“Steam Engine” gave the band’s drummer Patrick Hallahan a chance to showcase his incredible talent and the band/crew a badly needed chance to dry off equipment as he meshed hard rock Bonham-style drumming with psychedelic rhythms pummeling through a “Moby Dick” style drum solo.
Finally the band setting sail on a larger-than-life "Steam Engine" which seems to encapsulate the band's many styles as it weaves through it’s many phases. The second half of the first set featured an unbelievable run of heavy rockers including a blistering "Lay Low" from Z, a hilarious rendition of Funkadelic's "Hit it and Quit it", and a cover of Erykah Badu's mid-90s hit "Tyrone". Jim James’ omnichord, a electronic MIDI style instrument that the bandleader has brought to prominence, was sadly a casualty of the night, but James filled the void with vocal improvisation where the instruments’ sound was voided.Īs much fun as it is to see the band display an head banging intensity during extended dualing guitar solos, it is perhaps even more mind-bending to hear Jim James's reverb-drenched and downright angelic voice wash over the masses during one of the eerily slow jams like "Golden" and the brand new, and sonically astonishing R & B tune "Thank You Too". Technical problems seemed to affect everyone in the band at one point in the show but ultimately did not faze the band as they continued to adapt and churn out new covers and fan favorites. Two of the band’s poppier tunes “What A Wonderful Man” and “I’m Amazed” saw an unusual amount of stage presence from typically subdued keyboardist Bo Koster who looked to be enjoying himself like never before. A common sentiment I heard the following day was something along the lines of “they even had control over the rain!” The twisted metal-psych Prince style “peanut butter pudding surprise” rocker otherwise known as “Highly Suspicious” would follow and exceeded expectations in the live setting. Jim James was a dramatically intense leader on this rain-soaked night reeling off epic renditions of songs that seemed to oscillate in intensity in perfect sync with the ongoing rain storm. The cover heavy set was off-and-running when the band invited Flecktone Jeff Coffin and the Nashville/Louisville Horns section and took turns singing verses of Sly & The Family Stone's appropriate "Hot Fun in the Summertime". A Vermont-style glow stick war unfolded at the perfect moment during the climactic "Come Onnnnnnnnnnnnn" part of "Gideon", giving fans a chance to relive the festival’s early jam band roots. Following “Evil Urges” with the dubbed out fan favorite “Off The Record” was an excellent follow-up as the rain intensified. With some jazzy house music playing, the band took the stage and segued out of it with the title track off their new album Evil Urges and quickly jolted the crowd into a euphoric state that would persist the rest of the night. With Evil Urges in the live rotation, each show is like a festival in itself, as the band shows their flexibility covering the genres of rock, country, soul/folk, funk, dance and metal each night.
MMJ has grown stylistically and in popularity each time they have appeared at the festival and in many ways serve as the Bonnaroo mascot having played almost every kind of set a band can play besides the headlining slot in their five years appearing in Manchester. Unbothered and anxious, the great majority of folks in the large crowd knew it would be well worth sticking it out. After Friday night’s four-hour extravaganza that primarily focused on material from the new Evil Urges record and 2005’s Z and also included covers of Bobby Womack, Funkadelic, Velvet Underground, Erykah Badu, Motley Crue, I have come to expect the unexpected when it comes to the Jacket.Īs strangely repetitive and soothing sitar music played shortly before the stroke of midnight the Tennessee skies opened up and a steady rain began to fall. forthcoming this summer and fall, excitement was aplenty on the 700-Acre farm. With a critically acclaimed record hitting the streets earlier in the week that all but stylistically disregards MMJ’s previous albums and an extensive tour on the horizon of rather large venues throughout Europe & the U.S. Going into this year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival there was an undeniable feeling that My Morning Jacket’s late night appearance on Which Stage would be a pivotal and potentially monumental performance for the band. on Saturday, June 14th that My Morning Jacket began their ascent from festival phenom to the pantheon of rock-n-roll superstardom. Let it be known that between the hours of 12:00 a.m.
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