Knoxville Show Review....?

[LaurieBlue]

http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=48794

Band looses momentum mid-show
Emily Ledbetter - Features Editor
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 issue

What started out as anxious waiting soon turned to slightly annoyed boredom as the length of the setup for My Morning Jacket turned to more than an hour. Blue Cats was filled to a good capacity with a varied audience who had braved the $17 cover and was now ready to see the Louisville band's performance.

"Oh, it was awesome, especially since I was front row center," said Josh Wolff, junior in journalism and electronic media. "It was one of the best shows I've been to; they definitely know how to rock. 'One Big Holiday' was awesome and 'Kathleen' was great too."

No stranger to Tennessee, My Morning Jacket has played Knoxville numerous times before. The warm welcome on Friday night was no different as applause from all over the venue broke out and extended well into the first minute of "Wordless Chorus."

Hair all over the place, there was no question the members of My Morning Jacket, including songwriter/singer-guitarist Jim James, drummer Patrick Hallahan, keyboardist Bo Koster, bassist Two-Tone Tommy and guitarist Carl Broemel, are well educated in the ways of an electric performance. The semi-blinding light effect added a spacy feel as James' vocal styling came to resemble The Flaming Lips' front man, Wayne Coyne.

At first glance, and accounting for the earlier mentioned semi-blinding light effect, Hallahan seemed to be playing the drums wearing an opaque mask across his line of sight. Once he slowed the rhythm section enough to allow his hair to slightly calm down, audience members were then clued in to the fact that it was a Zorro mask complete with the appropriate eye slits.

Although the beginning energy was exhilarating, one couldn't help but think it was perhaps in response to the long wait, as the atmosphere sagged slightly as the band launched into songs "Gideon" and "One Big Holiday" and only moderately resurged with "Heartbreakin' Man." My Morning Jacket's songs take a while to build but do eventually end in a very climatic state, but this leaves the set with an almost mundane formulaic feel.

"My Morning Jacket came out strong but a few songs into the show they began to lose their momentum," Seth Estock, sophomore in political science, said. "It would have been a great show if they had kept up the energy level the first few songs had."

The band wrapped with their songs, "Magheetah" and "Anytime" causing quite a stir with the remaining audience members. All for all, it was quite a show for the true fans, while it may have been somewhat downing for those looking for a new sound.

[tomEisenbraun]

meh.

you think they get sick of the Flaming Lips comparison? I suppose it'd be flattering at first, but Jim's voice is so different and unique than the Lips. They're not on acid, not making alien pop, and atmospheric in a totally different way.  

I get sick of comparisons.

[MickeyReds]

I understand what you mean. If I had to compair MMJ live Shows to a band, I would compair them to MMJ!

[sweatboard]

That's the worst review of a MMJ show I've ever heard.  Just disregard that entire pile of crap.  It's a college newspaper.  

[tomEisenbraun]

i think if I had to compare them a live show, this just popped into my head, but I think Elton John would almost be more accurate. Not in the dress, but just in the amazing song-writing and the power that they deliver with. Maybe Elton John was a bad choice, but I just realized that all the comparisons for What a Wonderful Man are way off, and it shouldn't be the Who but Elton. And I think that that is one hell of a compliment.

Hopefully one day "they play with the intensity and vigor of My Morning Jacket" will be used for complimentarianism for other peoples live shows.

[tomEisenbraun]

That's the worst review of a MMJ show I've ever heard. ÊJust disregard that entire pile of crap. ÊIt's a college newspaper. Ê

oh

well, then...of course.

[sweatboard]

i think if I had to compare them a live show, this just popped into my head, but I think Elton John would almost be more accurate. Not in the dress, but just in the amazing song-writing and the power that they deliver with. Maybe Elton John was a bad choice, but I just realized that all the comparisons for What a Wonderful Man are way off, and it shouldn't be the Who but Elton. And I think that that is one hell of a compliment.

Hopefully one day "they play with the intensity and vigor of My Morning Jacket" will be used for complimentarianism for other peoples live shows.

Early Elton John is a great comparison to current MMJ.  I'm thinking "Tumbleweed Connection".    

[Danko71]

Were any of you guys there? Maybe it was a fair review, even for a college paper. I'm sick of the Lips comparisons, but I'm just as tired of reading lame comments about borderline negative reviews.
It's more amusing than anything to read you guys get all worked up over a couple of comments that don't proclaim the band to be the greatest thing in the history of all mankind. like 90% of the other reviews. It's like you've been conditioned to believe that every review is gonna make them sound godlike.
I hope I catch this tour so I can make up my own mind.

[antoniostrohs]

Yes.I was there and also a couple of others from this forum were at the show.I thought the show was just another amazing and wonderful performance by our boys.I know most of the people down front didn't see any momentum loss.In fact I thought it just kept getting better from one song to the next.I was totally in awe of the new tunes played lived and was very happy.But I am a little prejudiced. ;D

[Danko71]

Groovy.
Didn't they play DC last night? Didn't see anything about that on here today.

[ycartrob]

"a Zorro mask complete with the appropriate eye slits"

Is a Zorro mask appropriate without eye slits? I think that's called a blindfold.

good grief, what an awful article.

[cfloyd3]

I go to the University of Tennessee so unfortunately this rubbish article comes from where I am.  It is terribly written and just embarassing to read.  If I saw this chick walking to class I'd be tempted to punch her in the face (okay I wouldn't hit a girl but you get the point).  I was there and thought the show was better than last time at Blue Cats and I loved it then too.  They just rocked it out harder this time and the crowd was into it.  Of course I was in the front row area right in front of Jim so maybe that helped.  MMJ is the best live band I have seen.  If she couldn't feel the atmosphere in there and how MMJ just takes you over then that is her problem and I feel sorry for her.

Also I am pretty sure it didn't take over an hour to setup but maybe it did.  I don't believe so but if she expects equipment to be setup in 10 minutes she shouldn't be there anyways.  I had 4 people surrounding me with cigarettes all show, beer being poured from above at random and it didn't matter to me.  MMJ rocked it.