Walking into the Washington Avenue Army was a trip -- back in my hometown, in a room where I watched Albany Patroons basketball games as a kid and ran indoor track meets in high school. Seeing moe. play a Halloween show was a perfect way to return.
With it being Halloween night, there was no warming up necessary. Before moe. even took the stage the crowd was loose and ready. There were a ton of great costumes, lots of young women looking great, and a wonderful energy in the room. The camaraderie among moe. fans makes you feel like you're already friends with everyone there, for the most part. There're always a few douche bags in every crowd (like the guy who thinks it's a good idea to throw glow sticks at the band).
But seeing moe. at the Armory was like walking into a temporary utopia where you can let your madness to live free, a place where egos soften, fear and inhibitions dissolve and trust becomes a bit more expansive. moe.'s approach to making music felt the same way as the crowd's behavior. They provide the party with a soundtrack that is filled with as much heartfelt storytelling as there is prankster charm and surprise. And it's backed with heavy rock 'n' roll muscle and plenty of time to become unglued for drifting and exploring through improvisation. It's an adventure where you can wander off, eventually kicking off your dancing shoes and putting on your super dancing shoes if you need to.
The 4,300 capacity Armory was just a few tickets shy of selling out. As guitarist Al Schnier said at the end of the show like a spokesman for an airline, "We know you have a lot of choices on Halloween, thank you for choosing moe.," they came out and put on a show that proved why so many made this choice or were glad they did. They had no trouble getting off the ground and landing smoothly after two sets and a lengthy encore ride. The night was filled with both humorous and challenging surprises, and they performed with a fire that kept the room on the edge, like it could burst any minute. It could have been detrimental to be playing in a room that also serves as a gymnasium, but it surprisingly sounded really good.
They started with their tune "The Ghost of Ralph's Mom" and without hesitation dropped into the drum beat to Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." It was a great way to set off. Next was the original song bust out of the evening, percussionist Jim Loughlin's tune "Farmer Ben," which hadn't been played since 2005. He came out front and center and rapped just like it was the mid-90s again. He should be called Mr. Crowd Pleaser from now on. The tune was filled with fun teases: "Werewolves of London," and "The Munsters" and "Addams Family" themes.
It's uncanny how many times of over the years I've drooled lovingly at bassist Rob Derhak and thought: "He's like a dreamy 16 year-old female pop star." That inner glow that he carries so mysteriously well became unrestrained with passionate fervor when he belted out Miley Cyrus' "We Got the Party in Us." It sounded great -- I had no clue what song they were playing until someone told me later. Bravo.
The other covers moe. chose for the evening were even more ambitious. Guitarist Al Schnier singing and playing the trumpet hits on Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" felt perfect. They ended the set with the finale of Pink Floyd's classic Meddle, "Echoes." Yeah, no shit, what a set closer.
As text messages came in from friends in California at Phish's 8 Festival about how great it was that they were going to be covering the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, it felt split down the middle of fitting and confusing that moe. came out for the second set and opened with Phish's "Stash." The text messages went flying back to California. The wiring of my synapses were shooting in all different directions-- excitement, confusion and such surprise that I even updated my Facebook status with the simple info: "moe. playing stash" like that would send off an important smoke signal to everyone who would give a shit (note: 4 people clicked "likes" this). But it really set the tone and ignited the second set.
As a big fan of improvisation and psychedelic rock music, giving a nod to Pink Floyd and Phish could only be topped with the one and only Grateful Dead. And they did that justice in the second set with both "Eyes of the World" and "Dark Star." They floated on that beautiful major 7th "Eyes" jam for awhile slowly building with shimmering guitars and really outstanding, patient playing. And like the Dead, they eventually drifted into dark territories, off into the unknown until they landed back into the end of "Echoes." When they started intro to "Rebubula" it sounded like pure magic. A "Rebubula" sandwich with "Dark Star" in the middle was delicious with the full spectrum - celebratory, dark, rocking and filled with confusion and sweat. It was a monstrous finish.
moe. performing covers of classics from Phish, the Grateful Dead, and Pink Floyd put into perspective how good their own material fits in next to them. "meat" and "Rebubula," amongst others, are songs in a similar vein -- they will live on forever.
The party couldn't finish better with guitarist Chuck Garvey singing Tenacious D's "Fuck Her Gently" while Al played acoustic guitar, followed by more fire: "Don't Fuck with Flo" and "Crab Eyes." All I can say is that I live for these moments where you walk out of show and your soul has been shaken up, the celebration makes you look at life more positively and you have a glow that doesn't wear off for days. This is one of those shows that I'll be talking about forever.
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