what a wonderful band.

my morning jacket
roseland ballroom
november 30, 2006

set list: one big holiday, what a wonderful man, gideon, the way that he sings, off the record, just one thing, it beats 4 u, wordless chorus, lowdown, lay low, phone went west, dondante, run thru, they ran.
encore: tonight i want 2 celebrate with you, nashville to kentucky, golden, steam engine, dance floors, mahgeetah, anytime.

my morning jacket have come a long way from the reverb-drowned sounds of their early efforts, the tenessee fire and at dawn. over the past few years, they have grown from no name down home boys into modern day missionaries devoted to spreading the alt country word. after dazzling critics with the flawless country rock gem, it still moves, and more recently with the quirky, Z, buzz began spilling over from the indie community into the much larger and more mainstream rock world. with endless months of touring under their cowboy belts (including their recent arena tour supporting seattle grunge gurus, pearl jam), the band’s consistently impressive live performances continue to earn them a loyal fan base; equal parts hipster and balding rocker.

barely a year after their last new york show, mmj returned to promote their live double cd/dvd, okonokos (both released this fall). all of roseland ballroom quickly fell under their southern spell as the band’s shadows took stage from behind a white sheet. anticipatory finger horns and air fists flew up from the audience until at last the sheet fell just as the band launched into the first wild riffs of “one big holiday.” from there the momentum kept building, even when the band switched from classic rock kickers like “run thru” to revisit their country roots with slower, sweeter songs like “nashville to kentucky” and fan favorite, “golden.”

written almost ten years apart, the similarly reggae infused “phone went west” and “off the record” demonstrate mmj’s ability to evolve without ever having to let go of the enchanting echoes that haunt the prettiest of their early works. the sweet epic “dondante” and the literally wordless chorus of “wordless chorus” allow jim james‘ stark falsetto to finally float out from it‘s previous tin can hiding spot.

their jam band meanderings and classic rock inspired breakdowns are nothing to laugh at, but james’ moon boots and unabashed love for lionel ritchie proved that the band still knows how to let loose and have fun.