My Morning Jacket Lights Up The Salt Shed

Over three sold-out nights at The Salt Shed, My Morning Jacket built an atmosphere that felt less like a concert and more like a shared awakening. Touring behind their new album is — their first in over three years — and closing the run with a 20th anniversary celebration of Z, the Louisville five-piece blurred the line between past and present, between performance and communion.

The is material carried an emotional gravity that only deepens live. “Time Waited,” shimmering and patient, filled the space with warmth, Jim James’s voice cutting through the reverb like light through fog. The band’s interplay was hypnotic — Carl Broemel’s guitar work flaring in streaks of gold, Patrick Hallahan’s drumming heavy and human, anchoring each swell of sound.

Then came the Z night — a full-bodied, euphoric experience that reminded the crowd how timeless that record still feels. “Wordless Chorus,” “Gideon,” and “Off the Record” hit like old memories rediscovered, their edges softened but their power untouched. The lighting bathed the room in violet haze; fans stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes closed, voices lifted.

From the first note to the final feedback, My Morning Jacket played like a band utterly in tune with the moment — loose, transcendent, and alive. Each night felt like a different photograph of the same truth: rock music still matters when it’s played with this much soul.

Photos and review by Steve Sym from My Morning Jacket performance at The Salt Shed in Chicago on October 24, 2025