By Chris Moriates
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Everybody remembers their first time. Nothing can prepare a moe.
concert virgin for the experience that lies ahead. It is a long,
strange trip indeed.
One of the last jam bands left, moe. is celebrating its 10-year
anniversary with a tour that made a stop Sunday at the John Anson
Ford Theatre in Los Angeles. As the lights went out, clouds of
smoke rose into the dark sky, bringing smells of cloves,
cigarettes, and the distinct scent of … well, burning leaves.
For the few sober people at the show, the crowd proved more
interesting than the band itself. As the dreadlocks, knit beanies
and hemp necklaces swayed in the cool air, the die-hard moe. fans,
affectionately known as moe.-rons, let loose.
It could have been 1969; The laid-back atmosphere was
reminiscent of a time when all you needed was a hole in the fence
for admission and a small stage for a concert.
The fans crowded the aisles, sat on the side walls, and stood
next to the seats, which were general admission. While moe. was on
the stage, the crowd was on their feet and grooving to the sound.
The lighting was enticing, as it bounced off the trees behind the
stage and reflected out at the dazed audience.
The most notable thing was the extremely rare, and welcome, lack
of security presence, despite the posted sign out front stating
that there would be increased security, due to the recent events.
It wasn’t that the show felt unsafe, but there were no
unnecessary hassles, security barricades or other issues that
normally plague the concert crowd.
Moe. brought a truly free form feel to their music, performing
songs that seemed to never stop. The band was unbelievable in its
ability to jam and play off each other, many times changing tempos,
keys and songs all together, without missing a beat. The second set
featured five songs, which were all blended together into one
continuous jam fest.
The band brought out Wally Waldman from Banyan on the trumpet to
perform the second set. Waldman brought a lot of energy to the set
and seemed to fit in perfectly with the band. Throughout the long
set, Waldman would stand back and become inspired, rashly
approaching the microphone with his trumpet and providing some
truly impressive solo work.
The second set was intense and seemed to be exhausting, however
after an extremely short break the members of moe. returned to the
stage again and performed their version of Steely Dan’s song
“Bodhisattva” for the encore.
The night was an unusual experience of cooperation ““ truly
an evening of peace, love and music.