Practically every single belief structure since the beginning of recorded history highlights a duality, or figure-ground, of Darkness and Light. Heaven and Hell; Creation and Destruction; Chaos and Order; Yin and Yang. One cannot exist without another, plus it requires a measured, balanced abundance of the two to create a complete, or even gestalt.

In the very moment the earliest congregations of fans started arriving at the base of “The Birth Canal of The Universe” (watch the prior night’s recap) to get My Morning Jacket‘s Saturday concert at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado it was obvious that the second of two nights would be enormously different. Despite another scorching summer afternoon, the temperatures seemed to be falling more desperately as sunlight bid her adieu, cool breezes whipped throughout the juniper trees lining each side of the venue, and rather than a stunning orange sunset light up Creation Rock into the north and Ship Rock into the southwest, the sky drifted off to sleep in hues of aquamarine and deep, dark indigo. Further, although the two launching acts sourced from L.A. and discovered branches in pop and psychedelia, Amo Amo – who’s debut album of the identical title was created by Jim James, presented a more natural groove in contrast to Warpaint’s concentrated gloss. They closed their set with “Antidote,” that might have been right at home in a late-1970s era Grateful Dead setlist, using familiar guitar phrasings and tone plus a slow, disco-esque shuffle.

Before My Morning Jacket abandoned the stage Friday night, frontman Jim James assured “no repeats” for nighttime two, and also the chances felt endless. The polished and precise performance in the first night featured a glow dip into each of their seven studio recordings, zero covers, even zero songs from James’ solo work, and maybe most importantly, zero fresh material. And as the throwback home music dissolved into the introduction Bo Koster‘s synth pulse of “Wordless Chorus,” with all the (somehow different) lights gradually rising to a caped and hooded James, the energy transfer was obvious to all. MMJ’so second most all-time played song typically finds its home considerably later in the setlist, often as a place nearer or an encore song. After the signature hooting, crying sing-a-long that makes the song a fan favorite, it stopped rather abruptly. James kept his cape on, as though he was still looking to acquire comfy on-stage, along with the completion of the ensuing “Touch Me, I’m Going To Scream, Part 1” sensed equally as sudden.

The energy started to change through “Off The Record,” as the group was eventually able to get a little room to stretch. James made his way up and down the stage with a nearly feral gait, making every endeavor to connect with members of their audience. “Lay Low” arrived , the third track of the night off Z, the most beloved album of a fan and also the frenzied summit seemed to match the raw, almost supernatural, energy of their day. The first breather of the day came a little earlier than Friday, in the kind of two consecutive Tennessee Fire paths, “Evelyn Is Not Real” along with “Picture Of You. ” Both songs are very rarities since their beginning in the tail end of the previous century, and the casual fans hurried the beer and bathroom lines. “Picture Of You& & rdquo; peeking from a lilting enthusiast ’s lament to among the first big shreds of this day, placing James and guitarist Carl Broemel front and center, face, along with axe-to-axe.

Yet another Z track followed, and while Broemel’s signature stink felt low in the combination, putting Tom Blankenship’s bass pulse front-and-center, “Gideon” obtained solidly with a enormous finish from drummer Patrick Hallahan. “Outta My System” once more presented James at a wild light, the lyrics decked out using fervor. The mysterious vigor continued during the hard and thick “Holdin’ On To Black Metal,” that divides big cheers from the audience. James seemed to comprehend the aforementioned duality of this weekend, emphasizing certain lyrics into the following “Evil Urges” & “…maybe positive and negative? It’s all the same? ” — and then nailing his machine gun riff to complete the song.

Speaking up for really only the first time in the day after a particularly chatty Friday night, James made a quick devotion to “Billy,” reminding us “your own health is your wealth,” and then introduced into a “Steam Engine” to most ages.

Friday night’s & “Dondante”: “I’ll be recalled as the very momentous jam of this weekend. ”

Saturday evening ’s & “Steam Engine”: “Hold my LSD-laced tequila. ”

“It’s not your dream… this makes you weak…& & rdquo; sang a clearly psychological James, washed at a watercolor sea of blue light. The song reached its first sweet and sparkly summit before mounting a enormous head-bang-a-thon that stomped its way into a dark, deep drum-driven psychedelic jam. Over the supernatural soul-pounding slash of this group, James started to estimate his hero, John Lennon. The first verse of this Lennon-McCartney composition, “Get Back” gave way into “Imagine,” that was followed by very possibly the darkest black metal “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers) sing-a-long ever in existence. Even the full-throttle “Steam Engine” continued to rip along its metal railings, using some more Lennon quotes from James before repainting “Bermuda Highway” bliss. This sublime solo telling, that included a short “Storytellers” moment (his small stuffed animal he adored would always fall between the crack of the bed and the wall), generated over a couple tears of fame and love throughout the venue.

Steam Engine > Get Back > Imagine > Lean On Me > Steam Engine Captured by Joe Long

After largely ignoring their most recent album the night ahead, a run of monitors The Waterfall (using a psychedelic “It Beats 4 U” at the combination ) made their appearance. “Big Decisions& ” the first single from the album, seemed to glide magically atop Broemel’s & pedal steel, and both “Tropics” and “Compound Fracture” was just two of the hardest rockers of the evening. Once the ferocious fracturing had ended, James implored, “is that there a doctor in the house tonight? ” Another favourite on lovers ’ wish lists to your weekend, even the tender “Phone Went West” created yet another impassioned sing-a-long. James’ vocal riffing continued over the song ’s reggae lilt using a bit of Bob Marley and more Lennon, and as the song started morphing its way back into “Steam Engine” using a chorus of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” the enchanting vibe of this day reached yet another summit. The band crowded around each other to get a full-shred end, looking just as a young metal band in a crowded garage, reducing their finest song to tatters, and then they disappeared from the stage, leaving only darkness along with a growl of distortion.

After the short encore break, James led the audience in a set howl that drifted eerily up into the desert skies before slithering into “Spring (Among The Living),” yet another fist-pumper in The Waterfall. Next arrived “Magic Bullet,” that debuted in 2017, has only been performed two other times, and has been the nearest thing they played to fresh stuff. Unusual and wonderful “Highly Suspicious”’d fans dancing in the aisles like plants that are robotic, along with also the much darker second portion of “Touch Me, I’m Going into Scream” briefly quieted for James’ appeal for & & bull ldquo;cluttered, moist and consensual kisses,” before tearing back into a hard rocking outro, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song. ” And no big MMJ weekend will be complete with no “One Big Holiday. ”

If Friday night was polished and glowing, then Saturday night was raw and dark, full of ghosts and blades. After all, you can’t have shadow without light. And with only two dates in their calendar and much more promised, the long run of My Morning Jacket both shines with the radiance of potential and stays shrouded in mystery. Tell me I’damn wrong. Tell me I’damn right.

Full Show Audio (Taped by opsopcopolis)

Fan-Shot Videos

1 Big Holiday Captured by djskindoc

I Will Sing You Songs Captured by djskindoc

Setlist

My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Aug 3, 2019Morrison, CO

Wordless ChorusTouch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1Off The RecordLay LowEvelyn Is Not RealPicture of YouGideonOutta My SystemHoldin On to Black MetalEvil UrgesSteam Engine  Bermuda HighwayBig DecisionsTropics (Erase Traces)It Beats 4 UCompound FracturePhone Went West  EncoreSpring (Among the Living)Magic BulletHighly SuspiciousTouch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2One Big Holiday

Setlist info via setlist.fm.

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