My good Lord. What an amazing show. I mean it, this was one of those transcendent feeling moments of musical bliss that left me floating on a cloud. Just ridiculously good.
I had never gotten to see MMJ before. I got to see an offshoot band from their drummer a few years back - Spanish Gold - when they played ACL and then an aftershow at Stubb's indoor. After the show, I went and said hi to the drummer, and clapped him on the back. It was like clapping a bear made of water. Sweatiest human on the planet after that show.
I've been a fan of their music for years. I think Rolling Stone first turned me on to Z or It Still Moves many moons ago, and I love both of those albums. The stuff since then has been more uneven - Evil Urges has some great tunes and some odd detours, and the same can be said for the Waterfall albums, Circuital, and the new jammy one. But at the end of the day, they make a cool mash of rock and jam and alt country that I really enjoy.
And this show leaned into some of those best things! "Mahgeetah," "One Big Holiday," "Wordless Chorus," and "Victory Dance" were all revelatory, adding depth to already great songs. I lost count of the number of times goose bumps raised up on my arms during those songs. "Holdin on to Black Metal" was an unexpected surprise song, as was the Willie Nelson cover on his birthday.
Jim James just crushed it as well. Hell, the whole band walked a perfect tightrope of skilled precision and shambling looseness that I can't even understand. But James uses his voice to reach new spots in the eardrum, as he simultaneously is shredding on the guitar. Also, you have to discuss his hair. His hair floated in the wind like a sea anemone , pulsating to and fro in the glow of a spotlight. It was like an extra member of the band.
The sometimes got a little too jam band-ish for my wife, but I enjoyed the entirety of the show. Just wonderful (the way I feel). I'd go see them again immediately.
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