At a point in My Morning Jacket‘s 20+ year career when you’re more likely to see them headlining amphitheaters on a summer shed run, it was a cool move on the band’s part to take things indoors for the fall of 2023. The Kentucky psychedelic jammers have been on a run of shows playing the country’s ornate theaters, many for multiple-night runs, and in Philly, that meant two shows at The Met.
Though we didn’t get the full-album performance of their 2003 classic It Still Moves that NYC’s Beacon Theatre saw on the first night of its engagement, Philly nonetheless was treated to two wildly varied setlists over a weekend on the town with MMJ. 42 songs, no repeats, and very distinct personalities between the two shows. Friday favored deep cuts and vibey jams; “Victory Dance” from Circuital was a stretch of heady transcendence, and Z‘s “Dondante” stretched out to 18 minutes in length. (The Friday crowd was a bit chatty for this writer’s liking — how are you gonna have a tedious conversation about work over IPAs when MMJ is right there, brah? — but that’s another story.) By comparison, Saturday night fans got a veritable hit parade: “One Big Holiday” to “Off The Record” to “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream” (both parts).
Veteran singer-songwriter Madi Diaz played a dynamic opening set each night with drummer Adam Popick, and it moved compellingly from serene to explosive — “Everything Almost” from next year’s Weird Faith is a stunner, while 2021’s “Think Of Me” is brilliant a moment of rock catharsis. On Friday, Diaz shared a tailored-to-Philly moment by playing her song “Don’t Do Me Good” into a bit of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” a cover reprised later in the night when she joined Jim James to duet on MMJ’s “I Will Be There When You Die.” (On night two, they sang “Thank You Too!” together.)
Check out photos, setlists, and video from both of My Morning Jacket’s shows at The Met Philly below. Their tour continues on Tuesday, November 7th, at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis, and wraps up with three nights at The Chicago Theatre with Devon Gilfillian. Tickets and information here.
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
My Morning Jacket | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Madi Diaz | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Madi Diaz and Jim James | photo by John Vettese for WXPN