moe. went down to Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday. The jam vets busted out the vintage number “Farmer Ben” about halfway through the second set.
moe. — guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey, bassist Rob Derhak, percussionist Jim Loughlin, drummer Vinnie Amico and keyboardist Nate Wilson — launched the concert with a three-song seamless sequence of “Moth,” “Ricky Marten” and “Down Boy.”
A trio of songs debuted in the 1990s followed: “Threw It All Away” and a coupling of “Seat Of My Pants” and “Sensory Deprivation Bank.” Another oldie, “32 Things,” stretched to around 12 minutes to conclude the first frame.
11-minute versions of “Captain America” and “ATL” kicked off the second set, flowing into a 20-minute-plus “Timmy Tucker.” The band then dusted off “Farmer Ben” for the first time since Leap Year Day (February 29), 2020 in San Francisco for a total gap of 79 shows, as per Phantasy Tour.
According to PT, moe. debuted the Jim Loughlin-led “Farmer Ben” in 1994. Following some rapping from the percussionist, the song sees the band delivering snippets of other songs. The Minglewood Hall version fittingly featured Schnier at the helm of Grateful Dead staple cover “Minglewood Blues” from Memphis blues legends Cannon’s Jug Stompers. Newly minted keyboardist Nate Wilson would lead the way on another locale-appropriate number, Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” which references Elvis Presley’s famed Memphis home.
moe. kept flowing into “Tubing The River Styx” and an 18-minute “The Pit” before bookending the sets with “Moth.” The band returned to encore with “Okayalright” and a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” to cap off the evening.
Listen to the “Farmer Ben” bust out and more in full show audio below via Brad Foster:
Setlist (via Phantasy Tour)
Set 1: Moth > Ricky Marten> Down Boy, Threw It All Away, Seat Of My Pants> Sensory Deprivation Bank, 32 Things
Set 2: Captain America > ATL> Timmy Tucker, Farmer Ben[1] > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Moth
Encore: Okayalright, Ophelia
[1] Breakdown: Minglewood, Graceland & then right into Tubing
Notes: Al wrote setlist.
