SHOW REVIEW - Jim James 5/11/13

Jim James performed songs from his solo debut, Regions of Light and Sound of God, at the Fonda.

 

JIM JAMES

May 11, 2013 @ The Fonda Theatre (Hollywood)

Although I've long been a My Morning Jacket fan due to my best friend's borderline obsession with their music, the first time I witnessed Jim James sing live was on his own as part of the original Monsters of Folk Tour in 2004. While there are currently few bands who rival MMJ's explosive energy and chemistry on stage, I was excited for another chance to see James shine independent from his main group when the tour in support of his solo debut, February's Regions of Light and Sound of God, was announced.

Upon initial exposure to James live, I was blown away by the incredible range of his unique voice, one that has been compared to everyone from Neil Young and John Lennon to David Bowie and, yes, Kermit the Frog. As he spun and leapt around the stage on Saturday night, though, another Muppet sprang to mind: Animal. With his mop of shaggy blond hair, he never stood in one place for very long – flailing his head as he strummed his Gibson Flying V, jumping in the air in front of Dave Givan's drum kit, moving in time to the music while blowing into a saxophone or standing at the edge of the stage singing and gesturing to the audience.

After a beautifully dark and soulful set from Cold Specks, led by the amazing Al Spx, James had the sold-out crowd singing along to Regions' lead track, "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U)." Looking smart in a chocolate brown suit, matching tie and white dress shirt, he continued to move smoothly through his new tracks in order as they appear on the album, transitioning into the highly danceable, spaced-out soul of "Know Til Now" followed by a thrilling drum spectacle during "Dear One." "A New Life" also provoked audience members to sing along, while the instrumental beauty of "Exploding" and the searing guitars of "Actress" took their breath away. The rich yet intimate vocals of "God's Love to Deliver" brought the initial set to a close.

Returning to the stage for one of the most satisfyingly long encores I've experienced, James appeared armed with his acoustic guitar for a touching version of "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)," off MMJ's latest album, 2011's Circuital. He then switched gears for the remainder of the evening with material from his work with Monsters of Folk and the Woody Guthrie tribute New Multitudes. During "Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)," his MOF bandmate Conor Oberst came on stage wearing James' trademark cape to sing a verse. Oberst continually pulled the cape across his face like Dracula as he traipsed across the stage, perched atop Givan's bass drum with his back to the crowd and his arms raised in a "V" then disappeared off stage.

James finished the night with three more MOF songs – "His Master's Voice," "The Right Place" and "Losin Yo Head" – and New Multitudes' "Changing World." As the song's final lyrics "Change the ways of this changing world" still echoed in the audience's ears James picked up a golden bear statue that had presided over the set and held it in front of his face as he bowed "Namaste" to each section of the crowd.

REMEMBER WHEN - Monsters of Folk Tour

Mike Mogis, M. Ward, Jim James and Conor Oberst of Monsters of Folk (Jennifer Tzar)

Monsters of Folk Tour (Bright Eyes, Jim James, M. Ward)

Oct. 14, 2004 @ The Orpheum

As a music journalist, you are often given just one ticket to review a show, which is not that fun. I mean, who really wants to go see a concert by themselves? But I had just started working for the publication that assigned me the review and I had been a Conor Oberst fan for years, so I decided to brave the one-way streets of Downtown and go alone. This ended up being one of the best shows I've been to in my entire life, and the tour ended up being the birth of a supergroup.

I spent a lot of time before the show exploring the Orpheum because the theater is absolutely gorgeous. When I found my seat, it was in one of the first few rows on the orchestra level, so I had a great view. The stage was made up to resemble a living room or studio rehearsal space: There were several high-backed chairs about and an oriental rug covering the cables on the floor. It turned out that the stage was set this way because the various musicians would amble onto the stage and switch places, interchanging instruments to do a solo or provide backing for one anther.

I didn't really know much about Jim James, other than he sometimes sounds like Kermit the Frog and was the frontman of one of my best friend's favorite bands, My Morning Jacket. I also wasn't very familiar with M. Ward, but I soon fell for both of them. 

M. took the stage first with songs from his latest release at the time, Transfiguration of Vincent. His soft voice matched his unassuming manner, but the amazing sounds he produced with his guitar spoke volumes. I was completely mesmerized by his guitar playing. Jim joined him for a few songs, and then they performed MMJ’s "One in the Same."

This set the tone for the rest of Jim's set, which included guest appearances from MMJ's Bo Koster on keys for "It Beats 4 U" and Carl Broemel on pedal steel for "Oxen." There were stunning moments during songs like "Hopefully" when the entire stage went black and a heavenly white spotlight illuminated Jim as he strummed his acoustic guitar and his powerful voice vibrated through the entire venue. When he goes into falsetto, his voice really soars. Jim performed a rousing cover of "Always on My Mind" and "Golden" with Mike Mogis and Conor of Bright Eyes and M., before Bright Eyes' 90-minute set began.

I was first drawn to Bright Eyes because of Conor's lyrical prowess, the addicting "Love I Don't Have to Love" single and the fact that he had successfully launched a record label (Saddle Creek) at age 13. I had been warned in advance that his fans are quite overzealous, but was still surprised when full-grown adults walked up the aisles and randomly yelled things like "I want to have your baby!" or threw gifts onto the stage. But just google some of his lyrics, and you'll see why. Maybe it's better that I went alone to this show because I could really concentrate on the songs, the simplicity yet artfulness of the arrangements and the interplay between Conor and Mike.

I was utterly blown away. I was experiencing one of those moments when you get the good chills: You feel tingles on your scalp and get goose bumps on your arms from something totally thrilling.

This show was also significant because all three acts would be vaulted to national fame shortly after. Bright Eyes would go on to simultaneously release the electric pop album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and the folk album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, which Time listed as one of the top 10 albums of 2005. My Morning Jacket gained critical acclaim with 2005's Z and mainstream success with its follow-ups, Evil Urges and Circuital. All eyes were on M. after he released Post-War, Hold Time and two albums with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him. But most importantly, the quartet of Conor, Mike, Jim and M. released a Monsters of Folk album in 2009 and toured the country together again, stopping in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 2009, almost five years to the day of the Orpheum show. I was able to experience another magical evening, and I didn't have to go by myself that time.