Indie Rockers My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes played the Hollywood Bowl Monday night (8/27) after being postponed from the 19th from Hurricane Hilary. Although the venue is rain or shine, the extreme weather caused it to be postponed as well as other outdoor venues in the L.A. area. The Hollywood Bowl was the perfect venue to host this historic evening. MMJ had just played two nights at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO before this show. Each band played a set of 75 minutes.
Fleet Foxes played the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA last year. The band formed in 2006 in Seattle, WA and still consists of founding members Robin Pecknold (Lead Vocals), Skyler Skjelset (Guitar), Casey Wescott (Keys) along with bassist Christian Wargo (since 08), upright bassist Morgan Henderson (since 2010), and touring drummer Christopher Icasiano joined just last year. Since 2008 Fleet Foxes has released four studio albums and one live album. Their self-titled debut album was ranked as Rolling Stone’s Best Album of the Decade. Their set opened with “Sun Giant,” and included “Ragged Wood,” “He Doesn’t Know Why,” and “Third of may/ Odaigahara.” Following “Grown Ocean,” MMJ’s Jim James joined in for Buffalo Springfield’s “Expecting to Fly.” There would be another collaboration in MMJ’s set.
Fleet Foxes would then end their set with “The Shrine/ An Argument,” and ended with “Helplessness Blues.” Fleet Foxes have just one more show booked for 2023 on November 17th in Mexico City.
Following a 45 minute intermission MMJ took the stage. MMJ formed back in 1998 in Louisville, KY and their music combines Indie Rock, Jam band, Americana, Psychedelic Rock, Southern Rock, and more. The group consists of founders Jim Jamees (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan joined in 2002, and keyboardist Bo Koster and Guitarist Carl Broemel both joined in 2004. The original lineup released three albums and the current lineup has released six with the most recent being a self-titled album released in 2021. Seven of those albums made the Billboard 200. On top of nine studio albums, MMJ has released 11 live albums.
The opening song was “Wordless Chorus” from their 2005 album Z which was their first album with the current lineup. Their 11-song set also included “Gideon,” “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” with Fleet Foxes’ Pecknold, “One Big Holiday” from "It Still Moves" which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and the closing song was “Dancefloors.”
MMJ will play one show in Nashville, TN September 30th then start touring the East Coast and MidWest beginning mid-October ending with three shows at the Chicago Theater in November.
