The Church of The Jacket
The First Time I saw My Morning Jacket was on April 28th, 2010, in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, at the Family Circle Cup Stadium, where I saw Al Green and Buddy Guy years earlier at Chazzfest with my dad. I had turned 18 12 days earlier, and the Jacket was already my favorite band. They played an Evil Urges heavy set, and ever since those songs have always taken me home. Even if I had missed their showstopping performance at Bonnaroo in 2008, I had heard about the magic through my sister and knew I had to see this band. On my 16th birthday, I saw Bob Weir & RatDog and became initiated into the countercultural world of jam.
At My Morning Jacket, I saw a 21st-century version of the same kind of gathering that was held in honor of The Dead’s Legacy. I knew then, in 2010, that Jim, Carl, Tom, Patrick, and Bo were all in touch with the divine spirit of Rock & Roll that my father had instilled in me. To hear many of the same songs 15 years later to the month, rock the house just as hard, is a testament to this fact. The Jacket -IS- still expanding, and the additional infusion of “cyberdelic” level light shows turns each performance into a transcendental community experience, without any substances, the music -is- healing. Jim James is the 21st-century Jerry Garcia. Sure, you might argue for Trey Anastasio and Phish’s brand of jam, but to me, that is the late 20th-century answer. My Morning Jacket stepped onto the American stage in 1999 with their innovative style of alternative country rock. With each subsequent album, they pioneered indie rock into new territories, pushing the sonic boundaries further into uncharted waters with Bo’s textured leveling leading the charge. I have read before that Jim didn’t understand how Ben Bridewell and Robin Pecknold of Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes blew up in 2006 and 2008, reaching instant name-recognition status in the indie world that MMJ had to grind hard to earn. Their path sings of Rock & Roll authenticity as The Jacket had to rock individual fans to their core until they told every single one of their friends they had to see this band. This was no case of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist catapulting his infectious vocals into your soul, and in turn, Jim had a rough period culminating in his falling off stage in 2008 at a show in Iowa City. This seemed to mark a spiritual move inside the artist as his lyrics have spoken ever since about the universal karmic beauty in the world. If you’ve ever been to a MMJ concert and hung out in the pit, you know the audience is a 21st-century Rock N Roll circus. Unique costumes, psychedelic energy, intensive chatting about the band, and your usual extremely drunk concert goers make up the tapestry of the One Big Family, as the Jacket website refers to their fan base. Last night in Minneapolis, The Jacket had an Australian artist, Grace Cummings, opening up for them. I knew that she was going to come out and sing with the group for an encore after scoping setlists but had expected them to do an Australian tribute to ACDC. Instead for Minneapolis and the 9th anniversary of Prince’s death, they sang Purple Rain. Grace’s raspy voice was absolutely perfect for this number, and we think she might need to add that one to her repertoire….I will be telling this story for the rest of my life.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Will