[ATTENDED: October 11, 2025] My Morning Jacket
After such a great night last night, we wound up leaving a little bit later (figuring there was no Friday night traffic) and arrived a few minutes later than last night. But when I walked up to the merch line there was literally one person in front of me–moments later when I looked again, the line was huge, going up the stairs. Then we headed down to the pit. It was a little more crowded than last night. We were going to try to get in front of Jim, but that’s what everyone else wanted, too. So we camped out more or less where we were the night before, in front of Carl. We were two people back from where we were, which isn’t bad at all.
So yes, last night as pretty tiring and we’d had a busy day, but we were psyched for a second night of My Morning Jacket. And I was super psyched when they opened with Highly Suspicious, a totally ripping song from Evil Urges and one that I’d forgotten about–it was also the first time I’d seen it live. This was also when I learned that Carl Broemel can do so many great backing voices (including the deep, angry chanting of “highly suspicious”). They followed it with Off the Record, one of the poppier songs off of Z.
Then Carl Broemel moved over to the pedal steel guitar and they played the short but fun Climbing the Ladder. It was interesting that last night Carl played the saxophone on a few songs but didn’t play it at all tonight. And last night he didn’t play the pedal steel at all but he played it about three times tonight.
And it was pretty clear that if last night’s show was all about jamming, tonight show was shorter, more rocking songs. And the guys in the front who were headbanging last night had much more cause to do so tonight.
Speaking of the pit. Tonight’s crowd was fascinating. There was a guy who kept walking around the pit area hugging and fist bumping people. He switched places with people and let other be on the barrier. In fact, one of the long-haired headbangers let some of the shorter folks switch places with him for a song or two. It was an incredibly generous and, dare I say it, loving thing to do. Appropriate for the next song Love Love Love, the only song they played from their previous self-titled album. The lighting at the shows was fairly simply but effective. They had five panels mounted behind them. All of the panels had lights that moved and spun and changed colors. But during Love Love Love, they spelled out Love! which was pretty nice.
Up next was Wordless Chorus, one of the great MMJ songs. The crowd went nuts and we all sang the wordless chorus over and over as Jim walked around the stage, coming over by us at last.
They played two songs from Is (they played 8 of ten songs from their newest album). Beginning from the Ending is a slower song but with a swelling chorus and great piano from Bo Koster. They followed that with the heaviest song on Is, Squid Ink. Sounding similar in tone to Highly Suspicious, with a heavy dark riff, it was an ass kicking moment mid-set. And as befits a heavy song, they didn’t jam it at all.
They followed it with Cobra, a song that had everyone in the crowd freaking out. I’m guessing it’s a song they don’t play very much. It was weird to be utterly clueless about a song that everyone was excited about. On record the song is like 25 minutes, but this version was only 5 (a tight ship tonight). They followed it with En La Ceremony a B-side that I didn’t know but which was apparently a debut of them playing it live. How about that?
The longest song of the night (aside from the jamming encore) was Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt 2, running to almost 9 minutes. While that song was finishing up, Jim’s electronic gadget thingy was wheeled out on stage. He played with it for a few minutes last night, but tonight it was presented as a jamming tool to intro Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt 2. I was secretly very pleased that the played both parts–who wants to feel left hanging like that? I love this song, which starts kind of slow and quiet but builds and builds with Jim’s voice soaring higher and higher until finally Carl breaks the tension with a big guitar chord to signal the ending part of the song. It was magnificent.
They followed it up with How Could I Know, a B side from Z and then a new song Lemme Know, which has a fun opening drum part. I enjoyed watching Patrick Hallahan even more tonight, as he went crazy on the drums.
Bo starts the total singalong What a Wonderful Man, another song I can’t believe I hadn’t heard live before.
Since I didn’t know all of the songs, I assumed they were playing a bunch of new songs. But I did know Everyday Magic, a poppy delightful song, that’s been getting a bunch of airplay. I was surprised they didn’t play this one last night, but it was fun to hear it. They jammed out a bit, which was cool.
And then they started the familiar guitar intro of One Big Holiday. My wife has been really getting into this song for the last little while and I know she was bummed the didn’t play it when we saw them last time (once again it was played on night two). As soon as the song started the crowd was ready and everyone shouted the “Waking up feeling!” opening line. The guitar solos at the end were spectacular, especially when Jim and Carl stood side by side each playing their own solo. It was magnificent to be just a few feet away from them. I feel like the song could have stretched out for a pretty long time, but they were keeping things pretty tight tonight.
Things calmed down a bit for the gorgeous Wonderful (The Way I Feel). Everyone cheers madly for this song which is all about peace and calm and a place where there are no police (yay). They stayed with Circuital for Outta My System. For reasons I don’t know, all the guys up front were super psyched that they played this song. It’s a good song, but I never would have expected that reaction for it.
They had one more new song, Die for It and then ended the set with a lengthy song from At Dawn, Phone Went West. They jammed this song almost twice as long as the recording and had a huge ending signaling the end of the set.
After a brief encore break they came back. They had started a little earlier tonight than last night and I wondered (since there was an 11PM curfew) if they would try to push it to nearly 11 (it being night 2 and all). But they kept their short song policy in place. Jim came out by himself and sang the gorgeous Bermuda Highway. They played a song from their debut for the die hards and then totally psyched me up by starting the cool opening sounds of Evil Urges, one of my favorite songs by them. Yes, I’ve seen it four times now, but I never get tired of it. The instrumental break in the middle of the song is so invigorating, I love it.
The ended the set not with Dondante like I assumed but with Anytime, a good rocking song that we all sang along with. But it also did not get the jamming treatment. There was some jamming at the end, but no long stretched out solos or anything. It was a nice finish to another great show.
Tonight I anticipated them throwing drumsticks, and this time the stick sailed over the hands of the person in front of me and … I totally missed it and some other jerk guy got it. Boo. But on the way out we ran into my friend Susie whom we had seen at the Father John Misty show. It was fun to catch up with her and then to hit the road and crash after two exhausting nights.
| October 11, 2025 Met Philly Night 2 | October 10, 2025 Met Philly Night 1 | |
| Highly Suspicious ⊗ (5:07) | Steam Engine ⇔ [2] (16:46) | |
| Off the Record ζ [2] (6:17) | It Beats 4 U ‰ (4:30) | |
| Climbing the Ladder ϖ (3:17) | In Its Infancy (The Waterfall) ψ [2] (5:28) | |
| Love Love Love ♠ (6:05) | Circuital ζ [3] (7:23) | |
| Wordless Chorus ‰ [3] (7:32) | X-Mas Curtain Ö/∴ [2] (6:41) | |
| Beginning From the Ending $ (6:37) | Mahgeetah ⇔ [3] (6:33) | |
| Squid Ink $ (3:45) | Run It ϖ (7:11) | |
| Cobra © [2] (5:20) | Still Thinkin ϖ (5:49) | |
| En La Ceremony ⇔ (live debut) (5:48) | Half a Lifetime $ (3:32) | |
| Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 2 ⊗ [3] (8:50) | The Way That He Sings Ö [2] (6:41) | |
| How Could I Know ‰ (5:22) | Honest Man Ö (9:37) | |
| Lemme Know $ (3:22) | Chills Ö (first time since 2010) (5:16) | |
| What a Wonderful Man ‰ (3:14) | River Road $ (8:08) | |
| Everyday Magic $ (6:11) | Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1 ⊗ (4:35) | |
| One Big Holiday ⇔ [3] (6:58) | Holdin on to Black Metal ζ [2] (4:35) | |
| Wonderful (The Way I Feel) ζ [2] (6:17) | Laylow ‰ [3] (6:15) | |
| Outta My System ζ (3:21) | Gideon ‰ (6:47) | |
| Die for It $ (4:37) | encore | |
| Phone Went West Ö [2] (12:45) | All the Best (John Prine cover) (first time since 2013) (3:40) | |
| encore | Old Sept. Blues ∇ (5:05) | |
| Bermuda Highway Ö (4:48) | Out in the Open $ (4:03) | |
| Picture of You ∇ (6:41) | Spring (Among the Living) ψ [2] (with “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles outro) (9:01) | |
| Evil Urges ⊗ [4] (6:27) | Dancefloors ⇔ (10:49) | |
| Anytime ‰ (5:50) |
Is–all songs except I Can Hear You and, surprisingly Time Waited (a song they play on WXPN all the time)
Z–all songs except Into the Woods, Knot Comes Loose [neither of which is that exciting] and, surprisingly, Dondante, a song I was sure they were going to play.
I was also sure they’d play Golden and I’m Amazed.
| October 27, 2023–Met Philly | November 28, 2015–Beacon |
July 25, 2015–Camden |
| Holdin on to Black Metal ζ | Victory Dance ζ [2] | Off the Record ‰ |
| Wasted ϖ | Compound Fracture ψ [2] | Compound Fracture ψ |
| Feel You ϖ | Evil Urges ⊗ [2] | First Light ζ |
| I’m Amazed ⊗ | Evelyn is Not Real ∇ | Wordless Chorus ‰ |
| O is the One that is Real ≠ | Thin Line ψ [2] | Evil Urges ⊗ |
| Evil Urges ⊗ [3] | They Ran ∇ | In Its Infancy (The Waterfall) ψ |
| War Begun ∇ | Hillside Song ψ | Master Plan ⇔ |
| Golden ⇔ | Death is the Easy Way Ö | Lay Low ‰ |
| I Will Sing You Songs ⇔ | I Think I’m Going to Hell ∇ | Spring (Among the Living) ψ |
| Victory Dance ζ [3] | Sooner © | Dondante ‰ |
| Least Expected ♠ | The Way That He Sings Ö | Tropics (Erase Traces) ψ |
| Remnants ⊗ [tour debut, first played since 2018] | Aluminum Park ⊗ | Thin Line ψ |
| Dondante ‰ [2] | Master Plan ⇔ [2] | Circuital ζ |
| I Will Be There When You Die ∇ (With Madi Diaz and a tag from “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”) | I Love You All the Time [Eagles of Death Metal cover] | Phone Went West Ö |
| If All Else Fails ∇ | Smokin’ from Shootin’ ⊗ | Mahgeetah ⇔ |
| X-Mas Curtain Ö/∴ | Steam Engine ⇔ | encore |
| Lay Low ‰ [2] | encore | Believe (Nobody Knows) ψ |
| Easy Morning Rebel ⇔ | Wordless Chorus ‰ [2] | Victory Dance ζ |
| encore | Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 2 ⊗ [2] | Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 2 ⊗ |
| Wonderful (The Way I Feel) ζ | Cobra © | One Big Holiday ⇔ |
| Circuital ζ [2] | Run Thru ⇔ | |
| Lucky to Be Alive ♠ | One Big Holiday ⇔ [2] | |
| Mahgeetah ⇔ [2] |
∇ The Tennessee Fire (1999)
∴ Does Christmas Fiasco Style (2000)
Ö At Dawn (2001)
© Chocolate and Ice EP (2002)
≠ split single with Songs:Ohia (2002)
⇔ It Still Moves (2003)
‰ Z (2005)
⊗ Evil Urges (2008)
ζ Circuital (2011)
ψ The Waterfall (2015)
ϖ The Waterfall II (2018)
♠ My Morning Jacket (2021)
$ is (2025)
I Just Read About That... 
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