My Morning Jacket played Forest Hills Stadium w/ Warpaint (pics, video, setlist)
One night after playing their debut album Tennessee Fire in full at the more intimate Capitol Theatre, My Morning Jacket played one of their only other 2019 shows in Queens at the beautiful and historic Forest Hills Stadium (where they also played in 2017). Weather wise, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day for the outdoor show which started in total sunlight and ended in darkness, complete with impressive light show and disco ball.
During his limited stage banter, frontman, rock star and occasional shredder Jim James — sometimes donning his cape and futuristic portable sampler hanging around his neck — commented on his love for NYC and the surroundings, and for the rainbow flag flying at the top of the venue. Known for their musicianship and being great live, and for playing the occasional four hour show, and for playing four hours of material with no repeats over two nights at Red Rocks earlier in the month, the band had no trouble breezing through over two hours of material for fans at Forest Hills.
The career spanning set was filled with favorites, and there were at least five times I thought — during the loud applause after some huge song ending and/or extended jam — that if the show ended right there, people would have left satisfied, (and that’s exactly what a lesser band would have done), but then another great song would start. MMJ fans always get their money’s worth, and it’s no wonder the tight band — whose newest two members joined 15 years ago — can so easily straddle multiple worlds of rock n’ roll. Not many bands are so equally loved by hipsters and hippies, and there was more than one person wearing a Phish shirt in the audience (not to mention the nitrous mafia was stationed outside afterwards). Their last album — 2015’s The Waterfall — got an impressive 7.9 on Pitchfork, which is a statistic you don’t usually think of for a band who would fit right at home on the top of a jam band festival lineup. I saw another audience member in a Mastodon shirt, and I know at least one other person who like me also hit up the Neurosis show in Brooklyn one night later.
Warpaint opened to the show to a smaller but appreciative crowd, while most people were exploring the venue’s many bars and food options.
Check out photos from the show in the gallery above, and MMJ’s setlist along with some videos, below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2g2d_sijM0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpzDTODCw68
My Morning Jacket @ Forest Hills — SETLIST
Compound Fracture
The Way That He Sings
I’m Amazed
Golden
Mahgeetah
Evil Urges
Victory Dance (>)
Circuital
Gideon
Off the Record
Spring (Among the Living)
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Lay Low
Steam Engine(>)
Phone Went West
Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1 (>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2 (>)
One Big Holiday
—
photos by P Squared
