The weather was in My
Morning Jacket’s corner Saturday as the Louisville-based festival favorite
returned to Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre. After its 2011
set at the same venue was cut short at 14 songs due to a rain delay followed by
an 11 p.m. curfew, fans were treated to a 2- plus hour set that stretched to 24
songs.
Likeminded Carolinians
Band of Horses (pictured below) opened the show playing a daylight set of Southern-stewed
folk-rock. And even though the group now hails from the Southeast(originating
in the Northwest), at times its songs brought on sun-soaked desert dreaminess. It
introduced the new single “Knock Knock” early in its set. It’ll be interesting
to see whether the upbeat pop-rock guitar-centered track is indicative of the
direction of its upcoming (aptly titled) album “Mirage Rock” (out September
18). The Charlotte date was the Charleston-based band’s second to last night
with MMJ.
It was apparent how
well matched the two acts were especially when MMJ frontman Jim James joined
BOH for “Slow Cruel Hands of Time” or later when BOH’s Ben Bridwell returned
the favor joining MMJ for “Wonderful (The Way I Feel).” The sound was a bit
muddy for the openers, but it didn’t make a huge difference because their material
is dripping in reverb anyway.
In explaining the
attraction of My Morning Jacket, a friend of mine was told they’re a jam band for
people that don’t like jam bands. That was true for most of its set. It began
with the recent singles “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” and “Outta My System.” James
wore a blue cape, which might actually be ornate enough to be described as a
cloak, over a black shirt and vest with tan pants. The five members all had a
different look about them. There’s the hirsute team of James, multi-instrumentalist
Carl Broemel (ripping through a sax solo below), and drummer Patrick Hallahan. Bassist Tom Blankenship (the
snappiest dresser of the bunch) and keyboardist Bo Koster (both in vests) repped
the band’s leaner, shorter-haired contingent.
Having seen MMJ at
Bonnaroo three times from 500 or more feet away I was pleased to actually see not
only what they look like, but their on stage interplay. The biggest treat was
watching Hallahan, who like Band of Horses’ bouncing drummer Creighton Barrett,
is often the most animated member on stage (although James’ is definitely MMJ’s
focal point). When he stretched his long arms (made even longer by his
drumsticks) above his head and broke out what I can only describe as
cheerleader-esque moves during the extended bridge of “Run Thru,” he completely
stole the show.
James also impressed
shredding on a Flying V like a stoner version of Eddie Van Halen (top photo), commandingly
pacing back and forth at the front of the stage, and creating bleeps and bloops
with the sampler he sometimes wore around his neck.
Part of the magic of
My Morning Jacket is the band’s ability to weave interesting arrangements.
Little things that aren’t necessarily the crux of a song pop out at you. It’s
often Koster’s contribution - the synthesized bass sounds of “First Light” for
instance buzz like a tiny bug circling your ear; the subtle piano beneath the
primary arrangement of “You Wanna Freak Out.”
While rooted in
psychedelic rock, its ability to delve into other genres is another attraction.
The R&B feel of “The Day Is Coming,” the fuzzy, trippy synthesized bass of
2005’s “Wordless Chorus” pumping like a merry-go-round at a carnival, and the futuristic
sampler work of “Touch ME I’m Going to Scream” (which was like Blondie’s “Atomic”
meets Fleetwood Mac live) played back-to-back-to-back was the funkiest segment.
Watching stocky, beer guzzling men try to match James’ soaring falsetto was
quite amusing.
The quintet jumped
back into blatantly Southern blues and boogie closing the first part of its set
around 10 p.m. with “Dancefloors” and “Run Thru.”
It returned to the
strains of “Victory Dance” with James marching across the stage in his blue
cape. Its rendition of “Lay Low,” which featured rollicking twin guitar
harmonies, reminded me of a Doobie Bros’ 45 played at 33 RPM. The
aforementioned jam was mostly relegated to “Steam Engine.” MMJ masterfully
built and expanded the jam to a big, climactic end just before Band of Horses returned
for “It’s a Pity.” The combination further demonstrated how well these groups
fit together (there were actually quieter times in MMJ’s set that reminded me
of BOH).
The show ended -
without even a sprinkle - with “One Big Holiday.” The weather couldn’t have
been kinder.
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