Jim James proved the truth of his reputation as a modern rock icon on Saturday night. The My Morning Jacket frontman held the undying attention of a New Orleans crowd when his solo tour rolled through the Civic Theatre, delivering expansive renditions of material from his 2016 album Eternally Even as well as his 2013 debut Regions of Light and Sound of God.

James’ latest solo outing has been filled with choice cover selections, and his New Orleans’ stop was no different. While he was joined by a backing band for most of his show, the enigmatic rocker took the stage alone when he returned for the night’s encore. With sunglasses over his eyes and an acoustic guitar in hand, James dove into a rendition of Allen Toussaint’s classic “Yes We  Can Can,” a tune that was most famously recorded by the Pointer Sisters in 1973. It wasn’t the Preservation Hall Jazz Band collaboration many fans were hoping for, but it was a worthy shout out to the Crescent City nonetheless.

We chatted with James about his new album, his love for New Orleans and his friendship with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band earlier this month You can check out the interview in the latest issue of OffBeat. 

An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that “Yes We Can Can” was originally recorded by the Pointer Sisters in 1973. It was originally recorded by Lee Dorsey in 1970.