(photo credit)
Having witnessed only some of their most enigmatic performances (2005, 2006, and 2008 performances at Bonnaroo, and their August 16th homecoming show in Louisville this year), it was interesting, if not eye-opening, to see My Morning Jacket perform a normal set of music Monday night at LC Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. Well, a “normal” set by My Morning Jacket standards at least, consisting of over 20 numbers mainly cut from their two newest studio albums, Evil Urges and Z, and a few older crowd favorites sprinkled in for good measure.

The pre-show soundtrack drawing mainly from avant-jazz, funk, and vintage soul artists (Curtis Mayfield and Nina Simone included) had the antsy crowd dancing and gyrating before the band even took the stage. And once the opening guitar riff to “Evil Urges” kicked in, the show was already in full swing having just begun. The musical highlights from the brisk October evening came in the band’s eeriest moments. Channeling the psychedelic teasing of Pink Floyd, the outro to “Off the Record” soared, and “Librarian” was transformed into a downright spooky love ballad.

The climax of the show emerged as “Dondante”, where the band extended the jam well past 15 minutes, with the dueling guitars of Carl Broemel and Jim James taking center stage and Broemel’s saxophone outro reverberating through the moonlit night sky. The six-song encore sealed the deal for any possible doubters, as it included “It Beats 4 U”, “Wordless Chorus”, “Anytime”, and THE song to end all MMJ songs, show closer “One Big Holiday”.

Throughout the show, James drew me in with his unwavering charisma and artistic affluence. The man that used to be the long-haired, barefoot rebel from Louisville now truly appears to be worldly, if not adeptly comfortable being a true rock artist. I found myself comparing James to a young Tom Waits, clearly not in musical tendencies; rather, in the artistic realm of self-presentation. He donned a cape during several numbers, dancing around the stage like a floating vampire, hiding his face at points only to emerge and playfully bark and shout at the audience. His Metallica-esque guitar solos are played with distinct intent of audience clamor, to which his loyal followers gladly oblige. And this, the reciprocal energy between the audience and their leader, is what has developed their cult following, and what continues to be the defining characteristic of the live MMJ onslaught.

However, where James blossoms as an original artist is in the fact that this persona, this image, does not seem forced or unreal. This is the real Jim James we are seeing, in all his weird, smiling, goofy story-telling glory. He is a nerd (an amazingly musically-talented nerd at that) and through his open self-expression, allows his ever-growing, eclectic fanbase to be comfortable in yelping his lyrics and banging their head along with him.

All of this and more encapsulate every My Morning Jacket show, and that mystique, aura, and energy is truly what makes them the best live band in America. Not to mention that musically the band is in peak form at the moment, drawing ever closer to their sure-to-be epic performance at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve. Columbus was a revelation, as all of their shows, into the life and minds of five men destined for peak rock status. I’m just happy I was there to experience it with them.