My Morning Jacket's August 24th performance at Stubb's was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated shows of the summer for Eggs and myself. It's no secret that we're huge fans of MMJ; every time we see them live our appreciation deepens. Sunday in Austin, our expectations were met and the bar was raised a little more: armed with pirouettes, a cape, and a pancho-clad bear, the band delivered a consistently high-energy set that left the crowd happily dripping sweat in the Texas heat. They seem to leave it all on the stage every time they play, a quality that has deservedly boosted them to the top of our shortlist of the best live acts in existence.

MMJ recap, setlist, photos, and videos after the jump

We arrived at Stubb's early and joined the rapidly expanding crowd gathered in front of the outdoor stage. Among the music bursting forth from the PA system, we heard a song by Erykah Badu...Eggs and I were painfully reminded that we weren't in attendance at the previous night's notable Dallas show. My Morning Jacket took the stage shortly after 7:30, led by frontman Jim James and a flowing black cape. The band immediately launched into a three-stop Z trip, leading off their performance with "Anytime," "Off the Record," and "Gideon." James demonstrated the high-energy spins that have become his onstage trademark; guitarist Carl Broemel's hair positively glowed in the multi-colored lights; drummer Patrick Hallahan stabbed the air with his sticks; our third MMJ show in a year was underway, and we were transfixed. Next we were treated to a one-two punch from their most recent album Evil Urges, with the band rolling out the title track and "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt 1." In the case of "Touch Me Pt. 1," this show marked the first time we ever witnessed it live. This was also true of seven other songs; it was a pleasant surprise to hear some of their relatively rare material, as they're not exactly known for drastically overhauling their setlist.

The band blazed through a collection of songs that represented all five of their full-length studio albums, as well as one ("Cobra") from their 2002 Chocolate & Ice EP. A definite highlight for me was "Aluminum Park" - the power behind that one could fill any stadium out there. I was also particularly struck by "Smokin from Shootin"; it's one of my favorites from Evil Urges, and it sounded even better this night than it did the last time I saw MMJ live. They closed their set with "Run Thru" from 2003's It Still Moves, and left the stage so that we could all exercise our vocal chords by screaming for more.

After we'd clapped and yelled sufficiently, the band returned for a seven song encore. They kicked things off with perennial Z favorite and show staple "Wordless Chorus," and then took the audience to the land of peanut butter pudding surprises. I enjoy Evil Urges and the band's experimentation with different sounds, but reviews in the blogosphere and the forums have been mixed. At no point was this clearer than during the polarizing "Highly Suspicious": half the crowd stood stock-still, impatiently waiting for the song to end; the other half were totally into it. The show ended with the always amazing, sure-to-please "One Big Holiday" - an excellent choice for a solid closer.

All told, it was a phenomenal display of performing prowess, and we walked away sated. For the time being, anyway - I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of their live shows. Much of the crowd appeared to come away with similar sentiments, grinning and chattering excitedly (and/or drunkenly). And what did James think of his host city? "Glorious Austin, Texas," he proclaimed, "where the world started and the world will end...hot, glorious Austin, Texas." The thick summer heat didn't escape his notice, as he later announced: "It's fucking hot as shit in here! Thanks for coming out and sweating your balls off with us." Sweetpickles, Jimmy.

Eggs snapped a bunch of photos of the occasion; check them out below. We also have a few videos to share with you at the bottom.

We've got even more photos on Flickr, and more videos on YouTube.

My Morning Jacket setlist - August 24, 2008 in Austin:
Anytime
Off The Record
Gideon
Evil Urges
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.1
The Way That He sings
What A Wonderful Man
I'm Amazed
Thank You Too!
Evelyn Is Not Real
Two Halves
Sec Walkin
War Begun
Lay Low
Aluminum Park
Phone Went West
Golden
Librarian
Dondante
Smokin From Shootin
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2
Run Thru
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Wordless Chorus
Highly Suspicious
Cobra
I Will Sing You Songs
Mahgeetah
One Big Holiday

Who are you/What have you become?

--Cereal