaws on the floor. Why oh why do these fuckers come to shows?!! I hope Jim didn't hear it & I hope it doesn't show up on any tapings that might surface. Sorry, rant over (part of me still wishes I'd clocked the fucker!)

If they turned things up to 11 somewhere during the first set then things went way past 12 for Wordless Chorus & Highly Suspicious.
Clearly the band were having so much fun. I forget what song it was but at one point Bo was playing the tambourine & had a smile on his face with a look that suggested complete euphoria! Jim was entertainer-extraordinaire with his cloak! During one song I thought he was going to fall off the stage again, spinning in circles!!!
Tommy, who had hung back for most of the show came right to the front towards the end & let rip grinning from ear-to-ear. During one song (i think it was Dondante) I swear his bass was going to tear the roof off!
& Patrick? Patrick is Patrick, isn't he? The man is a living legend IMO!

And then that was it. Jim strapping on the Flying-V was such a bittersweet moment - you know you're about to hear one of the greatest songs of all time played live by the greatest live band of your generation but you know that it also signals the end of the show!
2hrs30mins in total.

We hung back outside the venue afterward with a group of Japanese fans (we met one lady who had gone to Bonnaroo last year just to see them!) & were lucky enough to meet all of the guys. They were absolute stars, true gentlemen, until the Japanese staff told everyone they had a schedule to keep & ushered them into a van.

My wife & I missed the last train & payed $140 for a hotel (we were in the room for six & a half hours! $140?!! haha) but I didn't give a shit* & it only added to the adventure...I had just seen my favourite band play an incredible show, once in a lifetime show** @ a tiny club here in Japan & was (still am!) on cloud nine!!!



*ask me again when the CC bill comes  ;)

** that doesn't mean I don't want them to come back  ;) ;)

Dig it.

My heart soars like a hawk.

[dragonboy]

Dig it.

My heart soars like a hawk.

What, no Wilford Brimley salute?!  :'( ;)

[nycfan10001]

Wankers, indeed.  Glad you and Mrs. Dragon still had a great overall experience!

What finally shut the guy up was a combination of his friend sticking another beer in his face and his subsequent puking into the empty cup.  Not a pretty sight.
This band... every show is amazing but you never know which one will be a magic carpet ride.  Having many many many shows under my belt, I can safely say this was one of them.  For reference, Gideon took an extended jam and seemed to last about 14minutes.  Only seen that happen once before...

[dragonboy]

Wankers, indeed.  Glad you and Mrs. Dragon still had a great overall experience!

What finally shut the guy up was a combination of his friend sticking another beer in his face and his subsequent puking into the empty cup.  Not a pretty sight.
This band... every show is amazing but you never know which one will be a magic carpet ride.  Having many many many shows under my belt, I can safely say this was one of them.  For reference, Gideon took an extended jam and seemed to last about 14minutes.  Only seen that happen once before...

So you were at the show?! Great to hear from another fan! Gideon was indeed something special that night...
Did you see this recording? http://www.mymorningjacket.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1234369545/0#0

[searchinbig]

Wankers, indeed.  Glad you and Mrs. Dragon still had a great overall experience!

What finally shut the guy up was a combination of his friend sticking another beer in his face and his subsequent puking into the empty cup.  Not a pretty sight.
This band... every show is amazing but you never know which one will be a magic carpet ride.  Having many many many shows under my belt, I can safely say this was one of them.  For reference, Gideon took an extended jam and seemed to last about 14minutes.  Only seen that happen once before...

So you were at the show?! Great to hear from another fan! Gideon was indeed something special that night...
Did you see this recording? http://www.mymorningjacket.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1234369545/0#0

I've listened to this whole show a few times now. The recording is amazing, like the taper had his mics on stage or pretty damn close. Don't think he was in the middle, either left or right. Wish he stated his location. If you listen close during the JJ acoustic songs, like Librarian you can actually hear Patrick's snare drum rattling. Very annoying but a fact with snare drums, got one at home and the fucker rattles no matter what!

Back to the show. The Lowdon is like no other I've heard, like they turned it up a notch. The intro to Mahgeetah is killer and Gideon? That jam after Gideon is awesome. Wonder if that was planned or improv?
Anyway these guys are evolving every show. Amazing to hear. Grab this show if you can and crank it up.

[dragonboy]

Wankers, indeed.  Glad you and Mrs. Dragon still had a great overall experience!

What finally shut the guy up was a combination of his friend sticking another beer in his face and his subsequent puking into the empty cup.  Not a pretty sight.
This band... every show is amazing but you never know which one will be a magic carpet ride.  Having many many many shows under my belt, I can safely say this was one of them.  For reference, Gideon took an extended jam and seemed to last about 14minutes.  Only seen that happen once before...

So you were at the show?! Great to hear from another fan! Gideon was indeed something special that night...
Did you see this recording? http://www.mymorningjacket.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1234369545/0#0

I've listened to this whole show a few times now. The recording is amazing, like the taper had his mics on stage or pretty damn close. Don't think he was in the middle, either left or right. Wish he stated his location. If you listen close during the JJ acoustic songs, like Librarian you can actually hear Patrick's snare drum rattling. Very annoying but a fact with snare drums, got one at home and the fucker rattles no matter what!

Back to the show. The Lowdon is like no other I've heard, like they turned it up a notch. The intro to Mahgeetah is killer and Gideon? That jam after Gideon is awesome. Wonder if that was planned or improv?
Anyway these guys are evolving every show. Amazing to hear. Grab this show if you can and crank it up.

The taper was about 3/4s of the way back in the center/slightly to the left. The heckler was behind him. I saw the guy's taping gear & spoke to him afterwards  :)