Monday, 29 Dec 2008
Set: At Dawn / It Beats 4 U / Evil Urges / I’m Amazed / Gideon / Wonderful Man / Golden / I Will Sing You Songs / Lowdown / Sooner / Thank You Too / Anytime / Remnants / Lay Low / Highly Suspicious / Off the Record / I Think I’m Going To Hell / Smokin From Shootin / Touch Me Pt 2 / Run Thru
Encore: Look at You (Jim James solo) / Nashville to Kentucky / Steam Engine / Cobra / Wordless Chorus / One Big Holiday
After seeing My Morning Jacket destroy the Riverside Theater a few months ago, it was an easy decision to make the trek to Chicago to catch one of the best live bands on the planet once more before the curtain goes down on 2008. No regrets. The set was packed with live standards and surprises, all within the beautiful confines of the Chicago Theatre. This one will be added to our favorite concerts of 2008, until then, check out our highlights…
11 Highlights/Reflections/Remembrances of night two with My Morning Jacket in Chicago
1. Bye Bye Beard - As the above photo depicts, Jim James is rocking the clean shaven look. Took a little while to even recognize him.
2. Red Tape - Jim James fell off the stage in Iowa City in October forcing cancellations, including the two Chicago shows. The stage is now adorned with massive amounts of bright red/orange electrical tape where the stage ends and the crowd begins. Despite its warning, Jim toes the line the entire night in Chicago, getting up close and personal to those in the first row.
3. “At Dawn” - One of my all-time favorite tunes by MMJ starts the night out. It was a surprise as I was really expecting the standard “Evil Urges” opener on this tour. Hearing this, I knew I was in for an unforgettable evening.
4. “Sooner” - With Jim James on Omnicord, I was expecting to hear Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 2. Instead, we got this 2002 gem from the Chocolate and Ice EP.
5. “Highly Suspicious” - The dog of the new record, or so it seems from all the complaining. It’s an absolute monster from the very beginning when the bass so deep it rattles your ribcage.
6. “Carl Broemel” - Each time I see them, my appreciation for Carl grows. He’s a ferocious guitar player and his saxophone solo during “Nashville to Kentucky” was both a surprise and a highlight.
7. Banter - On two occasions Jim James took the opportunity to discuss the architecture of the Chicago Theatre. To paraphrase, he mentioned that today’s buildings are too many straight lines and that the creators of old theaters were in touch with a higher power. He twice referenced the connection to the human brain and the interior of the building.
8. “I Think I’m Going To Hell” - Going in this was the one song that my friend really wanted to hear. So it was nice to have it appear in the set. A throwback from The Tennessee Fire, which sounded absolutely gorgeous.
9. “Run Thru” - Probably the hardest hitting song of the night. Tons of energy, everyone in the crowd going mad, and the band simply giving all the energy back.
10. “Steam Engine” - Ever since this video surfaced, “Steam Engine” has become one of my absolute favorite songs in the My Morning Jacket catalog.
11. “One Big Holiday” - This one really needs no explanation. If you’ve seen the band live you know this one soars pretty high and last night was no different.
Discuss: Drop your thoughts/reviews of the show in the comments. Did you see both nights?
December 29th, 2008 at 10:57 am
sounds like a pretty stellar night. did this show top their (decidedly epic) Riverside performance? so incredibly looking forward to their new year’s eve MSG show….”Hopefully” followed by “Bermuda Highway” would be an ideal one-two punch, but i can’t imagine i’ll have any complaints
December 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Man, I wish I was in the CHI for that one - must have been amazing. I just watched the link for “Steam Engine” - thanks for the heads up, that is a ridiculously good video.
December 29th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I was at the show last night and sat fifth row, center. To give you an idea of how close that was, I was directly behind the guy who caught the stuffed squid.
To be that close and witness this band perform, I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face all night long. Steam Engine was the highlight for me, although everytime I hear One Big Holiday I feel a rush of excitement.
If you proclaim to love music and ever get the chance to see this band live, it is a 100% must. I am already looking forward to the next time I get to see them.
December 29th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
This band’s pure, positive energy and insane talent had my jaw dropping and eyes filling with tears of joy all night. I was on the mezzanine level and only wished I could have been a more immediate part of the amazing energy the crowd was giving back, but it really didn’t matter, as the whole place was lit up by this band’s powerful, original sound and charismatic presence on stage. A ridiculously great night of music. As good as the recording are, they just can’t capture the raw excellence of these guys live. Five dudes doing what they were born to do, for certain.
December 29th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Wanted to mention….they did not play It Beats 4 U. Wished they had.
December 29th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
They did indeed play It Beats 4U right after At Dawn. And it was the best It Beats 4U ever. The outra jam was montrous! What a band.
December 30th, 2008 at 1:23 am
It was a wonderful weekend. Three days in Chicago, Two Nights with My Morning Jacket. It doesn’t get much better than that. I have to say that My Morning Jacket Fans are the most gracious and uplifting audience members I’ve ever been a part of, Which just adds to the energy. Steam Engine was a highlight for me as well and the Lay Low guitar solo always kills me. I also thought “Nashville to Kentucky was beautiful. I love this band.
December 30th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I thought I was going insane until I realized this is not the set list from Saturday. They did not play It Beats 4 U, they opened with Evil Urges, and added Dondante in the second encore. Doesn’t matter. I would have loved to see both shows, though. Hope they put out a live cd of this tour….anyone know?
December 31st, 2008 at 12:05 am
Sarah, on night 2 they opened with At Dawn and played It Beats 4 U as the 2nd song. I was there. Perhaps you are thinking of night 1?
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Rob, you’re right. I was there on Saturday. cheers!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Great review. This was such a great show! You are dead on about Highly Suspicious. Now that I have seen it live a few times, it is up there with Touch Me Part 2 as my favorite Evil Urges track. Also with you on the Carl notes. He was definitely on fire on Sunday. Saturday was really good too, but more of their standard setlist for this tour.
I still think that the Riverside Theater show topped these slightly. The Cobra and Dondante from that night were something else… and it is a lot of fun when the show is GA!