Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch
With more than 25 years of experience, nine albums, and hundreds of thousands of miles logged on planes, trains, cars, buses, and probably everything else, one would think that My Morning Jacket would have run out of things to do in an attempt to be novel. Nope. Not even close. After a lengthy summer tour, the band went out starting in mid-October for a tour being billed as a 20th Anniversary of It Still Moves, their third studio album. They officially began this celebration by playing the album in its entirety at Red Rocks, but continued this on the fall tour by revisiting it at the Beacon in NYC, the Fox in Atlanta, and then culminating at the Chicago Theater. Clearly they had far more up their sleeves by the time they arrived in Chicago. The three night run to close out the tour was filled with twists, turns, deep cuts, indisputable energy.
Night one’s first set was dedicated entirely to It Still Moves but not until they gave a nod to their host city with Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago”. As they did in the two previous ISM performances, the B-side “Grab a Body” made it into set two. Spoiler alert-no song would be played more than one time in the three day run. It’s impossible to identify highlights as they all are even for the most discerning Jacket fans, but Jim James’ “State of the Art” (A.E.I.O.U.) and a fiery “Circuital” closer definitely left people feeling fulfilled like they had taken on a Chicago deep dish.
Night two had even more twists and turns like a cobra. The first set was entirely from the band’s fourth studio album, Z, but played in reverse. Yes, a “Dondante” to OPEN a show. All formulas were being thrown out for this run. Predictions were moot. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. The second set began with opener Devon Gilfillian joining in on “Only Memories Remain” but was rounded out with some relative rarities (“Aluminum Park”, “The Dark”, and “Nashville to Kentucky”). Closing out the night was fan favorite “Phone Went West” that included a “Give Peace a Chance” sing-a-long. Peace and love were omnipresent in all three nights!
The final night of the tour began with a triumphant call, not of battle, but of strength, with “Victory Dance”. Much speculation occurred about what night three would bring. The deepest of cuts would come early in the set with “Remnants” a track which has only been played 17 times in the past 15 years.. A face-melter for sure. The other true rarity came from “Honest Man”. All blueprints were tossed out. Convention was obliterated. The “Cobra” struck on five different occasions, darting out between additional rarities. The run came to a close with another nod to harmony and happiness, with “Love, Love, Love”.
Jim, Carl, Bo, Tom, and Patrick clearly are having a wonderful time together after all of these years. The interactions taking place of late are different. There seems to be an elevated looseness and radiance. They are absolutely cohesive yet are allowing each other time to showcase and explore. Not every band does this. It seems to be organic in its origin. Fans are so grateful that they are letting us in on their fun and novelty.
