Veteran jam act moe. debuted a cover of the Amy Winehouse-popularized “Valerie” as part of their first set on Saturday night in Swanzey, New Hampshire. The band was joined on vocals for “Valerie” at Northlands by Emma Derhak, bassist Rob Derhak‘s daughter.
moe. opened Saturday’s concert with Rob’s “LL3” and then paired “Not Coming Down” and “Wormwood.” The latter gave way to a nicely extended “Opium” that went beyond the song’s typical boundaries. From there, Rob welcomed the crowd and introduced his daughter to sing “Valerie.” While The Zutons originally released “Valerie” in 2006, it was Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson who scored a hit with the song the following year. Emma showed off her strong pipes despite a few lyrical miscues.
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The band went on to take “Mexico” deep for nearly 20 minutes before transitioning into “Captain America.” moe. fit the classic “Akimbo” within “Captain America” to close their first set in Swanzey.
Saturday’s second set began with guitarist Al Schnier‘s “Tailspin.” moe. worked teases of the Grateful Dead classic “China Cat Sunflower” into the transition that eventually gave way to “Okayalright.” The throwback rocker was then followed by “Screaming & Kicking,” a song the five-piece released on their 2020 EP Not Normal.
moe. then dug into their catalog for the first “White Lightning Turpentine” since December 27, 2019 as per Phantasy Tour. The Rob-sung blues number gave way to a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia.” Though moe. performed “Ophelia” last month at Dunlop Showroom Studios in Nashville, they hadn’t covered the song in front of an in-person audience since August 6, 2019.
The Buffalo-birthed band had another song sandwich in store to close Saturday’s second set as moe. jammed “Brent Black” into “George” and back again. moe.’s “Brent Black” into “George” into “Brent Black” segment spanned just over 40 minutes. Schnier led off the encore with a series of “al.noucements” before the quintet ended the night with “Plane Crash.” Next up for moe. is a show this Sunday, July 11 at Hartwood Acres Amphitheater in Allison Park, Pennsylvania.
Listen to moe.’s Saturday night show in Swanzey, Pennsylvania below via an audience recording taped by Ted Gakidis:
Setlist (via PT moe.)
Set One: LL3, Not Coming Down, Wormwood, Opium, Valerie (First Time Played, w/ Emma Derhak on vocals), Mexico > Captain America > Akimbo > Captain America
Set Two: Tailspin > Okayalright > Screaming & Kicking, White Lightning Turpentine, Ophelia, Brent Black > George > Brent Black
Encore: Plane Crash
