moe. made their way to Albany, NY for a free two set live performance at Empire State Plaza bringing out a massive crowd of moe.rons. With the unfortunate news of Dead and Company having to cancel their show only a half hour away in Saratoga Springs, even more jam band enthusiasts filled the plaza creating for one of the biggest concerts at the space in years.

It was nothing but sunshine to at the beginning of the set as the band opened up with fan favorite Blue Jeans Pizza. “The Road” followed suit which segued into “head.” off Tin Cans and Car Tires. After “So Long,” it was time for “Mexico” to wrap up the set, a classic which was penned by guitarist Al Schnier. The crowd was very receptive the whole night. For those wondering how come only 5 songs in the first set? Well, the guys in moe. know how take jamming to the next level with nearly each song in the set receiving proper improvisational treatment.

After a brief intermission it was time for the second set with moe. opening up with “Lazarus.” Once the harmonics kicked in, fans were able to recognize the signature tune and the crowd popped off as the sun started to set. The song was segued into “McBain” which received heaving jamming and didn’t stop there. The band didn’t take a break once and segued from song to song cleanly transitioning along the way. Up next was “Tubing The River Styx, ” “The Pit.” which as always starts off melodically before completely turning into to heavy track which will make you want to bang your head every time. moe. closed out the set with “Brent Black,” one of the acts many jam vehicles which also features a percussion solo section from Vinnie Amico and Jim Laughlin.

The act got back on for a “Bearsong” encore ending the night on a high note. Before getting into the song Schnier did his imfamous “al.nnouncements” reading notes from fans and honoring those who have hit remarkable show count number. One of the notes included a message for the absent Chuck Garvey to get well and followed with a Chuck chant. It has been great to listen and hear from Garvey about his recovery process via moe.’s new podcast and we hope nothing but the best. Garvey, just like everyone else in the band play a big role in writing and sound but with that being said, both Suke Cerulo and and Nate Wilson are doing a fantastic job filling out the band’s sound.

Up next for moe. is a stop tonight in Buffalo, NY followed by performances in Marshfield, MA on July  8th; Patchogue, NY on July 9th and one omre stop  at Seaside Heights, NJ on July 10th. Check out the setlist and photos from their performance at Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY below:

Setlist:

Set 1: Blue Jeans Pizza, The Road > head., So Long, Mexico
Set 2: Lazarus > McBain > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Brent Black
Encore: Bearsong