Review: My Morning Jacket

The career of every significant rock band includes a brief span that's widely viewed as the act's artistic pinnacle.

The Who was never more powerful than when Tommy was released. Wilco was undeniably brilliant in its Yankee Hotel Foxtrot era. Arcade Fire may have recently peaked with the release of The Suburbs.

My Morning Jacket's moment is right now.

The band's concert Wednesday at the Uptown Theater showcased an excellent band in its prime. No matter how long My Morning Jacket sustains its artistic and commercial renaissance, Wednesday's audience of about 1,800 will likely never experience a better performance by the quintet from Kentucky. The concert was a nearly ideal rock spectacle.

The band is touring in support of its new release, Circuital, arguably the best of its six studio albums. In a steamy setting that created a communal camaraderie, six of My Morning Jacket's new songs were given their Kansas City debut. Containing the best attributes of the aforementioned bands, the new material sounded magnificent.

A sure sign that a band is in top form is its capacity to transform technical problems into spontaneous highlights. When the stage lights went out for a few minutes, they simply increased the intensity of their playing. Far more compelling than the strobe light-laden set were the antics of charismatic front man Jim James. With his long cloak, beard, mop of hair and crazed expressions, he was a dead ringer for the unsettling figure on the cover of Jethro Tull's Aqualung album.

My Morning Jacket is a guitar-oriented band that draws on blues, folk and country as well as indie rock. They also have a perilous predilection for extended jams. Instead of seeming self-indulgent, Wednesday's lengthy instrumental segments were transportive. Even so, the band is best when hewing to melody.

The best songs, consequently, were the insidious "Holdin' On To Black Metal" and the lilting "Wordless Chorus."

My Morning Jacket's reach extended into the set of opening act Delta Spirit. Bo Koster and Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket sat in on the San Diego-based band's song "Ransom Man," giving it an exquisite chamber folk flavor. Even though Delta Spirit played with a level of sincerity that would have made Bruce Springsteen blush, they were no match for the headliners.

My Morning Jacket's triumphant two-hour-and-fifteen-minute show began with new song "Victory Dance." The title conveys the appropriate reaction to the startlingly cathartic performance that followed.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

 

The set list (via setlist.fm)

Victory Dance

Circuital

Off The Record

I'm Amazed

Gideon

Lay Low

Golden

Outta My System

It Beats 4 U

Honest Man

Slow Slow Tune

Smokin From Shootin

End of Run Thru

Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2

Holdin' On to Black Metal

Mahgeetah

Encore:

Dondante

Wordless Chorus

The Day Is Coming

Anytime

One Big Holiday

Comments

[cmh]

meh. another bland NPR band. but i'm glad folks liked the show.

[onthemark]

I had thought about catching this show, and after reading the review I really wish I had gone!

'Holdin On To Black Metal' is a pretty catchy tune, would have loved to heard it live.

[Pellboy]

Their shows are always so well received by fans and reviewers that I often regret going, but as much as I've tried to get into their recorded stuff, it just doesn't do enough for me to want to pull the trigger on a ticket. If I ever do see them, I'm guessing it will come via a multi-act festival. Maybe I'll try sneaking into Lolla for their set on Saturday. ;)

[Matt]

bland NPR band? have you actually listened to them before?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g1QXrXSiJI

[gsp]

Their live shows have a lot more bang than their albums. Passed this time, but the "Evil Urges" tour was great.

[cmh]

@matt - yes i have heard them. they may not be a wussified NPR band, but they are a bland NPR band nonetheless imo. same with wilco, arcade fire, etc. NPR-rock instead of NPR-pop or NPR-folk. just my opinion. but again, glad they put on a good show for nearly 2,000 folks...

[The Truth]

I've watched them twice this year, but couldn't make the four hour drive to KC last night. They are the best rock band in America. Period.

[Green]

Had a pretty good time at the show, really great live band, they torch the stage! Speaking of fire, the Uptown was burning up last night, think I will bring a fan next time I go there. The band and the music was new to me, so it was a little harder getting into the show, after awhile a lot of the songs kind of sounded the same but that might be because I dont know the music very well. There were a couple stand out songs, but I will have to listen to these guys a little more before I go see them live.

[Matt]

@cmh, so out of general curiosity, what bands would you say aren't bland? I'm not trying to be a troll, I just couldn't imagine in a million years someone thinking MMJ was bland. Wilco & AF, I can totally see however (even though I may not agree).

[Nivek9]

It was an excellent show but I wasn't quite as impressed with MMJ as Bill. I would have liked to see a bit more of Delta Spirit, and along with MMJ's "Holding on to Black Metal" felt their tune "Ransom Man" with MMJ along with "Trash Can" were highlights of the evening. Toward the end of the main set by MMJ it was starting to sound like great tunes consistently devolving into high volume cacophony. I didn't think the sound mix was quite right throughout the evening either, although it was better than some shows I've seen. I got the feeling I was watching a radio rock band rather than a band with a solid indie cred I was expecting.

[Dan]

:( I couldnt go,
I really really wanted to ...but :(

I read with most interest Green's comments. I would place greatest honesty there... thanks Green.

[Stanislaw]

They may be a great live band, but I'll never know, as not one of their albums have excited or impressed me. File under Overrated.

[Ian]

This was a great show, but I found a couple of flaws. Was I the only one that thought songs started to lull in the middle? They played a lot of songs that should have been passed over for livelier tracks like 'What a Wonderful Man' and 'Highly Suspicious.'

But I ain't complainin'. Had a good ol' time and jumped up and around like a damn fool.

[John]

Went to the show, had a great time. MMJ will always have pace issues, because they write great slow, soulful jams and at the same time write inventive hard rock tracks. I watched an interview with Jim James where he talked about how some people like them because of the slow, and some like them because of the hard. So what are you to do? Maybe study up on Neil Young concerts? Or just hit the head when you don't like it, like when Keith Richards gets his three song medley in the middle of a Stone concert?

[Lawrence]

its ONLY 2 songs!! and that is just so you can take a pee and get a beer.

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[Papoon]

Lots of people with opinions who didn't go to the show. Those who were there got a good one. Nice balance of songs and jams and they brought it. Nice review, Bill.

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Even though Delta Spirit played with a level of sincerity that would have made Bruce Springsteen blush, they were no match for the headliners.

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[dj]

Mostly a great show. I must be getting old, though. The heat, mold, and loooong guitar jams made me duck out early. The reviewer's right that they're best when sticking to their melodic songs. Don't go to the Phish side, MMJ. Don't do it.

[bgo]

Does anybody have a notion of what makes something 'NPR'?

[Andrew]

Seems to me that unless some of these tunes take on longer forms in live settings (and I've heard plenty of live recordings by MMJ), there aren't too many overly long, jam-oriented tunes in this setlist. At least they didn't play "Cobra." That tops 20 minutes.

[BigSteve]

An 'NPR band' plays music that is at least moderately intelligent, i.e., smarter than cmh. 'Not wussified' means the musicians have fewer issues with their own sexuality than cmh.

[wadkc]

I have a couple of MMJ cd's and, after one spin each, they never made the rotation again. The concert was a hot, sticky mess (in a good way) I enjoyed it. While I will say that not being a lyrics guy came in handy. I couldn't hardly understand a word that was said. Vibe made up for the lack of not knowing the songs.

[Nate]

Yup,
Like Bob Dylan said "Hrrrmph thesssghy mthrdr sohth sweeess aallss hhardtl mmrrrrhgl"

[cmh]

to follow up on the NPR discussion - i call MMJ NPR rock because, guess what, NPR drools over the band and has for years, just like they have with every other "indie" band that now fills 3,000-seat arenas. file alongside andrew bird, wilco, fleet foxes, arcade fire, she & him etc - not b/c they sound alike, but because the venn diagrams of all these bands overlap substantially.

[cmh]

--venn diagrams of the listenership, that is. which is also the NPR listenership. check out the "all songs considered" best of 2010 (or any year) list and tell me you can't pick out who is and is not NPR Rock.

[cmh]

(and i'm a religious NPR listener - but do not enjoy NPR bands). sorry for the triple-post.

[NEW]

What are you listening to these days, CMH? Just a friendly question. I've yet to read one positive comment from you on anything that has been posted out here (bands who play Crossroads are stupid, NPR bands suck, middle aged guitarists suck, etc)

[dni]

""and i'm a religious NPR listener""

yeah cmh, it is kind of obvious that you are a religous fanantic, of some sort.

[cmh]

http://www.thecitrusreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/music_snob_venn_diagram.jpg

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