Blog Archives

My Morning Jacket

5/28/16
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Map of Colorado, USA
4.5 Stars
Weird and unforgettable. The buzz around this show was heady: it was the first of a two-night run on Memorial Day weekend, the holiday enabling many One Big Family members to fly in from all over the country; the deluxe reissue of It Still Moves (in my opinion, the best MMJ album) had just been released the day before and was rumored to be played in its entirety; and original guitarist Johnny Quaid had tweeted that he’d be onstage with his old band for at least part of the shows. After sprinting from early entry to the GA section and securing awesome spots mere feet from the stage — Carl side, of course — my man Brian and I were ready to take it in. Brian’s brothers and a few of his high school friends joined us for a swirling trip through fan favorites and deep cuts from all over the band’s catalog, including a rare spin through “Just One Thing” and a gut-punching “Steam Engine” — both off ISM — that made us euphoric. It was a bizarre and ridiculous set, only the encore showing a bit of predictability (much of it borrowed from the Red Rocks show a year earlier). But even that was amazing, delivering three of the band’s most ass-shakingest tunes — “Highly Suspicious,” “Touch Me Pt. 2” and “Cobra” — in quick succession. A top-five MMJ show, for sure. Setlist


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Foals

4/26/16
Denver, CO
Ogden Theatre
Map of Colorado, USA
4 Stars
Another Foals corker. These guys just blow me away every time I see them. They’ve got a no-bullshit approach to their live show — walk out, get playing, chat a bit, keep it moving — but their energy is off the charts. Each man on stage is writhing and jumping and headbanging and swaying and sweating … for two hours. And the songs! They’re rock — even heavy at times — but they’re so, so danceable. A Foals show sees hipsters, club kids, metalheads and mathletes all shaking their asses. This was a great, eclectic crowd, and you could tell the band was loving it. Bonus points to opener Kiev for covering an obscure Paul Simon song, “Can’t Run But,” one of my favorites. Setlist


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My Morning Jacket

10/9/15
Las Vegas, NV
Brooklyn Bowl
Map of Nevada, USA
4 Stars
An awesome blur. This two-show run was … surreal. First, Las Vegas was a weird place to see a hippie band like My Morning Jacket play and, indeed, it was their first time. Second, over the course of two nights and nearly 5 hours of playing Jim and the band spoke to the audience exactly zero times. And third, attendance numbers were low: the upper tier of this (very cool) venue was mostly empty. What all that meant for those in attendance was this: let’s close the doors and commence face melting. And that’s what went down. The Man Brian was with me in the pit up front — we were so close Carl was head-banging his sweat onto us — so we were enveloped in sound once the music started. These were my first shows from The Waterfall tour so I was crawling out of my skin to hear the new stuff and the new stuff was terrific. Plus I got my first “AEIOU” on the second night; what a fuckin’ song. A whole bunch of One Big Holiday-ers were there too so it was great to rock out with familiar faces. Bonus: Tim Showalter’s Strand Of Oaks put in two solid nights of support and made a new fan. Setlist


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Ben Harper

9/15/15
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Map of Colorado, USA
4 Stars
heartfelt and raw. Ben Harper has a knack for turning even large venues into intimate spaces. He played most of this show seated, his head down and his lap steel guitar bouncing on his thigh. He may have been deep in concentration but it was successful in drawing the audience into his little circle on the stage. He could make it loud (“Ground On Down”), he could make it quiet (“Another Lonely Day”), he could make it tense (“Touch From Your Lust”), but no matter what he made each person in the crowd feel like they were sitting right next to him. This was never more evident than when he ended the set by stepping to the front of the stage, asking his tech to turn off all the microphones, and delivering a bone-chilling rendition of “Where Could I Go” a cappella. It was an invitation to feel what he felt, hear what he heard, and you could hear a pin drop. Fantastic. Setlist


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Tame Impala

5/30/15
Denver, CO
Ogden Theatre
Map of Colorado, USA
4 Stars
Swirly whirly rock. These guys were blowing up around the time they made it to Denver so the little Ogden Theatre was packed. In a few weeks their awesome “Currents” would earn them a Grammy nomination, but for now, they were happy to smoke what must have been tubs full of Colorado green and smile along with fans for a spacey good time. I mean, these guys were so baked they could barely open their eyes or look up from their instruments, but what they lacked in delivery they made up for in creation, building a set of danceable psych rock heavy on synthesized keyboards, effects-laden guitars and trippy visuals (at one point Kevin turned to the backdrop and “played” a projector connected to his guitar). And you really can’t go wrong when you’ve got a song like “Let It Happen” to open with. I loved that and every second that followed, cherishing what would probably be the last time I’d see them in such a small venue. Setlist


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Carnival time One Big Holiday 2

My Morning Jacket

Band Of Horses

The War On Drugs

Dr. Dog

Dawes w/ Conor Oberst

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

1/31/15
Riviera Maya, MX
Hard Rock Hotel
Map of Riviera Maya, Mexico
4.5 Stars
One big family. This was my second time attending this festival curated by and starring My Morning Jacket; a destination event where it’s easy to connect with like-minded friends old and new. I entered a card-carrying member of the coolest tribe of fans I’ve ever had the good fortune of meeting. Although there again with my brother from another mother Brian, the warm familiarity of the host country, the resort, and especially the people, made it a whole new experience. Showtimes would bring the two of us to the rail and we’d know everyone there; hugs and high fives all around. And the music, holy balls. The supporting lineup featured acts broader in range and higher in profile compared to OBH1, and that lead to some awesome collaborations with Jacket. Highlights included The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel guesting on Christopher Cross(!) and Bruce Springsteen covers, Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith reprising his New Basement Tapes role with Jim on “Down On The Bottom” and Conor Oberst duetting on “I Will Be There When You Die.” And you don’t realize what some feminine energy does for a band like Jacket until you hear Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso sing and dance during a suite of Bob Marley covers. As for headliners, My Morning Jacket treated fans to three as-yet unheard songs from The Waterfall sprinkled among stellar and punishing sets spanning their entire career, and Band Of Horses played an afternoon acoustic set in addition to their second-night headlining spot. I speak for every smiling face I saw when I say that I can’t wait for OBH3; as one fan put it, “I’m never not coming here.” Setlist


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Beck

8/15/14
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Map of Colorado, USA
4.5 Stars
Love this man. Seeing Beck perform live has been a Bucket List event for me for a very long time. But to check it off in such majestic fashion — a summer show outdoors at Red Rocks starring the band that recorded one of my all-time favorite discs (Sea Change) — just exceeded all expectations. As I had hoped, the set spanned Beck’s entire ridiculous and spectacular career, nestling some of his weirdest deep cuts (“Wave”) alongside his biggest hits (“Loser”) and balls-out rockers (“Debra”). The light show was bonkers and his dance moves were bananas. I have to knock a half-star off for the poor sound mix that plagued most of the show … but otherwise this one did not disappoint. I wanted it to never end. Setlist


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The Head And The Heart

8/14/14
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Map of Colorado, USA
4.5 Stars
Music a plenty. A good friend celebrated her birthday by inviting her squad to this show, a monster bill that featured Houndmouth, Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and this band, who at the time were quickly becoming a favorite of Aida’s and mine. The music was perfect for the merry band that assembled: upbeat and bluesy songs about family, friendship and love, with feminine energy to spare. By the time The Head And The Heart came out the place was glowing. Their three vocalists wove in and out of some expert musicianship, making for a long set filled with surprises. The number of killer songs these guys play belies their small catalog, and they didn’t hold any back. I can’t wait to see them again. Setlist


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Carnival time Lollapalooza 2013

Vampire Weekend

The Killers

Mumford & Sons

Jake Bugg

Family Of The Year

Local Natives

The Lumineers

Two Door Cinema Club

New Order

Knife Party

8/2/13
Chicago, IL
Grant Park
Map of Illinois, USA
4.0 Stars
festival-crazy chicagoans. My experience with festivals before attending Lollapalooza in Chicago’s beautiful Grant Park was limited to smaller regional stuff. This was my first big fest. The number of stages was a bit overwhelming but it offered an extraordinary range of experiences: from a little set in a cozy grove of trees to a massive, straw-covered meadow with no shade in sight; from a tiny stage set for a few scruffy rockers to a 100 foot-high DJ booth and light show. The lineup was plenty diverse, too, even if the constituency wasn’t (too many over-privileged college kids with painfully hip wardrobes). Aida and I caught huge sets from The Killers, Vampire Weekend and Mumford &Sons, and smaller ones from Ellie Goulding, Jake Bugg and Family Of The Year. We even caught an incredibly intimate set from the latter in a corner of the festival shop; we were 5 feet from the band and had a great chat afterward. And I managed to get a taste of some EDM from Knife Party, reminding me that I’m too old for this shit but still down for anything when it comes to live music. I’m not sure I need to do another big fest any time soon — too much strategizing and angling for space to be able to see your favorite artists — but the enthusiastic and welcoming local contingent (and their impressive skyline) made it worth the effort. Setlist


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John Mayer

7/17/13
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Map of Colorado, USA
4 Stars
Far out, man. Despite the silly outfit he was wearing — jean jacket, ratty boots, silk scarf tied around his head — Mr. Mayer was all business this beautiful summer night. He was touring the mellow, pretty songs from Born And Raised and stretching them hard, extending solos and raising tempos so everything sounded more muscular. So groovy. I loved every minute of it. Setlist


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