My Morning Jacket Splits Up ‘Cobra’ At Tour Finale In Chicago

My Morning Jacket wrapped out their fall tour on Saturday by closing a three-night stand at The Chicago Theatre in Chicago. The quintet broke down the epic “Cobra” from the 2002 EP Chocolate And Ice into five segments and weaved into and out of each part towards the end of their set.

Frontman Jim James and his bandmates bookended Saturday’s main set with material from their 2011 LP Circuital as “Victory Dance” opened and “Holdin On To Black Metal” concluded the frame. Jacket followed “Victory Dance” by performing “Compound Fracture” and “Spring (Among The Living),” two of four songs off the band’s 2015 album The Waterfall played at the tour closer. Next up was a run of Evil Urges‘ (2008) “Remnants,” My Morning Jacket’s (2021) “Lucky To Be Live” and The Waterfall II’s (2020) “Feel You.”

Jim James kept the concert going by delivering a solo version of “Why Can’t We Live Together.” James previously recorded the Timmy Thomas cover for the soundtrack of HBO series Big Little Lies’ second season in 2019. “Why Can’t We Live Together” had yet to be played at a My Morning Jacket show before Saturday night.

My Morning Jacket started in on “Cobra” in the 13-slot. The first part of the song that spans 24 minutes on Chocolate And Ice gave way to “It’s About Twilight Now” from the group’s 1999 debut record The Tennessee Fire in Chicago. MMJ then picked up where they left off in “Cobra” until drummer Patrick Hallahan delivered a drum break that led into “Evil Urges.” The title track of Jacket’s 2008 LP bled into “Cobra Pt. 4” with The Waterfall standout “Like A River” thrown in ahead of the fifth and final part of “Cobra.”

The five-piece punctuated Saturday’s concert with a four-song encore at The Chicago Theatre. First, MMJ went back to The Waterfall for “Tropics (Erase Traces).” Next, the band played “Carried Away” from guitarist Carl Broemel‘s 2010 solo effort All Birds Say. From there My Morning Jacket offered the evening’s fifth and final Evil Urges cut with “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2” and said farewell with “Love Love Love” off their self-titled 2021 album. “Love Love Love” was the same song Jacket used to launch the tour back on October 17 in Toronto.

Watch pro-shot footage of the “Victory Dance” opener on Saturday via nugs.net below:

Official Audio (via nugs.net)

Setlist (via Setlist.FM)

Set: Victory Dance, Compound Fracture, Spring (Among The Living), Remnants, Lucky To Be Alive, Feel You, Why Can’t We Live Together*, I’m Amazed, The Way That He Sings, Honest Man, The Bear, Run It, Cobra > Highly Suspicious > Cobra Pt. 2 > It’s About Twilight Now > Cobra Pt. 3 > Evil Urges > Cobra Pt. 4 > Like A River > Cobra Pt. 5 > Holdin On To Black Metal

Tropics (Erase Traces), Carried Away, Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2, Love Love Love

* – Jim James solo, Timmy Thomas cover, My Morning Jacket debut