"Thank You, Fighting Illini, We Love The Igloo That Is Folger's Auditorium..."

My Morning Jacket... I'd have to say that last night's show at "Folger's Auditorium" cemented their reputation as one of the best bands in America (in my opinion, anyways). MMJ had that crystalline combination of being tight as a drum and loose as a college freshman, musically that is. Jim James is their fearless leader, and with the combination of his soaring vocals and exceeding amounts of reverb, you'd have to imagine that extraterrestrial species will one day be regaled with a falsetto that just may be the closest thing we have to creating a universal consciousness.

During many points in the gig, James charmed the crowd by calling us all the Fighting Illini, and how he remembered his dad watching Louisville vs. Illinois basketball games as a kid. I certainly don't remember many meetings between these two teams besides the Final Four game from '05, but who am I to quibble over details. He then told us how happy he was to play in the igloo that is "Folger's Auditorium," and proceeded to rant on how he dislikes the corporate naming of so many performance halls. Many in the crowd were laughing out loud, yours truly included. Finally, he told us that he was happy to see such a big group of us out during what's typically a busy time of the year and that we are superior to all those who willingly live their life around their TV watching schedule. Being around real people and having real experiences is what life is all about, he said, and I couldn't agree more. Oh, and James was wearing some rather awesome space/Muppet boots. They definitely accented his suit nicely.

Opening band, The Slip, are essentially a more alt-rock version of My Morning Jacket. This is by no means a bad thing. They had some very engaging tracks, but sadly, I had no extra cash to pick up any of their merch. Worthy of a Myspacing or something of that nature, for sure.

Now for the pictures....