The year 2026 is already shaping up to be a good one for moe. fans, judging by the band’s stellar setlist and dazzling performance to open a four-night run at the Ardmore Music Hall outside Philadelphia. The Ardmore has seen some excellent performances in its decade-plus existence, so it takes a lot for a band to make its mark there. Luckily, after more than 35 years of playing, moe. has managed to get pretty damn good at what it does.
After moe. spent 2025 celebrating its 35th anniversary together, the band isn’t just coasting on its legacy. This summer will see the return of the band’s curated moe.down festival, and the newly announced moe.mentUM co-headlining summer tour with longtime friends, Umphrey’s McGee. With that set of team-up gigs, multi-night club engagements, festival bookings, and more yet to come for the fall tour, moe. certainly doesn’t seem intent on slowing down anytime soon.
The packed house at the Ardmore was buzzing as the 8 p.m. start time crept closer agonizingly slowly. Finally, the venue MC came out and welcomed “A band that needs no introduction, but I’m gonna do it anyway!” During his brief but moving opening remarks, he cited the band’s anniversary and the place moe. holds deep in his heart before waving out the band to thunderous applause.
In response to that warm welcome, moe. wasted no time getting the show on the road. Unspooling a free-ranging “Moth” that went from backyard guitar jam to interstellar voyage before snapping back to reality, the night got going at a rapid pace. The opener stretched out for 20 minutes, with keyboardist Nate Wilson finding wonderful ways to fill space with lush chords that let his more cutting melodic partners rip and run to their hearts’ content.
moe. — “Moth” — Ardmore Music Hall — 3/4/26
Guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey took the instrumental interlude at the heart of “Moth” as far from reality as possible before the forces of gravity summoned the pair back to Earth. The tune’s joyful outro devolved into the simple, pulsing bassline of “Bullet” provided by grinning, grooving bassist Rob Derhak.
After another 20 minutes of jamming, moe. finally paused to catch its breath, retune and welcome the Philly crowd to the night’s festivities. Lyrically, the follow-up tune “Same Old Story” dealt with the seeming lack of difference between America’s two political parties and the inability to enact lasting change. After some robust vibraphone mallet work from percussionist Jim Loughlin, Derhak ended the pessimistic track with a melancholic look in his eyes.
The bassist addressed the audience as plainly as possible. “I think that’s a pretty appropriate song for the human rain of horseshit we live under right now,” Derhak said with a fatalistic chuckle. “Good luck living everybody!” he cheered before ruefully adding, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to speak the truth to you. I know what a foreign concept that has become.”
Perhaps purposefully lightening the mood, Wilson launched the decidedly more upbeat “Old Things” before moe. wrapped set one with a hearty “Puebla” that transitioned from a thrashing jam to a cynical, looping take on “Bring You Down”. As the band departed the stage, the weird mix of elation and unease seemed to dissipate, leaving behind a more positive general vibe for the second set to come.
moe. came back out and got back to work with “Hi & Lo”, amusingly juxtaposed by Wilson’s thorough teases of “Spooky” (Dusty Springfield) throughout the instrumental break. The band deconstructed the opening jam until drummer Vinnie Amico was the last one still playing. After embracing tribal rhythms for his solo portion of the show, Amico pulled the trigger on a much-welcomed “Water”.
On the back end of the set, moe. zipped through Wilson’s “In Stride” and “Beautiful Mess” before setting off a lengthy dance party in “George”. From the final throbbing ashes of the “George” groove, the harmonics of “Lazarus” twinkled to life—undulating from roar to whisper, finally capped off with an appreciative roar from the crowd that seemed to take everyone, even the band, off guard.
Before launching the encore, Schnier took to the microphone for his traditional “al.nouncements” where he reads notes passed to him by fans. Among the various missives, he welcomed folks seeing their first show, including an audience member’s mother. Offsetting the pair of new fans, al. closed out his dedications with a truly remarkable achievement: Elaine C’s 425th show! With new fans and old properly welcomed and thanked, there was nothing left to do but jam out one last song for the night, a most appropriate, rabble-rousing take on Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”.
Derhak thanked the crowd for coming and promised more strangeness each of the three nights yet to come. Before unstrapping his bass, he added, “I love you guys. Get home safe, be kind. I don’t really have to tell you that.”
The bulk of the crowd filed towards the exit, ears ringing and grins from ear to ear. A few hopeful fans stayed behind at the now nearly clear stage front. They were asking for set lists, guitar pics, and drumsticks as souvenirs. It’s hard to blame them for wanting a memento of such a riveting performance.
Seeing a band like moe. putting together such a solid, vital show this far into its career gives hope to anyone out there feeling as if their best days are behind them. After 35 years on stages around the world, the band is still not afraid, unwilling, or too tired to air its outrage at society’s woes and speak truth-to-power. And this was just night one.
moe.’s Born to Fly Tour is just taking flight, with multi-night runs at venues throughout the Southeast this month. Find tickets and tour dates here. For full coverage of the remaining three nights of the moe. Ardmore run, visit writer Rex Thomson‘s Substack.
moe. — Ardmore Music Hall — Ardmore, PA — 3/4/26 — Full Audio
[Audio: jamie414]
Setlist: moe. | Ardmore Music Hall | Ardmore, PA | 3/4/26
Set One: Moth > Bullet, Same Old Story, Old Things, Puebla > Bring You Down
Set Two: Hi & Lo > Water, In Stride, Beautiful Mess, George > Lazarus
Encore: al.nouncements, Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin)