My Morning Jacket Returns To Stage After Year Layoff

My Morning Jacket’s year-long hiatus from the stage has finally concluded. The Louisville rockers played their first show since January 29, 2014 last night as part of the One Big Holiday destination event at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Mexico. Jim James & Co.’s first of three full shows in Mexico saw a number of cover debuts, the first performance of a new original and a handful of guest spots.

[Photo by Dave Vann]

My Morning Jacket kicked off last night’s main set with their first-ever rendition of Christopher Cross’s 1980 smash “Ride Like The Wind,” a song about a condemned man on the run to Mexico. From there, the band delivered a string of beloved originals spanning every era of their career such as “Off The Record,” “Evil Urges,” “The Dark,” “Easy Morning Rebel,” “Golden” and “Slow Slow Tune.” The main set climaxed with a medley of four cover debuts featuring special guests. First up was The Cars’ “Drive” featuring Adam Granduciel of War On Drugs, who opened up for MMJ on Saturday night. “Drive” led into Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” which also featured Granduciel as well as Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath. Granduciel and Meath also contributed to takes on Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” that ended the string of cover debuts.

Adam Granduciel stuck around to help out on “Steam Engine,” before My Morning Jacket closed out the main set by themselves with “Run Thru.” The encore featured the evening’s only new original, a song listed on the band’s stage setlists as “Big D.” MMJ also broke up the rarity “Cobra” by inserting a cover of Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” in the middle of it. The ’80s classic saw My Morning Jacket joined by Meath and Preservation Hall Jazz Band saxophonist Clint Maedgen. “Anytime” brought the main stage action to a close on Night One of One Big Holiday.

Watch a brief clip of MMJ & guests’ cover of Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” from Saturday night thanks to PeteLikesMusic:

Setlist

Set: Ride Like the Wind (Christopher Cross), Off the Record, Evil Urges, The Dark, It Beats 4U, Heartbreaking Man, Wonderful Man, Masterplan, Easy Morning Rebel, Tonight I Want To Celebrate, Golden, Slow Slow Tune, Drive* (The Cars) > I’m on Fire*% (Bruce Springsteen) > Wicked Game*% (Chris Isaak) > Fade Into You*% (Mazzy Star), Steam Engine*, Run Thru

Encore: At Dawn, Big D (New song), Wordless Chorus, Touch Me Pt. 1, Cobra > I Can’t Go For That%^ (Hall & Oates) > Cobra#, Anytime

* -w/ Adam Granduciel of War on Drugs
% -w/ Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso
^ -w/ Clint Maedgen of Preservation Hall Jazz Band
# -Unfinished

[Setlist via Alexzbik]

My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday continues today in Mexico.