March 2007, 40 Watt, Athens, Ga.
In the 37-year existence of the 40 Watt there have been an innumerable run of stunning shows, some legendary at the time, some after the fact. A room that helped foster local bands such as Pylon, R.E.M., Drive-By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Whigs, of Montreal (among others) has also hosted Nirvana, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Husker Du — you get the idea.
I’ve been going to the Watt for decades and seen my share of historic shows, but the My Morning Jacket proms in 2007 have to go down as one of the venue’s crowning moments. A band of My Morning Jacket’s stature at that time doesn’t play in venues the size of the 40 Watt — it simply doesn’t. But the band did because it was the 40 Watt, and what it left behind only burnished the status of both the venue and the band.
I went for night two of the prom, and the crowd was decked out in tuxes, gowns and costumes of all sorts while the Watt was covered with streamers to accompany its usual array of lights and disco balls. An Under-the-Sea banner hung behind the stage — the theme for the prom no doubt inspired by Back to the Future — and fishing nets were set about the place. There were balloons and a photo lab for prom pictures. All that was needed was the night’s entertainment.
They came out in colored tuxes — blue, pink, orange (two wore this color), red — and went right into “One Big Holiday” from It Still Moves. Jim James, the band’s dynamic lead vocalist and guitarist, decked out in a pink tuxedo, took center stage and showcased his spirited singing and dazzling guitar playing. The band had four albums to its name in 2007, yet It Still Moves and 2005’s Z remained in the public’s mind. Z brought a bigger audience to MMJ, and the band’s appearances at Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza had it set up as an it band of the moment.
The main set was filled with many of these great songs — “Gideon,” “Lowdown,” “Off the Record,” “Lay Low, Dondante,” “Dancefloors”. The crowd was packed, which can get ornery in the Watt, but wearing costumey prom wear (I was in an all-white tux) made the overall feeling one of delight and anticipation.
As the encore began, James introduced the king and queen of the prom, then struck into the Clapton ballad “Wonderful Tonight,” which is honestly the best prom night song ever, in a cheesy ’70s sort of way. That the band then played a riotous “Oh What A Night,” followed by an excellent “Johnny B Goode” cover (that whole Back to the Future thing again) which had the place in full party mode. MMJ went back into its material, with “Gold” and “Anytime” before the band’s best song — “Run Thru” — tore the place up.
Run Thru electrified the room in ways I couldn’t imagine. The opening guitar riff is signature Jim James, and as the white light beamed low to high, the band appeared lost in sound as it neared the end of what was a magical two-night stint. I think bands, once they become big, don’t mind the intimacy of a smaller place after playing arenas, which can distance them from the audience. For these shows, My Morning Jacket was right on top of the crowd, and the loudness emanating from the floor was easily felt by the five on stage. “Run Thru” was a cathartic release for everyone.
But there was one song left, and it had to be “Crimson and Clover”. I remembered my proms, back in the ’80s, as times of fun, uncertainty, a little bit of fighting with some alcohol and possible scandalous behavior. But this was, without a doubt, the best prom I ever attended, with some of the best live moments I’ve ever seen.
