September, Seattle, Marymoor Park: Lights from My Morning Jacket’s stage pointed out and up toward the Marymoor sky at a 45 degree angle. For twenty-two songs, the band from Louisville, KY strapped themselves onto one of the beams and rode it into the nebulae.

My Morning Jacket is one of the finer tuned American (Southern) rock bands you will see or hear. They are in complete control of their road tested songs and psychedelic blues-based jams. Dynamically, they range from distortion-raucous-hopping-loud, to elongated, improvised, particle calmness.

Rarely was there a moment without sound, as the Z heavy set transitioned from song to song via beds of ambience. Within the calmer moments, is where the band (for me) is at their best. Where, the song separates from itself on drawn out, slow motion lines. Notes are brought down, swayed, and muted, but the sound expands: someone somewhere in a city picks up their phone and hears waves crashing on a beach – someone somewhere on beach picks up a shell and hears sounds and engines of a city.

Jim James is commanding. A mountain man with a mountainous mane and a resonant yodel-throated mineshaft of a singing voice. He dawned a coat as a cape/cloak, and headbanged with authority – a full upper torso headbang, a hurl from the waist.

Between James, drummer Patrick Hallahan, and guitarist Carl Broemel, there are pastures and pastures of hair. A high point was the snare punctuated, thought-locomotive, “It Beats 4 U.” James refrained, “Words will come and words will go. Don’t you know my heart, it beats for you, sooooooo, in time.” The song concluded with a guitar loop panning from speaker to speaker, then dissolved into transition. The band quickdreamed, waking up in the meter of the next song “Anytime” as it began.

MMJ’s stamina impressed. They don’t just jump around for the first couple songs, they jump around the entire set. Broemel broke out a sax and blew tasteful distance and drone. 

At one point I debated whether or not My Morning Jacket are a jam band, but I don’t think they are. My Morning Jacket is a rock band that can jam. And speaking of which, the Skynyrd-esque, Flying V, three-guitar finale (there was an additional guitarist onstage) put out a foot stomped fire. A brawny, cyclical, Skynyrd-type guitar pounding that My Morning Jacket do so well, that we all need from time to time.

The show was a benefit for YouthCare, that provides services to homeless youth. It was also part of the band’s Spontaneous Curation Series, that lets fans help put together the set list.

SET LIST:

ROLLIN BACK INTRO

WAY HE SINGS

THE DARK

CIRCUITAL

XMAS

LAYLOW

STEAM ENGINE

OLD SEPT BLUES

WAR BEGUN

OUTTA MY SYSTEM

MASTERPLAN

IT BEATS

ANYTIME

MAHGEETAH

VICTORY DANCE

WORDLESS

TOUCH ME PT.2

GIDEON

--

AT DAWN

WONDERFUL

OFF THE RECORD(NO ENDING)

PHONE

RUN THRU