My Morning Jacket @ Fillmore - 11/11/05 - $40

My Morning Jacket proved to be a lot more popular than I thought, maybe it was because the band was filming for a dvd (both shows). I checked on the same day and Ticketmaster still showed availability. The ticketing chick did tell me they had about 100 left in the morning and that it would sell out. I dunno why I wasn't worried. The Fillmore box office opened at 7:30p and I think I strolled in at a leisurey 8:40ish after drinks around Union Square (cab ride, $8). The show was sold out, great. A lot of folks actually dressed up for the event, but I was too busy standing on the corner freezing my ass to take pictures. I was probably outside for an hour trying to find a ticket. Scalpers were selling for as much as $75. I upstaged once while negotiating to buy someone's extra ticket, you basically have to be kinda forceful, fans (as opposed to scalpers) don't really care that much about making a huge profit but you have to go in there and shove your money in their hands. I was beginning to lose faith but I finally got a ticket for 40 from a costumed bunch. I'll really have to think twice about tickets in the future, standing outside is kinda lame

I totally missed the opening act but that didn't bother me, happy to be inside. Security pats you down for weapons at the entrance, eh ghetto. The Fillmore has two levels with some limited seating around the rails upstairs and around the floor downstairs. I was looking for a good spot close to the stage but ended up picking something center, not that close. They had a cool forrest theme going on stage with a painted backdrop and fake trees limbs and leaves.



The band came out with mystic fanfare, the lighting was really good with silhouettes and bright white lights. Some security guy actually came out after a couple of songs to tell me to stop taking pics, that really cramped my style but I had a good time anyway

Even though I wasn't feelin the crowd, it was a really good performance. I thought My Morning Jacket was like the ultimate jamming band, they got into it so hard and finished the songs with a lot of flair. Impressive

Jim James' howlin voice was quite impressive, I liked how it sounded on record but I didn't imagine he could replicate that live. He is good. He was really into his guitar playin, it made it engrossing for me in the audience as well

Carl Broemel (guitars) who's actually not in the original lineup was damn amazing. He mostly manned the guitars but also played this weird instrument where you have a tube around your finger, on a keyboard-like device (a lot smaller though). He also busted out the sax for Dondante which was very cool

Last but not least, I thought the drummer Patrick Hallahan of whom I really don't have any decent pic was very bad ass, he had so much energy and I guess a lot of MMJ songs are a good showcase for his chops behind the kit



I was a bit distracted that the two guitarists kept changing guitars between songs, one thing that was weird was how Jim would always have a stage hand help him out.. uhmm randoms



They actually handed out these cool posters that were made especially for the concerts in San Francisco. I also got a tee for $20, it ended up being kind of a pricey night

The set list They played a lot off their latest album Z
Wordless Chorus
It Beats For You
One Big Holiday
The Way He Sings off At Dawn
Golden
Sooner
X-Mas Curtain off At Dawn
What A Wonderful Man
Gideon
Bermuda Highway Jim acoustic, off At Dawn
Hopefully Jim acoustic, off At Dawn
Where To Begin way too country, off the Elizabethtown OST
Lay Low
Dancefloors
Dondante Carl ended the song with some breathtaking stuff on the saxophone
Run Thru I love how this song goes thru a lot of different phases
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Into The Woods
I Think I'm Going To Hell off Tennessee Fire
Picture Of You off Tennessee Fire
Anytime
Mahgeetah this song rocked SOOOO hard, they just kept goin and going at the end of the song