Click here for Part one of this review, which covers two earlier nights in Montana.
Part 2: Virginia City
It is there that we would be camped out for the next 3 nights with 3 more shows. After the short 4 hour ride it was gratifying to settle into our five bedroom ranch house in the Big Sky Country and finally meet up with the rest of our friends, whom had just arrived that day.
The venues in VC were different then the past few years and I was quite impressed in what we walked into the first night. The venue was spacious with a magnificent sound system and an even more impressive lighting set up. You could tell the band was quite pleased with what would be its “office” for the next two nights. Once again 10:15pm rolled around and it was business as usual with them starting things off with a heavy hitting version of the elusive Tarantula Hawk, which incorporated the better part of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years.” With such a heavy hitter to start things off and seeing immediately that Jerry was amped and ready to go, I knew this was going to be a spectacular night. “Chinese Balls” came next, keeping the rowdy vibe that was ensuing on pace. The beloved “Brother Michael” emerged from “Chinese Balls” and as it does every time put the band and the crowd into a rather in sync madness, which makes this experience sooo much fun. Everyone was getting down. The momentum was nearly impossible to curb at this point as the band turned to a newer song “Spit” that is definitely one of my new favorites, but brings such a killer fury to it, that makes it very hard not to dance. After a couple deep breathes, Jerry broke the opening notes to an older are now rare favorite “Easter.”
I personally couldn’t have asked for a better closer to one of the more raucous sets. I couldn’t wait to hear what the second set would bring. A band with this large of a repertoire can still stump the most knowledgeable and veteran fans, as to what they may play. The certainly didn’t leave us disappointed by opening up Second set with “Welcome to the Other 95%” I absolutely love this song! The highlight of my night came with the “Letter to Chico”” that followed. I have somehow missed the potential of this song and the great lyrics that come with it. It must’ve been one of the only times that I have heard the JMOS play this as a band, but there must be more. Anyway, I can’t stop listening to it and hope to hear it again soon. “Fastest Horse” really got the crowd bouncing again, and my favorite suicide song, “The Jump” kept us all loving it. However it was the “Election Day>Francine>North> SpinCycle” to close the set that left everyone wanting more! Insane. The band came out for one more to close the night. The highly anticipated and most appropriate “Montana” kept the crowd in a raging ‘till the end.
8/30/2013 Virginia City, MT (Community Center)
Set I: Tarantula Hawk>Reelin’ in the Years> Tarantula, Chinese Balls, Brother Michael, Spit, Easter
Set 2: Welcome to the Other 95% of the World/Brother John is Gone, Letter to Chico, Fastest Horse in Town, This is How You Lose Her rap>The Jump>Until the End of the World>Jump, Temple of Love, Election Day>Francine rap, North>River Runs Dry rap>Spin Cycle.
Enc: Montana
To say the least we were blown away once again and brought our party of 12 or so back home for a little late night festivities and a well-deserved late sleep in. We ended up having a bbq at the house that next afternoon and brought some old friends out to join us. Truly, this is what it’s all about. Nothing beats a “family reunion” with your best friends from far and near some seen recently and many seen only a couple times a year. Never a dull moment. After a true feast it was back to the venue for night two.
At this point in the game, Jerry, Steve, & Junior have such a tight chemistry that the music is so tight and the bands momentum gets so strong that I (and many, many others would agree) don’t really care what songs we are going to hear. I do know that in 5 shows, I nay here 1 or 2 repeats. So going into each show, it is like being a kid in a candy store, no worries or great expectations because you know that you will be surprised, and excited to hear whatever comes next.
The second night at the Community Center proved my above statement opening with one of the fastest and fun “Pumpkin Times” that I had heard in a while. Newer songs off the most recent Happy Book album raged next… These songs have really found their spot over the last year or so. “Big Things” took the reins next, and if it couldn’t get any better, one of my personal favorites, “Fiona” closed the first set.…
It was second set that got a little crazy with technical difficulties almost ending the set early. As I came walking in from the outside, the familiar notes of my favorite drug-addled JMos songs started with “Get Down”. This slowly led into the crowd favorite and Jerry’s soul driven version of the Staple Singers, “Heavy Makes You Happy”. This continued into more mellow raps of” Maybe I’m Amazed, until the opening notes to “Savage Garden” threw the crowd back into a frenzy, proving once again that tonight, Jerry truly was ,,,, “the fukkin King of the Disco.” After that chaos, they started to play “Both of you” which was aborted as the kicked into “Wisconsin Death” trip. This is where the technical problems began. Right after starting the song JJ’s amp blew, and after a lot of techs looking into it, it looked as though the show was done. Somehow, they were able to get JJ on acoustic, in which he did a solo version of “Eat My Soul.” Beautiful and inspiring at the least. Things seemed to be in order so the rest of the band joined in with JJ still on acoustic for killer acoustic versions of “Jacob Ladder” and “World Will Turn”, but it was the “Kline>Aint No Way>Happy Book>Kline” that was the best closing I could expect after all the difficulties. GO JMOS!!!
08/31/2013 Community Center, Virginia City, MT
Set 1: Pumpkin Time, Campo Miguel, Wonder Wheel>Scarlet Begonias tease, Big Things>Come Together>Big Things, Fiona.
*Set 2: *
Get Down>Heavy Makes You Happy>Maybe I’m Amazed>My Sweet Lord rap, Savage Garden>Lets Get It On>Sexomatic>Maybe I’m Amazed>Savage Garden>Both Of You tease, Wisconsin Death Trip
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Wisconsin Death Trip, Eat My Soul (Jerry solo acoustic), Jacob ladder, World Will Turn, K Line>Ain’t No Way>Happy Book> K-Line
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