Once in a while, my ever-waning faith in rock and roll is restored. The My Morning Jacket show has brought me back into the fold. I had heard good things about their live performances, but I wasn’t prepared for just how good they would be and just how hard they would rock. I went into the show only knowing two or three of their songs, which put me in a rather unique position to judge them entirely on this single performance. What really surprised me, though, is how melodic their music really is. I had assumed that the kids these days had given up on melody.
It’s easy, especially live, to mask a lack of songwriting skill with volume, lights, and energy. And, sometimes, that’s perfectly all right. I’ve enjoyed bands live that couldn’t write a song to save themselves. But this show was was something far more rare. Here you had songs that would work perfectly well in a singer/songwriter format enlarged to take advantage of all the variety and raw power that a good rock band can deliver. The sincerity and energy came through in every note. I wasn’t bored for even a second of their two-hour set. If they come anywhere near you, check these guys out.
