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Reversible Jacket
My Morning Jacket shows both faces at the Riverside
By Mike Thompson
As the lights dimmed at the Riverside Theater Friday night, the crowds emitted a cheer. The opening band made their way onto the stage while an old recording played. The first two songs were played with unparalleled determination and skill, while the vocals left much to be desired. I thought to myself, ‘For an opening band, they have a huge amount of stage presence and ability.’ It was into the third song before I realized it was not an opening band, but in fact, My Morning Jacket.
Let me back up. I have had little to no experience with MMJ before I saw them perform, though throughout the show I was able to associate the occasional song with those I’d randomly heard. MMJ was consistently being compared to such bands as The Flaming Lips, Dave Matthews Band, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, and so on, but always with a qualifier like ‘kinda’ or ‘sorta.’ Even with Dave Matthews in the mix, the rave reviews of the band and especially of their live shows convinced me, and I made sure that I went to this show.
Now aware of what I was witnessing, I began to thoroughly enjoy the show. One song to the next, everything from the instrumental precision to the light show got progressively and notably better. Even the singer’s vocals, which occasionally made me wince at the shrill notes, found its place within the songs and began to meld. The stage theatrics were honest and delivered purely for the enjoyment of the audience. The three-foot tall stuffed bear to the side of the stage that wore a pink dress was a fantastic addition, and my personal favorite part of the evening.
This was the first half of the show; the second half was vastly different.
The songlist began to stray away from the normal two – six minute length and worked well into those that were over 10 minutes. Actual length may vary, as it was only an approximation, especially as each song began to feel as though it went on forever. I’m all for songs which don’t adhere to the standard length, as two – five minute songs were originally that long only because that was all that could fit on an old 45 record, but when I can leave for several minutes and come back to the same guitar riff and feel as though I haven’t missed a thing, it is too long.
This tendency that they have to delve into longer songs of this caliber is what makes them so hard to classify for some. This is the dreaded sound of the Jam Band, whose songs have no decisive beginning or end and contain no substantial middle. As MMJ is not totally comprised of Jam Bandishness, and at times, adequately mixes it into their popular/radio-friendly tracks, they can occasionally bypass some of the less desirable aspects.
By the end of the set, the energy on stage was considerably reduced and was moderately communicated within the songs themselves. Although the encore began with one of their radio hits, more of the long winded songs quickly followed, much to my displeasure. True, maybe I simply do not appreciate the intricate nuances of the Jam Band sound, though I did try.
All in all, I’d give the show a B. Regardless of my personal taste, they put on a fantastic show for the majority of it, though it petered off toward the end and the vocals waned in and out. If I could look at each half of the show as a different band (which it practically was), the first would be one of my top 10 favorite bands, while the second would just make me bored.
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