My Morning Jacket rocks three nights at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago

My Morning Jacket finished their 2021 fall tour with three shows at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL. On tour to support the October release of their ninth album My Morning Jacket, the band did not disappoint while rocking though their vast catalog of music.

Syrian-American artist Bedouine opened each night with lovely folk-rock music and I am glad to have been front and center for her set on night one. By the time My Morning Jacket took the stage, the Auditorium Theatre was packed and buzzing with electric energy. My Morning Jacket opened with “At Dawn” from their 2001 classic of the same name and it was nice. Up next was “Regularly Scheduled Programming“, the first single from their new album which fell a little flat as the band warmed up. The upbeat rocker “Anytime” from the 2005 album Z was played several songs later and proved to be a tipping point. From then on, the show projected forward with high energy and momentum.

The stage was lit in green and red for “X-Mas Curtain” and the crowd sang along with smiles. “In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)” from the 2015 gem The Waterfall hit hard and had the crowd head-banging by the end. “Run It” from the band’s 2020 release The Waterfall II came up a few songs later and was relaxed and absolutely beautiful. Throughout the three nights, My Morning Jacket followed that same dynamic recipe of going heavy to chill and it worked wonders and highlighted their expansive archive of music.

“Penny for Your Thoughts” is one of the best songs from their new self-titled album and was played towards the end of the set. It rocked hard and was undoubtedly a highlight of night one. Singer Jim James and guitarist Carl Broemel returned to the stage after the encore break and pulled at the heart strings with a gorgeous “I Will Be There When You Die” from the 1999 debut The Tennessee Fire. James strummed at his acoustic and his voice sounded pure and emotional, while Broemel accented the song with pedal steel guitar and backing vocals. It was hard not to tear up.

The rest of the band returned and “Dancefloors” from the 2003 classic It Still Moves was a blast and another big highlight of the show. The entire crowd rocked along and the night ended with “Gideon”, another rager from Z. During the extended jam, guitarist Carl Broemel stepped to the edge of the stage and cranked through a head-banging solo just feet in front of me. Moments later Jim James took his turn and the entire theatre was jumping and dancing along. It was the most fun I’ve had at a concert in years and there was so much love in the room.

Night two was also a good show, but night three was the best of them all. It was such a good feeling again to dance with friends and strangers and feel some sort of normalcy. Seeing My Morning Jacket at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago was the perfect place for this.

Thank you so much My Morning Jacket.