moe. Reigns In The Rain, Enjoys “Recreational Chemistry” Brew At The Pisgah [Videos]

moe. has made a habit out of playing various breweries across the country with frequent shows at the Saranac Brewery in New York and the SweetWater Brewery in Atlanta. Over the weekend, the group brought their barnstorming tour to North Carolina’s Pisgah Brewery for a drizzly outdoor show featuring a killer mix of classics and some sneak peeks into their newest material.

Known to knock back a cold one from time to time, the band was honored by their hosts with a special brew dubbed “Recreational Chemistry,” which was available at the show. Even better, all proceeds from the small-batch beer were donated to the Hope Lodge, a charity near and dear to recent cancer fight victor and moe. bassist and vocalist Rob Derhak. The Hope Lodge gives family members a place to stay nearby loved ones undergoing cancer treatment, and that closeness and love of family is a wonderful boon to those fighting the disease, making it a worthy cause indeed. Though moe.’s Recreation Chemistry brew may be gone, you can still donate to the Hope Lodge here.

The show itself was a two-set affair packed with fierce performances and tantalizing peeks at upcoming material. Chuck Garvey matched his fretboard pyrotechnics with some stellar lead vocals including an inspiring first-set closer “Wind It Up” and a fun take on the new Derhak-penned “I Can Never Remember”. The back and forth between the author of the tune and the would-be singer was a fun glimpse into the friendship the band still shares after so many years.

Percussionist Jim Loughlin took over for the second new-ish tune of the night, the dark and brooding “Who You Calling Scared?”. Watching Loughlin blossom into a frontline force of the band has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of the last decade of moe.’s career. Between his amazing vibraphone and xylophone skills to his burgeoning vocal presence, there seems to be no end to his development. Not to say that the mechanical precision of his partner in beat-keeping, drummer Vinnie Amico, isn’t just as impressive.

No matter the tempo, no matter how far into exploratory jamming moe. ventures, you can count on Amico providing a rock-solid pulse for his friends to groove on. That consistent heartbeat is what allows Derhak to take his fabled flights of string-popping fancy, which is so beloved from the diehard fan base—also known as the moe.rons. Those crowded up front were delighted to witness several wicked turns and bass slappings over the course of the show, with the second set “Rebubula” and encore “Recreational Chemistry” as the best examples.

Meanwhile, as always, guitarist Al Schnier proved to be the band sparkplug, radiating elevating energy through his guitar, vocals, and bouncing stage presence, which buoyed the entire show. Whether it’s starting the show off in high style with a ripping “Threw It All Away” or trading epic solos with Garvey on numbers like “Billy Goat”, Schnier is always the gravitational force that holds the band together.

The second set saw a drizzle kick in that did nothing to deter the rocking energy from moe. and the damp but dazzled crowd. Big takes on tunes like “Skrunk”, “Rebubula”, and “Opium” were packed with jaw-dropping jams that made ignoring the intermittent rain a complete non-factor. Once the band came back out to encore with the namesake of the evening’s special brew, the crowd was lathered into a frenzy from the first note. As the last notes faded and the after show kicked on at the venue’s inside stage, moe. decided to join the fans in helping make sure their special beer didn’t go to waste. It was inspiring to see that even after a nearly three-hour performance of wild jams, moe. clearly takes the quality control aspect of their sponsorship very seriously.

Setlist: moe. | Pisgah Brewing Company | Black Mountain, NC | 4/22/18

We’ve got the full first set filmed and in clips for you here and on our YouTube channel. Besides the four amazing videos we have for you below—”Billy Goat” > “The Road,” “Same Old Story” >” Kids,” “I Can Never Remember” (with banter), and “Wind It Up”—you can check out moe.’s takes on “Threw It All Away” and “Who You Calling Scared?” by clicking their hyperlinked names. Enjoy!

“Billy Goat” > “The Road”

“Same Old Story” > “Kids”

“I Can Never Remember”

“Wind It Up”