My Morning Jacket • August 11, 2025 • Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Few bands manage to capture the balance between raw rock energy, cosmic exploration, and emotional intimacy quite like My Morning Jacket. Seeing them in concert is not just watching a performance—it’s stepping into a musical experience that feels both timeless and transcendent. That feeling was on full display when the band took the stage at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater in Salt Lake City, turning a summer night into a sweeping journey of sound and spirit.
Nestled against the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, Red Butte Garden Amphitheater is one of Utah’s most scenic concert venues. With its natural backdrop of towering cliffs and open skies, it provides the kind of environment that elevates a concert into something almost spiritual. As the crowd gathered on the grass, picnic blankets spread out and the last of the evening sun casting a golden glow, anticipation filled the air. The beauty of the amphitheater seemed tailor-made for My Morning Jacket’s music—earthy, expansive, and unafraid of stretching into the cosmic.
As My Morning Jacket emerged, a roar of applause rose from the hillside. My Morning Jacket opened the night with a slow, deliberate build, letting their sound breathe across the open air before unleashing their full force. Jim James, with his unmistakable mane of hair and soulful presence, took the spotlight like a mystic conjurer, his voice rising and falling with effortless power. In a venue where the night sky feels close enough to touch, James’s vocals carried a near-otherworldly resonance.
From there, the band crafted a set that blended beloved staples with deep cuts, pleasing both long-time fans and newcomers. Songs like “Time Waited” drifted over the amphitheater with dreamlike beauty, while the explosive energy of “Mahgeetah” set the crowd in motion, bodies swaying and dancing on the grass.
What makes My Morning Jacket such a remarkable live band is the sheer caliber of its players. Carl Broemel’s guitar work shimmered against the backdrop of the mountains, weaving from psychedelic swirls to soulful slide lines that felt as natural as the breeze. His interplay with James created a dialogue of sound, at times chaotic and at times deeply harmonious, always pushing the songs somewhere new.
The rhythm section of Patrick Hallahan (drums) and Tom Blankenship (bass) gave the night its pulse, alternately thunderous and restrained. Hallahan’s drumming echoed through the amphitheater with power, yet he knew exactly when to pull back and let the music breathe. Bo Koster (keyboards) added lush textures that lifted the songs skyward, from delicate piano flourishes to cosmic synth layers that seemed to blend with the starlit sky.
Midway through the set, the band tore into “I’m Amazed”, sending the amphitheater into pure eruption. The familiar opening riff was enough to bring the entire crowd to its feet, blankets abandoned as fans danced with abandon under the night sky. The song’s explosive energy, paired with the crowd’s enthusiasm, created one of those magical live music moments where performer and audience seemed fused together.
At Red Butte, My Morning Jacket leaned into their reputation for stretching songs into expansive journeys. Unlike bands who jam for the sake of length, their improvisations always felt purposeful, like an unfolding story. A groove might begin as a whisper, slowly building into a roaring storm, before easing back into silence.
During one extended jam, James stepped away from the microphone, lost in the swirl of sound as Broemel’s guitar soared. His body swayed with the rhythm, and the crowd seemed to follow him into a trance-like state. Under the stars, it was easy to forget the passage of time—the music felt like it belonged to something eternal.
The production was striking yet understated, perfectly suited to both the band and the venue. Lighting bathed the stage in deep blues, fiery oranges, and radiant purples, colors shifting with the emotional tone of each song. During quieter moments, the lights softened into a warm glow, giving the amphitheater the intimacy of a campfire gathering. During climactic peaks, beams cut across the stage like lightning, echoing the raw force of the music.
But at Red Butte, the real spectacle was nature itself. The music seemed to harmonize with the surrounding mountains, the stars overhead, and the rustle of trees in the night breeze. It was as if the amphitheater itself was part of the performance.
As the main set wound down, the amphitheater thundered with applause, demanding more. The band returned for a powerful encore, weaving through both gentle ballads and high-energy anthems. Each song in the final stretch felt like a gift, the band pouring every ounce of energy into the night’s closing moments.
One of the defining traits of a My Morning Jacket concert is its emotional range. To start the encore, they launched into “Golden”, and the amphitheater fell into a hushed reverence. Jim James was joined on vocals by Veronica Stewart-Frommer, the vocalist from the opening band, The Melt. Her voice is amazing. One of the best I’ve heard in a long while. Couples leaned into one another, friends wrapped their arms around each other, and the hillside swayed as one. The song’s tender warmth felt magnified in the natural setting, as if the mountains themselves were listening.
Though Jim James isn’t a frontman who relies on heavy banter, his presence alone kept the crowd engaged. When he did pause to thank the audience for being there, it felt heartfelt and genuine, a reminder of the communal bond of live music. The fans responded with the same sincerity—few phones were raised, most people choosing to be fully present in the moment.
At one point, James encouraged the crowd to sing along, and the hillside echoed with thousands of voices. It was a testament to how deeply this band resonates with its fans: the songs aren’t just performed, they’re shared.
My Morning Jacket’s concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater was a reminder of why they’ve endured for over two decades. They are at once classic and modern, rooted in rock traditions yet endlessly innovative. They blur genres—rock, soul, psychedelic, Americana—into something uniquely their own. More importantly, they create a live experience that feels sacred, where the music is not just heard but felt.