moe. returned to stage for the first time since late-July on Friday night to kick off a brief two-night run at the Saranac Brewery in Utica, New York. The Buffalo-born band delivered a two-set show that saw them welcome out Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer for one of their signature tunes.
moe.’s didn’t show any signs from rust from the month-plus layoff as they got the night going with an expansive take on “Timmy Tucker.” “Mar-DeMa” which was debuted as part of their The Electric Lemoe.nade Acid Test show kicked off their first segue-filled run of the night as they moved into a pair of tunes from their late-90s output with “Bring It Back Home” and “Water.” The old-school vibe continued with “Hi & Lo.” The new Rob Dehrak-penned original “LL3,” which was debuted earler this year at The Capitol Theater followed with the first frame of the night coming to a close with “Big World.”
Longtime fan-favorite “Buster” was tapped to open the second set for just the third time since 2013. The band’s Step Brothers title-referencing “Prestige Worldwide” followed. moe. then welcomed Gantzer to the stage, who’s band also shares their roots in Buffalo. With the guitarist in tow, the augmented ensemble dug in on the much-beloved “Mexico.” “Captain America” began another impro-heavy stretch that featured the quintet delivering twenty-minute-plus takes on “Four” and traditional jam-vehicle “meat.” that brought the set to an end. moe. return to the stage serving up “Seat Of My Pants” for the lone encore in upstate New York.
Listen to full show audio taped by Brain V. below:
Setlist (via moe./Facebook)
Set I: Timmy Tucker, Mar-DeMa > Bring It Back Home > Water, Hi & Lo > LL3 > Big World
Set II: Buster, Prestige Worldwide, Mexico*, Captain America > Four > meat.
Encore: Seat Of My Pants
* w. Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar
