The Beautiful and Brutal My Morning Jacket

Virtuosity is the name of the game when the Louisville-based My Morning Jacket takes the stage. The band's dynamic instrumentation makes it impossible to tell where one note ends and the next begins, where the sound emanating from the speakers and chatter from the audience diverge.

Following a respectable string of singles from openers Delta Spirit, Matt & Kim, and Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club, a grand slam of a performance from FM94/9's Holiday Hootenanny headliner was expected and delivered.

The Jenny Craig Pavilion at USD was awash in an explosion of sound and energy during MMJ's exploration of terrain both beautiful and brutal. This year’s Circuital dominated the set list with selections from Evil Urges and Z peppered throughout. Recent hits "Victory Dance" and "Outta My System" reverberated from raised hands in the front row to lazy onlookers in the cheap seats.

Just when I was counting out the chances of MMJ slowing their blistering tempo down to a faint pulse, Jim James and company pulled out psychedelic epic "Dondante" and brought the audience along for a heart string–tugging adventure through flourishes of dripping guitars and raw, emotive vocals.

Concert: My Morning Jacket, Two Door Cinema Club, Matt & Kim, DeltaSpirit
Date: December 3
Venue: Jenny Craig Pavilion, USD
Seats: General admission