The anticipation left the air heavy on Nov. 24 as a collective anxiousness came over the crowd gathered comfortably in the spacious Louisville Gardens. During an eerie calm-before-the-storm type break between the opening act (a surprisingly entertaining performance by Wax Fang) and the time My Morning Jacket took the stage, there wasn’t much to do except wait in line and watch 21 Santa imitators slice through the crowd. Finally, a giant white sheet descended in front of the stage. The band’s towering silhouette was all that could be seen. The swift drum roll and the soft glinting guitar at the beginning of the oh-so-apt-opener “One Big Holiday” began to build as the crowd clapped in unison, urging the steady Jacket train on. MMJ played into the song and I listened in pure bliss and yearned for the veil to be wiped from the stage so I could behold these anonymous masters of sound. Amidst Jim James’ emotive howls and a hair-raising melody, the sheet fell, revealing what looked like a scene out of a bad sci-fi flick. Complete with carousel characters and a stuffed bear in a sports coat, the stage set was a bit distracting. However, once I got over the initial shock and once James and the boys got going, nothing could take away from the magic.