Los Angeles might not seem like the most obvious place for a Southern-fried psychedelic rock celebration, but as Jim James explained midway through My Morning Jacket’s mid-August visit to the Hollywood Palladium, it was exactly the right spot for the occasion. Beyond mixing their seminal 2005 album Z just down the street at Sunset Sound, L.A. has also become something of a second home for the Louisville-bred band. From the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to the Hollywood Bowl, MMJ has played nearly every corner of this town, and each time, they’ve shown up with the hair, the energy, and the spirit.
On Tuesday night, they returned to mark the 20th anniversary of Z, by simultaneously looking back with nostalgia while making it feel fresh, raw, and alive. In true Jacket fashion, they didn’t just play the record straight through and call it a night. They built an entire celebration around it, weaving their history, their present, and their future into one kaleidoscopic journey.
After a dreamy opening set from Melt (and even a tender surprise cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”), MMJ launched into Z in its entirety. The Palladium’s art deco walls pulsed under the weight of “Wordless Chorus”, with James’ falsetto gliding like a spirit over the crowd. “It Beats For You” throbbed with a meditative groove, while “Gideon” had the floorboards rattling as the band stomped through the song’s towering crescendo.
“What a Wonderful Man” reminded everyone why MMJ has always felt part garage band, part gospel revival, and “Off the Record” turned into a reggae-dub odyssey that stretched into pure bliss. Before launching into “Into the Woods”, James paused to reflect on those early days in L.A. and the surreal joy of revisiting Z two decades later.
By the time the band hit “Anytime” and “Lay Low”, the Palladium felt less like a crowded concert venue and more like a tent revival. To finish off the run-through of Z, MMJ turned “Dondante” into a sprawling jam, punctuated by saxophone cries that spiraled upward like smoke into the rafters.
The celebration didn’t stop with Z. MMJ launched straight into a second set that stretched across their deep catalog and leaned into their newest record, is. New tracks like “Beginning From the Ending”, “Die For It”, “Time Waited”, and “Everyday Magic” fit seamlessly alongside older gems, proving that MMJ’s songwriting fire burns just as bright in 2025.
They kept the surprises coming, too. Veronica Stewart-Frommer from Melt returned to the stage to lend her powerhouse vocals on “Holding On to Black Metal”, while “Circuital” and “Mahgeetah” reminded fans why MMJ remains one of the premier live bands on the planet. And when James deadpan-sang about “part two” as the band jammed through “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”, the crowd roared with recognition, joyously celebrating the bookend with “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1” earlier in the set.
For the encore, James addressed the room with warmth. He spoke of L.A. as one of the most magical places in the world, vibrating with art, creativity, and possibility. He and his bandmates—including Carl Broemel on guitar, Tom Blankenship on bass, Bo Koster on keys, and Patrick Callahan on drums—put together a gorgeous sequence of “Where to Begin” leading into “Spring (Among the Living)”, which seamlessly detoured into a tap of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (a tribute to the late metal god) and a tease of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence”. Finally, the open pit of the Palladium turned into a roadhouse party with “Dancefloors”, a fitting closer for a night that spanned two decades of cosmic Southern rock magic.
On October 3rd, My Morning Jacket will release a 20th anniversary edition of Z, packed with rarities and reimagined tracks to give fans even more reasons to revisit the album. In the meantime, they’re still on the road, headed to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on August 22nd and Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC on September 5th before picking back up in Washington, D.C. on October 8th. The run concludes in Atlanta on November 1st.
Twenty years in, Z still feels like a landmark, but My Morning Jacket’s Palladium show proved that this band is no museum piece. They’re still stretching, searching, and ready to turn any room, from a Kentucky bar to an L.A. ballroom, into a temple of sound and light.
My Morning Jacket – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – 8/19/25
[Video: EM JAY VEE]
My Morning Jacket – “Gideon” – 8/19/25
[Video: John Ziegwied-Front & Center Concert Videos]
Setlist: My Morning Jacket | Hollywood Palladium | Los Angeles, CA | 8/19/25
Set 1: Z: Wordless Chorus, It Beats 4 U, Gideon, What a Wonderful Man, Off the Record, Into the Woods, Anytime, Lay Low, Knot Comes Loose, Dondante
Set 2: Beginning From the Ending, Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1, Die for It, Holdin On to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer), Mahgeetah, Time Waited, Everyday Magic, Circuital, Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Encore: Where to Begin, Spring (Among the Living) (with “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Dear Prudence” tags), Dancefloors
Note: Note: There was no set break between Z & second set.
