moe. jams at small venue in CNY home
Security at the Action Sports Center in Mattydale usually only has to ensure that no one brings gum into the building.
This past Friday and Saturday, though, security had to keep an eye out for people with more dangerous habits. The small-town roller rink hosted a concert featuring jam band moe.
The band spent the weekend in the Syracuse area, playing two sets on Friday night with opener John Brown’s Body and three sets with no opener on Saturday night.
The musical stylings of moe. range from slow, mellow sounds to hard funk grooves to catchy rock riffs. Friday’s performance showcased the entirety of this range, with funkier songs like ‘Timmy Tucker’ in the first set, then slower, softer jams from songs like ‘Happy Hour Hero’ in the second set. The band ended the three-and-a-half-hour show with an encore performance of the fan favorite ‘Captain America.’
Many fans were impressed with the energy and liveliness of the band during the first set of the show but began to lose interest during the second set, when songs were more mellow and relaxed.
‘They definitely came out with a bang,’ said Alex Flamm, a freshman in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering, ‘but kind of slowed down toward the end of the night.’
Now playing together in its 13th year, moe. initially formed in Buffalo. After gaining a modest following there, the band began playing shows throughout upstate and Central New York, and the members moved to Ithaca to become full-time musicians. As its popularity grew, moe. moved to New York City, where it continued to develop its style, build a following and do what it does best: jam.
As with most jam bands, moe. has grown in popularity by the reputation it has earned with its live performances. Each show brings something new as the band improvises and experiments with its music and jams during its songs. This is one of the strong points of the band – each show and each song is different every time.
‘This is my 77th moe. show,’ said Derrick Lutz, ‘and I’ve never heard the same song twice.’
Opening for moe. on Friday was another CNY band, John Brown’s Body. With its mix of reggae, funk and rock, the band added a high energy to the room as fans entered the venue. After playing for roughly an hour, John Brown’s Body left the stage to make way for the night’s main feature.
Friday night’s performance demonstrated the talent and creativity that moe. fans have come to expect over the last 13 years. Despite the obscurity of playing in a roller rink, the band found this weekend’s performances a great chance for homecoming.
‘Man,’ said Rob Derhak, bassist and lead singer of moe., as he sipped on his Saranac onstage, ‘it’s good to be home.’
