OK, I'll be nice: After four-plus hours I can sorta see why people like these semi-charmed, lowercased schmucks. (And yes, anyone who takes a 40-minute break between sets is a schmuck.) I'm guessing every member of the Buffalo-from jam bland called moe. probably had a private music tutor at some point, and generally speaking, people respect chops. Most people want to believe their favorite bands are real, technically proficient, smoking, what have you. An astute 20-minute guitar solo, no matter how much of it is the most soulless lesson-book dogshit I've ever heard, is still astute. So are the syncopated freaky meter turnarounds moe.'s drummer works into every song, so too the funk bass and pretty singing and marimba banging. I'll give moe. this: They're better than the Grateful Dead.
As for Roseland, every dude with a Cocks hat and cargo pants came, and man, do these guys love getting fuukked uppp. So much so that they talked about it incessantly through both sets, save to applaud when moe. returned to the head after taking the 20-minute piss, or to scream along, "It's recreational!" to drugged ode "Recreational Chemistry," or to womanize, recounted like so: "That chick that just walked by—I touched her ass! I didn't squeeze, though."
Which is the fundamental mystery here. Somehow moe. have convinced a sizable, predominantly teenage population that they needthe band when it's time to toke—impossibly brilliant psychosomatics that I'm surprised more second-rate indie outfits don't go for. The night was a dreary manipulated haze, where even the highlights felt programmatic: Bassist Rob Derhak's young kids came out to ring sleigh bells and tug kitsch strings for "Together at Christmas"; a bobblehead sat atop keybist-guitarist Al Schnier's amp because, you know, he has a sense of humor; a fan manually inflated an enormous green space alien, and man was shit off the hook after that. During the band's remarkably faithful (at first) cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing," a blasted pre-teen girl even fainted into her friend's arms. I panicked, but the friend told me not to worry. "Just a case of too much moe.," she explained. Tell me about it.
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drgnwmtchs 06/28/2008 4:18:57 PM
Is it common practice to make claims of one band being better than another band while critiquing and reviewing a performance by one bands in question? I don't know, that is why I am asking. I was not at this particular performance, but have seen moe. a few times, and listen to their music on occassion. I enjoy some of their music, and will be seeing them here in Chicago with the Biscuits in February, but would not consdier myself a big fan by any means. I am however, insulted and offended by the comment, "at least they are better than the Grateful Dead." Ridiculous. I must ask myself, does this guy have a clue as to who and what he is talking about? However, I can completely relate to his casual observations made and mentioned regarding the laregly juvenile crowd, and they complete lack of sophistication and class. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol abuse, and its ugly representatives continue to remain ubiquitous at most Rock concerts, Jam Band scene included. Before I pass judgement on the punks talking about touching a girls ass, and getting hollering drunk, I try to remember that I too, was once young dumb, and full of cum.