David Crosby discussed on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno how music is the outlet for troubled times and a worried mind.
To aspire to this mindset, many attended a concert Wednesday night at the Newport. Happiness appeared to be only a few blocks away. Having never seen moe. before, a long appreciation for their music was understood.
Upon entering the Newport, faces greeted me new and old, all here for the sole purpose of having a good time and enjoying positive music. The venue looked as if it was at capacity, although moving around was effortless. Anticipation built while attempting to find a friend more knowledgeable about the band, but instead stumbled upon ample strangers for more information: Chuck & Al on guitar, Rob on bass, Vine & Jim on drums. “What about their last names?” a friend inquired. There was no time for an answer as this band from Buffalo, NY opened with a reggae-drenched “Seat of My Pants.” This song got the crowd moving and shaking. Unaware of many of the names of songs one realizes that like their last names, the names of the songs doesn’t matter. It’s the moment that is really important.
After the first song the band asked “First day of school, huh?” Cheers filled the air, followed by the band saying “blow off tomorrow…blow off tomorrow!!” Then moe. ripped into one of its staple songs “Stranger Than Fiction” to erupt an already fired up group of concert goers. The first set continued with songs like “Why Oh Why” and “Blue-Eyed Son.” The final song of the first set was “Buster,” one of the highlights of the evening. The beginning of the song was hypnotic and appeared to not go anywhere, but after five minutes of the song everything changed. The tempo picked up and moe. told everyone “Gonna get by,” and this was a fitting way to end an amazing set.
The second set opener was “Akimbo” followed by a bluegrass-drenched “Waiting for a Punchline.” The intensity of the show kicked into high gear as moe. worked their way into “Timmy Tucker,” directly followed by “Recreational Chemistry.” If any song was going to lift the roof off of our beloved Newport, this was it. The combination of the two songs lasted over a half an hour, accompanied by a stellar light show courtesy of Chris Reagan. It was better than anything words could describe and was enough to send us all home smiling, but moe. was not finished. During the encore the band thanked everyone for “getting away from CNN for a little bit and having a good time,” then catapulted with a cover of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.” The band patriotically wore stickers on their shirts with a picture of our flag, our eagle, our fallen towers and the words “We must not forget, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, first in our thoughts, forever in our hearts.”
This was a fantastic way to start off the school year for OSU students in attendance. On top of a new studio album, moe. is scheduled to release a live soundboard matrix mix in October. Welcome back to school everyone. Now that the initial reaction has sunk in, go see some music.
