Sorry for the tardiness on this post. Since I've gotten back I've been swamped with catch up at work. For those of you that don't know I'm an IT guy and after a few days of being slammed with computer problems all day it's tough for me to get home and even look at a computer!
But I'm feeling good right now and, after looking at the pictures I took (and having serious flash backs) I'm all about talking! The weather in Columbus was quite dreary all day. The sun never poked through the slate sky and the rain, while never heavy, was consistent up until show time. We set up shop at the bar attached to the show where, the night before, we hit the same bar and hooked up with one of the better bartenders I've met (Shannon, you are the man). He gave us a quick walk through of the venue while it was completely empty and also tipped us off to the closer bar patio entrance. So based on Shannon's advice we got there early, marked our territory and waited with red Ohio State poncho's in the drizzle. During sound check we heard the new song "Friends Again" and what I believe was Carl's song "Carried Away." It was nice to hear Friends again in it's entirety because they didn't end up playing it. While waiting we met a couple of MMJ forum members, one of which being the ticket giveaway winner. Very cool dude indeed, it was his 26th show. As soon as the doors opened and our tickets were scanned we bum rushed the front of the stage. We were setup nicely in the front row, right of center. There were a couple cool young college dudes behind us from Michigan (long red hair, short black hair) standing just behind us. It's so cool to meet people that travel to see a band that you truly love. It's an instant connection (as a fellow traveler and/or mega fan (often the same thing)) that creates a certain comfort in a completely unknown, new relationship. I don't know, you get my point! Anyways, the opener finally came on.
Let me just say that the New Orleans Preservation Jazz Hall Band is absolutely fantastic. I was so so so so blown away by their set. From their absolutely enchanting horns (especially the ivory sax) to their deep, soulful voices; I felt like I was in 1920's era New Orleans at a sweaty saloon sipping a Sazerac. Jim joined these gentlemen on stage for several songs and seemed like such a natural fit to this ensemble. His gospel-esque vocals are such a great match for the music this group produces and when Jim takes out the old chipped paint megaphone; it's haunting. All of MMJ were on stage at one point or another while the Preservation Jazz Hall Band were on stage and I can honestly say that every second they were together seemed incredibly natural. Two bands, coming from completely different eras, meshing so incredible well. It was truly magical, I was astounded.
After the PJHB finished their set we went to grab a beer and ran into Mike, the ticket giveaway winner. We chatted about the incredibleness of the PJHB and how fine the new Black Keys stuff sounds. We also ran into Joe and his sister Karen, it was great to meet all of you.
We scurried back to our spots up front just minutes before our boys hit the stage. The "Eminence Front" intro started (it's a reference to a Who song). The guys looked refreshed, happy, excited and in good spirits in general.
The "Eminence Front" intro for "One Big Holiday" is mighty powerful. I've heard the recordings and thought it was great but live, man, forget about it. We had a great spot (just right of center, front row) and got to see Jim quite a bit really closely. The guy couldn't stop grinning and he was really animated, he's a great front man. After they blitzed through OBH we heard a couple of songs from
Z, "Off the Record" and "Gideon," both of which sounded great but they didn't seem to really jam these out much. "I'm Amazed" was a rocker, they beefed up the guitar solo's quite nicely. "Where to Begin" was unexpected treat and the perfect song to play before they turned it up to 11 on "Lay Low." Carl's song "Carried Away" is amazing. The recordings available don't do this song justice. I really hope he plays this tomorrow night in some form but it fits right in with a batch of Jacket tunes. "Dondante" was truly incredible. The best version I've ever seen hands down and I honestly can't really explain it. All I can say is it was long, raged hard and on this song I realized that Jim has upped his game guitar-skill wise since the last time I saw him with MMJ. Oh, and it started raining a very appropriate time near the end.
"Smokin' From Shootin'" ending with the end of "Run Thru" as pretty cool. Of course I would have loved to see all of RT but I'd rather have a taste than none at all. AND RT is a great segway into "Touch Me, Pt. 2" (I know SFS is too, it was a tasteful change of pace). A high voltage "Anytime" closed out the first set.
The set break lasted what felt like only a couple of minutes (surprising considering they weren't pressed for time) and started with "Wordless Chorus." I don't recall 100% if the PJHB came out for WC but they were definitely on for a great take on "Evil Urges" and the rest of the night. "Highly Suspicious" was awesome with the horns BUT I feel like our boys were over powering their sound a little much. It could have been where I was standing but it was hard to hear at times. I was really happy to get "Dancefloors" near the end. While "Move on Up" was AWESOME I was a little skeptical of them finishing nights off with two cover songs. During "Move on Up" a PJHB band member came out and smashed a guitar, an appropriate gesture after getting rocked like that.
All in all it was an excellent show. They looked and sounded great and I hope we get some studio activity soon. Check out all of my pictures at
The Steam Engine's Flickr page.
