innovators, not imitators.

My Morning Jacket October 18, 2005 @ Webster Hall

Set list: Wordless Chorus, It Beats 4 U, Gideon, One Big Holiday, The Way That He Sings, Golden, Sooner, Wonderful, Off The Record, Lay Low, Dondante, Run Thru. Encore: At Dawn, I Think I’m Going To Hell, Mahgeetah, Anytime.

The leaves have been slow to change color this autumn, but upon leaving my first My Morning Jacket show, I could have sworn they’d turned golden, gently out-glowing the cities street lamps. At that moment, I could state with complete confidence that the band had proved to be worth my many months of waiting. And I assure you those months were hell, often filled with worry that even in-person, Jim James’ endless charms might fall short, and fail to distract from possible shortcomings (i.e. recent major lineup changes and/or the experimental meanderings of the newly released, “Z.”)

Though the latest album was actually recorded far from the band’s home of Kentucky, it is an undeniably acquired taste, a bourbon in it's own right; no matter how smooth it starts to sound after repeated listens, chances are you will never forget the sting it left the first time you heard it. That is the beauty of the record. Masters of their own domain, MMJ are not content unless they are out exploring unfamiliarly rugged terrains. And that is the beauty of the band.

Tuesday’s set list consisted of mostly newer songs, forgoing catchy country hooks and homegrown harmonies, for those loaded with hard-rock breakdowns. In step, the audience (made up primarily of an older crowd), put down their beers to raise their finger-horns in well-deserved salute. The band’s overall mood proved hard to read beneath all the hair, however their maturity and respectability as musical pioneers came through clearly in the way they swung that hair (a move presumably perfected only after many years of dedicated practice). MMJ whispered in with “Wordless Chorus,” mesmerized with fan favorites, “Golden, One Big Holiday, Run Thru, Off The Record, Mahgeetah,” and kicked up the dirt one last time, closing with “Anytime.” Amazingly, even in their quietest moments, from the black shadows of the stage (lit only by an occasional flashlight to allow for guitar switches), MMJ never stopped rocking long enough to wonder if their fans would follow. I mean, how could we do otherwise?