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ACL: My Morning Jacket
During My Morning Jacket’s 6:30 p.m. Sunday, AT&T stage set, they finally made me a believer in their big-as-thunder brand of Southern rock. For years I’d yawned when friends tried to turn me on to their various albums, but there was something undeniably powerful about their ACL performance.
My Morning Jacket — singer/guitarist Jim James, bassist “Two-Tone” Tommy, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist/pedal steel guitarist/saxophonist/vocalist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster — performed in front of an enormous, kitschy painting of a tropical island; their show also came complete with beautiful Polynesian-looking women standing at various points on the stage, holding pineapples toward the sky.
Frontman James (someone please write in and confirm for me that was indeed a bleach blond wig he was wearing) was in amazing form. His vocal performance possessed all the right dynamic variation and moxie. And his backing band of brothers played so tight they made many of the bands at ACL seem restrained and less powerful.
“One Big Holiday” and “Anytime” sounded even larger than they do on the band’s recent double-live album, “Okonokos.” But it was the crestfallen acoustic ballad “Golden” that took me right over the top of the fence and made me a My Morning Jacket disciple. James’ rendition of the song was utterly heartbreaking and poetic without being overwrought.
Don’t be surprised if My Morning Jacket becomes an ACL Festival regular. Their voluminous rock ‘n’ roll was born to played in arenas and festivals.
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Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: ACL Festival
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By J
September 17, 2007 1:01 PM | Link to this
It WAS a wig:-)
By Cory Waring
September 17, 2007 3:59 PM | Link to this
Welcome to a lifelong obbsession that so many of us have come to celebrate.
By M
September 17, 2007 5:16 PM | Link to this
I’ve been watching live clips of them all day. I just didn’t get enough! LOVE THOSE GUYS!!! Wilco who?
By Lucky
September 17, 2007 8:24 PM | Link to this
Twas a Wig, I actually got to meet Jim in the Dylan Stubb’s crowd. His hair is shaved short.
By evan
September 18, 2007 3:06 PM | Link to this
This was one of my favorite ACL shows. The kitschy tropical island wasn’t limited to the stage. They did an incredible job of transforming the sweltering Austin heat into a sunsoaked island of Hawaii.