The crowd excitement is always copious at a moe. concert in Buffalo. Their indoor concerts regularly sell out and they always draw large crowds to the outdoor venues, which are often free Canalside events. The free concerts bring in a few extra people and this was the case again on Thursday 6/19 as the crowd collectively stretched to all corners of the venue, enjoying the beautifully sunny, almost-summer day next to the water, eating from food trucks (a new addition this year!) and dancing to some lively music.
Over the course of two hours moe. played some new music, some old, and several cover songs that included the horn section from opening band Conehead Buddha. To a casual fan, such as myself, it was a solid set of music, but for the diehard moe fans who generally expect a two set show, it left more to be desired. Nonetheless, people were enjoying what the band was rolling out, including a unique take on Black Sabbath’s, “The Wizard,” complete with horns and vibraphone.
The set was littered with fun, mostly short, poppy tunes rather than the dark extended exploratory jamming that they are also capable of. That being said, the second song of the night “Skrunk” contained s solid piece of improvisation, they reached outside the realms of pop and into the abyss. After ten minutes or so they reeled it in, and moved along. The next crowd pleaser came in the form of “Rebubula,” a classic moe. song at this point and always a favorite. A few minutes into this high-paced rocker, after Rob Derhak belts out the lyrics and rumbles out bass lines Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier (the two guitar players) have some time to feed of each other and take it to another level – at times their guitar work is very Allman Brothers-esqe with intertwined leading lines and other times funk-laden – no doubt they have chemistry and a unique sound.
Midway through the set came, “The Same Old Story” off their recent release, No Guts No Glory. While it was well received, It wasn’t necessarily a highlight. It’s always good when a band is inspired to make new music and sometimes things grow on you over time, maybe that will be the case here.
With about half an hour to go the horn section of Conehead Buddha came to the stage and they kicked off the collaboration with, The Rolling Stones, “Can’t You Here Me Knockin’” The horns stayed out for the remainder of the show and finished off with the previously mentioned rendition of “The Wizard.” Just before the encore, Chuck noted that curfew was quickly approaching but there was time for one more quick tune, they jumped right into The Ramones, “I Wanna Be Sedated” and closed the night out with a bang.
As always, when the former “hometowners” comes back to Buffalo the fans show up and they show up ready to go, this night was no different. Also thanks to the opening band Conehead Buddha, the random concert-goers, perfect weather, and plenty of good food -Amy’s Truck, Lloyd’s, BBQ – it was one of the nights that we dreamed about all winter long.
Band
Rob Derhak- Bass
Chuck Garvey – Guitar
Al Schnier – Guitar
Vinnie Amico – Drums
Jim Loughlin – Percussion
Setlist
I: Y.O.Y. > Skrunk > Blue Jeans Pizza, Understand > 32 Things, Same Old Story >(nh) Rebubula, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’*, Akimbo* >(nh) Threw It All Away*, The Wizard*
Enc: I Wanna Be Sedated
{* w/ The Conehead Buddha Horns: Shannon Lynch on saxaphone, Terry Lynch on trumpet, Shaun Bazylewicz on trombone}