My Morning Jacket Rocks in Alpharetta

In the words of Ed Sullivan, Saturday night's concert at Encore Park Amphitheatre was "A Re-e-ally Big Shew!"

The night fired up with singer-songwriter Neko Case. Take a pinch of indie rock, alternative folk country and a lot of soul and you have Neko Case. This redheaded siren has been performing and songwriting since 1994. Her peaceful voice is haunting and commanding. I strongly recommend catching her show next time she is in Atlanta.

The headliner tonight was My Morning Jacket. This smoking hot, versatile rock band originated in Louisville, KY in 1998. My Morning Jacket's musical genre is solidly rock with southern jam band and indie tendencies. For example, on the song "One Big Holiday," I can hear Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers' influences. On the mesmerizing ballad "Gideon," which they performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra on David Letterman, is more indie rock in sound. At the 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival, this jam band played for nearly fours hours.

My Morning Jacket is not afraid of hard work. Since 1998, the band has produced six studio albums, three live albums, provided sound tracks to seven feature films, and performed on every major late night talk show from Leno to Conan. My Morning Jacket even appeared on an episode of American Dad and Saturday Night Live. Throw in grueling tour schedules that include North America and Europe and you have this band's recipe for success.

Regardless of how you want to categorize My Morning Jacket, the music is powerful and charged with high energy. During the concert front man Jim James is all over the stage. Guitarist Carl Broemel is hitting the licks clear and quick. Bassist Tom Blankenship and drummer Patrick Hallahan provide a solid backbone. Bo Koster fluidly dances across the keyboards with tasty work.

This was first time I have seen My Morning Jacket live and will not be my last. It is easy to understand why they are one of this generations top performing bands. I would highly recommend giving them a listen.