Review: My Morning Jacket launches new tour in Charlotte — and it’s an instant classic

Just like every band going on the road these days, My Morning Jacket — which played Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre on Friday night — was excited to be back on the stage performing in front of a live audience. And like many of those other bands, the rock group had an album of new material recorded during the pandemic that it couldn’t wait to play.

Over the course of almost 2-1/2 hours, MMJ performed seven live-debut songs along with many fan favorites at one of Charlotte’s best venues, giving everyone exactly what they had come hoping to hear.

Perhaps the biggest revelation of the show was the opening act, Flock of Dimes. Fronted by Jenn Wasner — a terrific singer, songwriter, guitar player, and stage performer — Flock of Dimes began with its 2021 “Price of Blue,” a fairly deep guitar and vocal journey. Concertgoers soon found themselves wondering why this band hasn’t already blown up.

If there was any doubt what kind of show My Morning Jacket was going to play, Carl Broemel’s guitar solo in the opening “Regularly Scheduled Programing” quickly put all those doubts to rest. This was going to be a classic rock and roll concert filled with musical references to Pink Floyd, Widespread Panic, Bon Jovi, and even David Byrne.

Flashes of light from the well-designed light show and the religious imagery of the lighting setup seemed to stoke both the band and the audience. Coupled with the hand-raised singing and dancing of the crowd, it all suggested an almost religious experience. And by the band’s third song, “Circuital,” every single person in attendance clearly was committed to having a great night.

Although this was the first stop on My Morning Jacket’s 2021 tour, the Grammy-nominated headliner’s years of recording and touring were evident in their guitar duos featuring Broemel and frontman Jim James, their striking harmonies, and a 20-minute jam of “Dodante.”

As the band plowed through material going all the way back to their 2001 album “At Dawn,” those in the audience who had come to jam, rock out, reminisce, or just get outside were more than satisfied, even if the air temperature was at times oppressive. In fact, the loudest applause came after James talked about playing in front of a live audience for the first time in more than two years before appealing the crowd to “love, listen to each other, and try to understand one another.”

Fittingly, the band immediately followed up that brief interlude with its brand new and extremely timely “Lucky to Be Alive.” And with “Victory Dance,” the band was seemingly doing just that.

To finish off the night, MMJ broke into a four-song encore, including fan favorites “Wordless Chorus” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Part 2.” The band finally closed with “One Big Holiday,” sending the crowd into the hot night having just seen a concert that was perfectly positioned in this time and place.