Photo by Nate Slevin

My Morning Jacket may not be on this year’s list of best live acts, but they’re still one of the best experiences on the circuit. Last week, the Kentucky rockers wrapped up their string of winter dates with a show at Madison Square Garden, and as usual their set was sprinkled with some killer covers (how usual? Check this guy’s list out). First, Jim James & Co. served up a rendition of the late Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Bottle”. Remaining very faithful to the original, the band kept the fantastic jazz flute and added backup with a full horn section. Later, they got into the holiday spirit playing the Bing Crosby classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, which was featured on their recent holiday-themed iTunes session. Sadly, The Head and The Heart weren’t around to provide support, so MMJ had to settle for a different Seattle indie outfit: Band of Horses. Aw, shucks.

You can watch footage of the band performing both songs below. Head over to NYC Taper to download the entire MMJ MSG (ha!) set, including these two tracks.

“The Bottle” (Gil Scott-Heron cover):

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (w/ Band of Horses) (Bing Crosby cover):