SXSW '08: My Morning Jacket kicks off the festivities

I haven't decided if seeing My Morning Jacket play for three hours was a good way to start off the South by Southwest week in Austin, TX, or a recipe for disappointment when I go to the next few dozen shows. Of course it was a good thing. No, it was an incredible thing. Seeing MMJ at The Parish on Tuesday was a treat in and of itself, but they played as though it was their big chance to prove themselves to a room full of people who didn't know who they were. At least 5 people standing around me really didn't know MMJ were. But they do now.



Jim James and company were at their absolute best. I don't think anyone was expecting them to put on the kind of show they did last night. Clearly inspired by being in their "second home" of Austin Town, playing a venue they hadn't seen the inside of for years, the band fed at the energy trough of The Parish. Every bit of happiness, drunkeness, and rowdiness was transformed by their music into its purest form. And it wasn't long before rock 'n roll took hold, intoxicating every single person in the room.



It will certainly prove to be the best show I'll see this week. I don't have to see anything else to know that. I will, but it won't live up to the bar that MMJ set last night. A MASSIVE thank you is in order for my friend Catherine Geaunuracos, who was kind enough to invite me to the IFC party. And she ended up staying until the very end!

Why go to Austin when you've got Buzznet? Keep checking back here for SXSW pics, videos, reports and more as we get our fill of bands on the brink.