Friday night I had the pleasure, nay the privilege, of seeing My Morning Jacket in concert at Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre. I had never been to the amphitheater before and had heard mixed reviews about the acoustics and general atmosphere of the place, but upon arrival I found the woodsy setting to be quite appropriate for the show. It was hot, and it didn't get any cooler when the sun went down since the lawn was completely amass with people. Fortunately, I had a spot saved for me by some people who had gotten there earlier and was able to grab a seat at the very front of the lawn seating, stage left.
The hush and then the screams when the band took the stage were reminiscent of so many major concerts I had been to, and unfortunately, so was the performance. Everything seemed sort of quiet and lacking energy. I kept waiting for the emotionally electrifying display of musicianship I had seen on a DVD of My Morning Jacket performances, but it didn't arrive -- at least not until about three or four songs from the end of their set. Finally, things seemed to blow up but I was so tired and hot by that point that it was difficult to enjoy. Don't get me wrong. I had a great time and the music was good. Maybe next time I'll try to catch the boys from Kentucky in a smaller venue.
The crowd at this show sucked. The common denominator between my experience and that of ALL my other friends (no matter where their location in the venue) was the fact that no one would shut up. People ran their mouths all show. Also, the venue has a max volume of 92db!!! That's nothing! The low volume of the music most likely lent to the disruptive chit-chat.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the volume restrictions have tarnished every show I've seen at the venue and I think this is a practice that people should rally against.
Agree with neighborhoodwook. It was a great show, but it wasn't anywhere near loud enough. And people wouldn't shut up during the quiet songs. Still a great show, but could've been better
ReplyDeleteWow, with a lackluster review like that I'm surprised we even get the opportunity to see bands such as My Morning Jacket. For Jim and the boys to stop in such a corporate suburbia cesspool full of transplants (which Cary's amphitheater was rich with) I was pleased. Yes i do agree, MMJ is a great band to see in a smaller venue/club... most bands are.
ReplyDeleteWith outdoor amphitheaters and venues you get a chance to see musicians perform in another element....in which I feel MMJ dominates and swaggers the control of this live mob from every emotion with pure sounds alone. With the moving "Tonight I Want to Celebrate with You" as opener then "At Dawn" after
that was incredible!. Not only do I feel the Friday's 4/30 show was epic, we did get graced with Highly Suspicious with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band...even if the operators engaged the fire alarms in mid song, or turned the vendor lights on shortly after in the same fashion.
It might just be me, but I throughly enjoyed the show on Friday, heard a lot of MMJ, felt tons of energy, and danced my ass off. I was way back in the lawn section, but i still felt the energy on stage and all around. And this is the third time I've seen the band. Overall, it was one of the best show I have ever seen live.
I have to agree with the first two comments. The venue, while set in a nice wooded area with a small lake, did not do MMJ any justice. The sound was way too low, the folks working the show treated us all like high schoolers at our first outing, and I really had a hard time getting into the music. Compared to the week earlier show of Band of Horses and WSP at the time warner pavillion in raleigh, it was pretty weak. That show rocked, everyone got to sit under the pavillion, and the sound was perfect.
ReplyDeleteI tried moving around to different settings and not matter where I got the sound was simply too low for me to really get into. I am excited to see the new Raleigh amphitheater opening and am hopeful that Cat's Cradle will eventually get around to upgrading their spot into a larger venue which could attract bigger bands. I would think with a few other options, bands will start skipping koko booth.