My Morning Jacket kicked off their seven-night run at San Francisco’s The Fillmore on Friday. As previously reported, each night will feature a unique rainbow-colored nightly theme, special dress code and non-repeating setlist. In addition, the first two shows of the extended stand also boasted both a special guest and nods to the Bay Area legends the Grateful Dead and their extended family.
To open the series, MMJ brought out Molly Tuttle at the top of their show to help them debut the Jerry Garcia classic “Sugaree.” A bit later in the show, Tuttle returned for another cover by an area staple, Sly & The Family Stone’s “Everyday People,” which the Jacket revived last year for the first time since 2017. Tuttle returned one final time during My Morning Jacket’s encore for another cover debut, Dolly Parton’s “Eagle When She Flies,” the title track from the singer’s 1991 LP.
The surprises continued on Saturday. Partway through the group’s set, they debuted “Lost Child,” a standout tune from frontman Jim James’ new LP, Wowed Out, which dropped this summer. Then, rising singer/guitarist Tyler Ballgame emerged to sit in with My Morning Jacket on both their first take on George Harrison’s “Behind That Locked Door” and their first run through the Dead’s “Brown-Eyed Women” since January 26, 2014, when Bob Weir himself performed the tune with the group. Finally, at the end of their proper set, My Morning Jacket tried out Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” for the first time, leaning into the arrangement the Dead utilized in the early 1970s.
My Morning Jacket’s Fillmore run will resume this evening.
