My Morning Jacket
Pantages Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
June 22, 2011

My Morning Jacket’s steady, organic rise to superstardom is anomalous when compared to those names enshrined for posterity on the nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame. MMJ’s ascent has been in most part thanks to a sterling reputation as top-notch performers, such that most lofty critical praise has been earned as the result of a consistently brilliant work output and blue collar work ethic as opposed to the hype that builds many flash-in-the-pan careers in Hollywood. The Jacket has fearlessly managed to avoid typecasting themselves, while slowly creating an emotionally-saturated catalogue that runs the gamut from shamanistic soul to a country-tinged classic rock sound. Luckily for those in attendance in the ritzy Pantages Theatre near Hollywood & Vine, the evening’s set list reflected the band’s canyon-esque stylistic range. Song selections dipped into five of the Jacket’s six albums and offered a stark contrast between transcendent rock burners like “Lay Low” and “One Big Holiday” and cool-down croons like the blissful “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” or pillowy “Movin Away.”

Arriving to town on the heels of the band’s critically-acclaimed 6th LP Circuital and a career-defining headline set at Bonnaroo, the Kentucky quintet proved once again that they can thrive in all settings, for all audiences and provide a pointed, personalized and varied live performance on a consistent basis. Right out of the gate, the new record was showcased, as the larger-than-life, blockbuster opener “Victory Dance” revved up the crowd and segued in seamless fashion into “Circuital” in keeping with the new album’s flow. “The Day Is Coming” followed, rounding out the opening Circuital suite. The new tracks were nailed down and rehearsed to note perfection, but the band remained hesitant to experiment, stretch and bend them out of their original studio shape. Live favorites like the explosive “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Part 2” carried the early part of the show and sparked the almost tangible electricity that flowed through the building for a good portion of the night.

After a stunning take on “The Bear,” (the oldest song played at the Pantages on this night), Yim Yames commented on the beauty of the 1930s Art Deco theatre, comparing it to the “mind-blowing architecture of the Empire State building” and assuring the audience that “precise, mathematical calculations have been made to give you pleasure.” One of the night’s highlights arrived mid-set with a downright brawny, scorching, and jaw-dropping reading of “Lay Low” that pitted guitarist Carl Broemel and Yames in a game of one-upmanship before syncing in for a preposterously thunderous finish (this show was loud, and “Lay Low” was the loudest). “One Big Holiday” was delivered with an added dose of enthusiasm exceeding the song’s already well-established grandeur and the band wringed the anthemic standard out for a few extra instrumental verses around Patrick Hallahan’s drum kit to cap the set.

To open the encore, crowd favorite “Steam Engine” blew the gaskets out of this well-oiled machine in a reckless and system-shocking way, as visual accents created an illusion of band levitation onstage. The encore served as a nice glimpse back to the band’s earlier days when raw, unpolished psychedelic freak outs were standard operating procedure. The “Smokin From Shootin > Run Thru Jam” obliterated the classic old show house before the celebratory “Mahgeeta” capped off a big night on Hollywood Boulevard.

The possessed, wild-eyed stage persona of Yim Yames resembled Jim Morrison, who famously used to blow minds down the strip at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and although too young to have seen The Doors in their heyday, I feel fortunate to be alive and able to have once again witnessed one of today’s musical treasures as they continue their ascent into the rock-and-roll pantheon.