My Morning Jacket: Okonokos

Saw it for the first time in 2010 when I was 49. Grew up with the classics, Neil, Floyd, Zep, Bowie, Heads, etc. Bought it used on the cheap out of curiosity. I was STUNNED!!. I thought by their name they would be some Emo band with whiney vocals. Nope. They are all the best of classic 60's through 80's rock blended into something original that rivals, if not exceeds, all my childhood heroes. After 2 watches they leapfrogged almost every artist in my extensive record/CD/Mp3 collection that I started in 1973. I would not say they have eclipsed The Who in my mind, but they are next in line. As the other reviews state, this is a near perfect video concert, that is so accessible on first listen. They are clearly top notch musicians, but not show offs. I have seen them live many times, and they sound just like they do in this video, so the immaculate sound is not something fixed post production. They sound pristine and you can always delineate the sounds coming from each of the 5 band members in an ultra clear manner. Do yourself a favor. Buy this DVD without hesitation, but only if you like great Rock Music.

I was lucky enough to see My Morning Jacket on the Z tour (during which Okonokos was recorded), and i have to applaud this film for how well it brings MMJ's stage show to the screen. One Big Holiday and Lay Low induce the same headbanging, Lowdown the same glee, and Dondante the same chills that they do live. The cinematography is impeccable--time is spent pretty evenly among the band, instead of just focusing on Jim James. There's also a sense that this is a concert--interspersed throughout are good crowd shots, both closeups and wide shots. Marc Brickman's lighting direction is amazing, i only wish he had run lights for the entire tour. Okonokos is lightning in a bottle. The band is at the top of their game, the sound mix is impeccable, and even the goofy (and brief) "storyline" is fun. Any lover of My Morning Jacket-- any lover of music, for that matter--should watch Okonokos.

Do you like music? How about live music? Do you like brilliantly crafted concert videos? Mix all that in with some occasional humor and you have My Morning Jacket: Okonokos. As another reviewer stated this is the best convert video I've seen as well. Both the video and sound quality are about as good as it gets. The stage is beautifully set up and the lighting is simply perfect for it. The lighting team certainly deserves major props for that. You'll see what I mean.

If you're a fan already the performance itself will blow you away. If you're new to them it'll likely only make you want to listen to more. The set list is perfectly diverse and they touch upon every style of music they're known for and don't miss a beat while doing it. There are also plenty of improv jam sessions with every musician getting his own time to shine. There's a good chance you may get up and dance as hard as the audience.

I can't recommend this enough. One of the easiest 10/10s I've given.