When it was announced that My Morning Jacket would be playing some U.S. spring shows, I instantly went to their site to scope out dates near my home base in the 757.  After lead singer Jim James took a spill off a stage during their 2008 tour, causing them to cancel a show at Richmond’s The National, I have anxiously been awaiting my opportunity to soak in MMJ’s live show as opposed to monthly viewings of their concert DVD, Okonokos.  Fortune smiled on me when I saw a weekend show at Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.  Tickets were purchased, hotels were booked, ride arrangements were made and a rock and roll prayer went out to keep Jim and company safe in avoidance of yet another cancellation.

My Morning Jacket’s sound is purely American with hints of blues, country, and rock, so it was fitting that they brought a piece of American musical history on the road with them. New Orleans’ own Preservation Jazz Hall Band.  Their 30-minute set included a visit from Mr. Jim James himself as he sang vocals through a giant megaphone ala a carnival barker.  They closed their set with “St James Infirmary Blues”, an American folk song made famous by Louis Armstrong and covered by dozens of artists ranging from The White Stripes to Van Morrison.

It was fitting on Derby Day that the boys from Kentucky took the stage at 9pm accompanied by the “Call to the Post.”  That was slowly transitioned into a cover of The Who’s “Eminence Front”, which grabbed your attention both sonically and visually with its gradual climb into guitar anarchy before a smooth transition into One Big Holiday off of the 2003 classic, It Still Moves. 12 of the 22 songs played came off either It Still Moves or 2005’s Z.

After a blistering version of “Off The Record”, Jim commented on the audience’s enthusiasm by saying, “that’s what the fuck I am talking about, it’s good to hear a crowd with some life”.  The band soaked up that energy with extended versions of “Mahgheeta” and “Steam Engine” (with Jim donning a vampire-esque cape at one point).  They also paced the set with tracks like “Tonight I Want to Celebrate With You”, “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” and “Golden” all featuring guitarist Carl Broemel on slide guitar.  Carl was given his opportunity to further shine when he took lead vocals on a track of his titled,” Carried Away”.  “Carried Away” is a slower number that really set the stage for the screaming finish which included “Smokin From Shootin” transitioned into the end of “Run Thru”, “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt 2” and the set closer, “Anytime”.   A brief respite for the band preceded their four-song encore.  “Wordless Chorus” kicked off the encore and the crowd screamed the lyric, “we are the innovators” as if it were a life anthem.  Great moment in the show.  The Preservation Jazz Hall Band accompanied the guys for the last three songs of the night which included a cover of Al Johnson’s “Carnival Time” (a Mardi Gras standard) and a drenched-in-horn “Dancefloors”. Jim lamented about the venue’s 11:00pm curfew before he and the band ripped into closer, Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”. If not for the curfew, I think the band may have played well into the next day.  As thousands left the venue, it was quite clear that MMJ’s reputation as one of the best and hardest-working live bands in rock had been solidified.

Setlist:

Eminence Front (The Who)
One Big Holiday
Gideon
Off The Record
I’m Amazed
Mahgeetah
Tonight I Want To Celebrate With You
Golden
What A Wonderful Man
Lay Low
The Way That He Sings
Wonderful (The Way I Feel)
Carried Away (Carl Broemel) 
Steam Engine
Smokin’ From Shootin’ -> Run Thru Reprise
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2
Anytime

Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Carnival Time (Al Johnson)
Dancefloors
Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield)

Also, thanks to the band’s fan friendly recording policy, and the good people at archive.org you can stream full audio from this show for free here.

Article by Guest Contributor Parker Pinnell
Photos by Lila E. Perilloux