Tonight was going to be my moe. first show. I didn’t know much about them other than they had been around the jamband scene for a few years and got their start while attending college in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. I had listened to a few covers online, but wasn’t sure what to expect. My pal and fellow live moe. virgin Fumo Verde accompanied me.

It was a brisk January night, but apparently the hippies didn’t care as they meandered around the parking lot in their sandals. A few people were partying, drinking beers and causing the occasional whiff of marijuana to float by in the night air, even before I found Fumo. He smoked outside and left everything behind because he didn’t want to be hassled by security. As luck would have it, they were completely lax inside this non-smoking facility as heavy plumes of sweet smoke filled the air once the lights went down. He cursed the fates not realizing what a friendly, sharing bunch of folk “moe.rons” are, and soon a pipe was passed his way by a smiling stranger.

Opening up was The Seymour Duncan Band, an average-sounding blues band you would find playing at some no-cover hole in the wall where Bud and Bug Light were all that was on tap. I would later find our Mr. Duncan is more of a player in the music business as a maker of pick-ups and stompboxes. It was good to see he had a day job.

Being my first moe. concert and my unfamiliarity with any of the songs, it was difficult at times to tell when they began and ended, especially considering that I later discovered over half were ten minutes or longer in duration. I took notes about what I was hearing and tried to provide myself clues to research afterwards.

The show began with “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” the “2001” theme, and the quintet came out. They are two guitars, a bass/keyboardist, a drummer, and a percussionist. They opened with “Okayalright,” one of the shorter songs of the night. The lyrics tell the tale about getting over a lost love. It was fun number with plenty of cowbell.

“Happy Hour Hero” had a laid back beat as it shuffled along with lyrics that extolled the virtues of life on the road for musicians. The party people in the audience were able to embrace the chorus of “one more bottle.” Seymour Duncan joined in and guitarist Chuck Garvey had an interesting vocal solo through a Talk Box, the device made famous by Peter Frampton. The song continued with a slow build that was perfect for some of the swaying, bleary-eyed audience members.

The solos on slide guitar really rang out on “All Roads Lead To Home.” There were some good flourishes added on banjo and also by percussionist Jim Loughlin. They jammed a bit on this song. It seemed a bit early in the night to get spacey, but that’s why some fans come. Besides, it allows them to fully enjoy whatever they’ve taken and for it to wear off before trying to get home.