Concert Review: MOKB Presents My Morning Jacket: Indianapolis, August 7, 2011
My Morning Jacket brought their traveling circus to Indianapolis’ White River State Park on Sunday night. The band played a mammoth 23-song set just a day after headlining Chicago’s 20th Anniversary Lollapalooza festival, adhering to the motto: You don’t take nights off while conquering the world.
The concert was a homecoming for the band’s long-time guitarist Carl Broemel. A graduate of Pike High School, Broemel grew up playing in local band Old Pike before studying guitar at IU. My Morning Jacket picked him up in 2004 after two of the band’s members had quit. He has since carved out an important niche in the Jim James led outfit, lending his talents on guitar, saxophone, vocals and lap steel.
Tracks from My Morning Jacket’s latest summer soundtrack Circuital dominated the setlist Sunday night. The band looked a tad drowsy on the first few songs of the evening but throttled into high gear shortly thereafter. By the time they played “Mahgeetah” from 2003’s It Still Moves The Lawn had reached full-on party mode.
This is a band that displays clearly its ten years of experience. They hit on every cylinder with a catalog of songs that span an astonishing range of genres—the mish mash of sounds are all bound together by James. His vocal influence can be felt on so many of today’s hottest acts.
James stands alone in his natural born ability to entertain. He has learned over the years when to push an audience’s buttons. When to dance like a mad man. He wears his heart on his sleeve, constantly offering an emotional earnestness to the crowd that often seems false or contrived with other performers. It is James’ ability to constantly appear genuine that allows My Morning Jacket to frolic so boldly from style to style without alienating their audience.
A decade in their rear view, these guys are fucking rock stars with serious chops. This ship will continue sailing as long as the band can tolerate each other. If Sunday night was any indication, they are all having entirely too much fun to hop off the bus any time soon.
Written and experienced by Rob Peoni
Top photograph courtesy of Sam Kowal.
Inset photograph courtesy of Michael Stephenson.
Click HERE for previous Thought on Tracks coverage of My Morning Jacket.
Concert Review: Lollapalooza After Show: Walk The Moon & Local Natives: Lincoln Hall August 5, 2011
The After Show: (n) the opportunity to prolong your festival weekend with a low capacity, indoor venue where festival acts (and the occasional local product) join forces to rock your sun burnt faces off.
Lincoln Hall is a spectacular venue. The capacity maxes out under 500, with plenty of room to hand jive and such. (As a fellow from Indy, I am not quite Rhodes Scholar status when it comes to Chicago venues, I could be wrong about the capacity). Alpha King on tap – YUSS SIR. The ability to build your chill zone and vibe out to music – ABSOLUTELY!
Cincinnati poppy pop pop alt rockers Walk the Moon served as the opening act. I have gushed over these guys over the past few months. Their release I Want, I Want has been a member of the Heavy Rotation Club since July. Disappointment quickly set in after the band closed “Anna Sun.” Failing to play the title-track “I Want, I Want” coupled with the neglect of “Blue Dress” set me off to a bad start.
Then it happened…..
LOCAL NATIVES!!!!!!!!! This group reaffirms my belief in music. The crowd was heavy and the delivery was earth shattering. Opener “Camera Talk” set the Gorilla Manor Army into a frenzy.
“I knew this would be the part
My plane’s arrival catches me off guard
We’ll all be leaving with a broken heart
Wallets empty and we’re back at start”
The lyrics from these LA All-Stars could not have proven any more correct. My wallet was on its last legs after this show (not to mention weekend) but being caught off guard never felt so $$$$!
“Airplanes” was a uniform bonding experience with strangers. “Sun Hands” was passion derived from common interests. Finally, “Shape Shifter” changed perspective while placing importance on positioning and lust for a band.
Local Natives – you pull my strings. “Who Knows, Who Cares…”
Written and experienced by Brett McGrath
Concert Review: Muse: Verizon Wireless Music Center 8/3/11
Leaving a band behind in the dust is something I do all too often. I love a band, absorb their catalog, see them live and then let them escape my musical memory. I can’t figure out what the formula is for this. I believe it is a combination of band growing too big, coupled by my arrogance to ride the popular wave with them. Possibly it is as simple as stating as the movement from the Indie Cult to the ALT Cult. Wherever the rationale may happen to be, it is a mistake by me that must be fixed.
RECENT CASE OF IMMATURE MUSICAL RELEASE: MUSE
I was blown away when I saw Muse at Lollapalooza in 2007. The energy, the guitars, the lights captivated me. I left Chicago that weekend with a new found respect for the symphonic rock trio from Teignmouth, Devon. The problem was that I left my connection with Muse in Chicago that day and it was a huge mistake. Until yesterday.
Musical realizations are a phenomenal experience. It is a kick in the face and a wake-up call. I did not originally purchase a ticket when they went on sale. I ignored my previous memories of Muse and just viewed it as another concert on the crappy Deer Creek (Still not Verizon Wireless to me) Summer Bill. At the 11th hour a friend offered me a pavilion seat for $75. After deliberation, I accepted and it might have been my most strategic musical move of the year. WHAT. A. SHOW!!!!
I will be the first to admit that Muse is a better live band than studio group. I do not come home after a long day of work and crank their LP’s. It is too much energy for me. Seeing them live again blew me away though. I spent the entirety of their set bangin’ my head and jumping up and down. Without question the moment of the show was when they banged out fan favorite “Hysteria.” Songs like “Supermasssive Blackhole,” “Butterflies and Hurricanes” and “Stockholm Syndrome” kept the greater Indianapolis area fueled all night. Plug in Baby worked perfectly for the encore. As I exited the muddy parking lot I could not stop thinking about what I just saw on a sweet summer Wednesday night. I saw something that I will not let leave me…at least not this time.
Written and experienced by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 