As I said in yesterday’s post, Jim James joined Daniel Martin Moore for two songs before taking over on his own. Hearing two of Kentucky’s best musicians cover Bill Monroe’s “Kentucky Waltz” was heartwarming, but Jim James’ solo performance was just incredible.

I’ve seen My Morning Jacket in full force twice, but Sunday was my first experience with Jim James’ solo show. I knew from bootleg recordings to expect a lot from the intimate show, but wondered how it might come close to touching the power of Kentucky’s best live band. Turns out that the shows are really incomparable, united only in the fact that both are among the best performances you could hope to see.

The setlist wasn’t exactly what I expected (I would have put money on “Librarian”), but it was fantastic nonetheless. We got fantastic performances of MMJ’s “It Beats 4 U,” “Golden,” “Smokin From Shootin” and Monsters of Folk’s “His Master’s Voice” and “The Right Place.” Those last two in specific really gave me a chance to focus on the lyrics and realize that they’re among the best Jim’s ever written.

And really, that’s what I’d say was the biggest benefit of the fundraiser. Both the informative readings and the solo acoustic performances offered us a chance to slow down and take something grand in piece by piece. The issue of mountaintop removal was examined through first hand accounts and information gleaned from years of study (Louisville and Lexington have the largest carbon footprints on the planet due to our coal dependency). Likewise, the massive spectacle of a My Morning Jacket show was pared down to an intimate performance that gave me a chance to focus on the lyrics and vocal performance. Both were great opportunities that made me extremely grateful.

Lots more photos after the break