My Morning Jacket at The Met in Philadelphia, PA
The concert started with an opening set from Colombian band BALTHVS. The group got the bodies warm and the GA section moving. The players were tight and synched in their groove jams.
As BALTHVS left the stage the haze machines were turned on and the room was gently turned into a thin cloud. The house lights went out, the fans erupted and My Morning Jacket walked on to kick off their first night in Philadelphia.
The band jumped right into the set with “Steam Engine” from their 2001 release At Dawn. The members started off slow and focused leaning into their movements as the crowd began to sway and scream lyrics back towards the stage. Two songs later the crowd erupted with the lead singer Jim James for “In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)” as the opening lyric is “again” repeated over and over, long and breathy. The haze and light show in the room matched every song and sound from drum beats to saxophone solos.
Next Jim James grabbed an acoustic guitar and began fingerpicking the immediately recognizable,“Circuital” (2011). Everyone was stomping and clapping along under the flashing tungsten lights with the sweet sounds and twinkling piano riff. The bandmates were cohesive showcasing a blend of natural memorization of the music and a true trust in each others’ playing. Jim James had his eyes closed almost the entire night, completely lost in his guitar and lyrics.
Finally after the first five songs the frontman addressed the crowd, “Night one of two here in beautiful Philadelphia, we’re so tickled to be here” James said and without a full beat the band jumps into “Mahgeetah” from their 2003 album It Still Moves. From there not another breath for too many songs to count. The night continued at this pace with the band finishing after their encore with 22 tracks played. A very satisfied hum of the audience carried out the doors of The Met and onto Broad Street on a newly chilly night in Philadelphia.
The Met Philadelphia is a seated venue aside from the general admission pit in front of the stage. My Morning Jacket puts together music that is less jump on your feet and clap and more stand up and sway with your eyes closed and breathing. The entire room seating included was on their feet the entire performance. Kids with their parents, adults with their parents, groups of friends everywhere. A genre of music that pulls communities of fans together.
A full range of My Morning Jacket discography was performed, songs from 2000 to 2025 and everything in between. The band wraps their tour with eight dates currently remaining on November 1 in Atlanta, Georgia.
