Posted: May 7, 2012
The 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival had a few interesting performers that fell outside of the event’s traditional acts.
One of the biggest shows of the weekend was the hard rocking Foo Fighters, who played Sunday evening.
But My Morning Jacket certainly has hard rock tendencies, as well.
Playing Saturday night as the sun went down, the Louisville, Ky., band tore through a set that spanned the course of their career, playing such songs as the ballad “Golden” off 2003′s It Still Moves and “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” from last year’s Circuital.
MMJ doesn’t just stick to the rock, however. With frontman Jim James’ croon sometimes channeling Curtis Mayfield, they can easily get funky with the best of them. There were also shades of country and folk rock.
All of those characteristics showed during their excellent appearance on the Gentilly Stage.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a My Morning Jacket show without their monumental closer, “One Big Holiday,” and the group had something special in mind.
James welcomed the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to the stage, and the audience exploded as the opening riff rang out into the night.
Later, MMJ joined the eight-member jazz ensemble for a show at the French Quarter’s Preservation Hall.
That intimate affair reportedly ended with the PHJB and members of My Morning Jacket actually taking to the streets as they performed the city’s iconic tune “When the Saints Go Marching In.
James even joined the Hall Band during its concert on Sunday, pouring his soul into a haunting “St. James Infirmary.”
Sounds like New Orleans was a big holiday for the hirsute singer and his band.
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