What’s exciting about a Wednesday? Generally not much, but THIS particular Wednesday, March 18th, was a special Wednesday. A very special Wednesday indeed.
It had been a whirlwind of a week, with St. Patty’s Day celebrations, the excitement surrounding Summer Camp’s 3rd Round of Artist Announcements, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament all propelling me towards this special Wednesday and it’s performance by Summer Camp hosts and 25 year jam vets moe.
This night served many purposes for me. I was assisting my good friend, Dr. Charlie Kautz “the Musician’s Physician” before the show as he treated various members of the band and crew. I was also on the lookout for anyone in Summer Camp shirts or hats as part of our “Spot a SCamper” promo and most importantly, I was there as a fan!
After all the excitement of the week I was anxious for my first moe. experience outside of 3 Sisters Park in years… and I was not disappointed to say the least. Here’s the night’s set list:
Set 1: Calyphornya, Bring It Back Home, White Lightning, Turpentine, Silver Sun > Yodelittle > CalifornIA > The Bones of Lazarus
Set 2: Time Again, Stranger Than Fiction > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit, Wicked Awesome, Four, Captain America > Recreational Chemistry
Encore: All Roads Lead to Home, Blister in the Sun
The band came out ready to rock after a 2 day touring break. You could sense at an-ease vibe from the Buffalo based 5 piece, who were clearly comfortable on stage despite playing their first show in Madison since February, 2013. Synchronistically enough, moe. kicked into “Bring It Back Home” for the 2nd song of the night. The first set just got better from there, with a seamless transitions from Silver Sun > Yodelittle > CalifornIA before a fiery Bones of Lazarus to close the set. The intimate, energized Barrymore Theater crowd roared with approval and anticipation as we transitioned in to set break, and I knew things were going to reach other levels for the second set when Rob came out to play with his hood up.
The second set was a scorcher indeed, starting off with Time Again, and then streaming an at times ambient Tubing the River Styx> The Pit out of a crowd-pleasing Stranger Than Fiction.
The heart of the show came next in the second half of set 2. Wicked Awesome featured Chuck playing guitar with a slide. The placement of Four came at the perfect time, with a jammed out segment in the middle before bringing it back for the final chorus in which had the ENTIRE crowd singing along in unison. Moments later, the opening lyrics for Captain America erupted the moe.rons into a frenzy which fed right into an explosive, experimental Recreational Chemistry that is sure to displease any cautious science teacher from high school.
After the encore break, Al proudly approached the stage rocking a Cheesehead before draping a Packers towel on a nearby stand, a much appreciated salute to the Wisconsinite crowd (even though he was raging so hard it soon fell off his head). After a flawless rendition of All Roads Lead to Home, moe. paid tribute to Summer Camp’s addition of Violent Femmes to the lineup by a perfect cover of Blister in the Sun to close out the show.
I’ve put together a playlist of video the show, featuring clips of Bring It Back Home, Wicked Awesome, Four, Recreational Chemistry. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8fyujsUQt8&list=PLJXPfISgeSzbga1egRZKfxYbNVuriUZYq
The night was an amazing reminder of why these guys have thrived for 25 years, and why they’ve anchored Summer Camp’s lineup for 15. I’m blessed to have been there, and can’t wait to catch them – five sets worth – this Memorial Day Weekend at Three Sisters Park!]]>
