Watch: My Morning Jacket Debut Covers of Brian Wilson and Cymande with Special Guests One Big Holiday Kickoff
Photo Credit: Rich Fury / MSG Entertainment
My Morning Jacket arrived in Miramar Beach, Fla. yesterday, April 3, for the highly anticipated 2025 presentation of its One Big Holiday concert getaway. To set off a star-studded weekend of music–featuring celebrated acts like Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dinosaur Jr., S.G. Goodman, Eggy and more–the roots rock powerhouse delivered the first of three very special festival performances. The band set a high bar with night one, mixing fan-favorites and new cuts from is in a 21-track show, highlighted by special guest appearances and debut covers.
My Morning Jacket stepped into the spotlight at the Seascape Golf Course resort with a chilling and enchanting “Time Waited,” the lead single from their 10th studio album is. After formally celebrating the project’s March 21 release at their tour opener on Tuesday with live debuts of the full tracklist, the quintet returned to other new arrivals “I Can Hear Your Love,” “Die For It” and the ripping “River Road” through Thursday’s set.
Beyond a finely honed balance of classics from their 26-year discography–including “It Beats 4 U,” “X-Mas Curtain,” “Circuital,” “Spring (Among the Living)” and “Wasted,” the group kept the pioneering spirit of their decade-plus destination event with a healthy dose of suprises. The first of these twists came early in the performance, when the group debuted a cover of Brian Wilson’s leftfield, kaliedoscopic 1988 cult classic “Love and Mercy.” Shortly after, guitarist Carl Broemel stepped forward to lead the band’s second live performance of his 2016 solo hit “4th of July,” debuted during MMJ’s Rose on the River headlining set last year. Towards the end of the main portion of the performance, singer-songwriter and frequent One Big Holiday guest joined the band for a radiant treatment of “Golden.”
When MMJ returned to the stage for an encore, they were joined by New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has also been a fixture of the festival since its 2014 premiere. The storied brass ensemble bolstered “Highly Suspicious,” then lent their talents to a high-spirited debut cover of Cymande’s iconic 1972 soul-funk standard “Bra.” While the cover was something of a left turn from MMJ’s rootsy sound, it stemmed from a longtime adoration of the cult heroes by frontman Jim James, who testified to his love for the group in the new documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande. After Pres Hall carried the funk into a heavy-hitting “Holdin On to Black Metal,” the band wrapped its performance with “Mahgeetah”
My Morning Jacket will perform again at One Big Holiday tonight, then wrap the festival with a finale on Saturday. For tickets and more information on the group’s 2025 live itinerary, visit mymorningjacket.com/tour.
Find the full setlist from Thursday night here.
