by Talia Page

Last night’s My Morning Jacket show at The Garden was one of those ball-busting aural experiences that leave your ears ringing, and force you to sleep with your iPod just to prevent yourself from tweaked-out withdrawal symptoms.

I arrived after openers Band of Horses had already finished, and I sat alone… well, as “alone” as you can possibly be among roughly 18,000 people with whom you share a significant common interest. MMJ's set started off with 2 songs from this year’s Circuital (“Victory Dance” and “Circuital”), then transitioned into a buffet of classic MMJ jams including “Dancefloors”, “Steam Engine” and “Mahgeetah.” Personally, I went insane somewhere around the time the band transitioned from “Dondante” to “Smokin From Shootin”, right into the spazzy freakout jam sesh at the end of “Run Thru.” The set also included “The Bottle”: a Gil Scott-Heron cover, with Brian Jackson on flute.

Is it me, or do flashing lights make music actually SOUND better? The animated backdrop behind the stage ranged from images of the Circuital album cover to a swirling vortex of stellar bodies and singing black sperm. 

Collective sh!t-loss ensued at the end of the show when MMJ blasted through a raucous version of "One Big Holiday" (why does this song make always make me run in place Flashdance style?) Sucks for you, people who left early to beat the crowd! Ever the nostalgic sap, Jim James touchingly ended the show with Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” with Band of Horses in tow. Dude. It was rad.

More pics on the photo page.