moe. @ McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR

Five guys named moe. started their 2018 Fall Tour in the Pacific Northwest. Following their first show of the season in Portland, the staple jam band brought their talent to the McDonald Theatre in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday, Oct 11th. Bands like moe. are always better without an opener. It leaves more breathing room for their long-winded song explorations and gives more time for the cannabis edibles to set in. 

After the band’s hiatus for bassist Rob Derhak’s oropharyngeal cancer treatment, the band is back, cancer-free and hotter than ever. The first set began with “Happy Hour Hero” into “Waiting for the Punchline,” followed by a surprise cover of Tori Amos’ “Cornflake Girl.” It was inspiring indeed to witness Rob hit those falsettos after having throat cancer. Although, he doesn’t seem to have lost a step in his vocals or his instrument, nor have any of the band members for that matter. Chuck and Al alternated shredding the night away, proving that even after years of being together, improvement is still possible.

The band was the definition of harmonious for the whole evening, hardly stopping the music apart from the set break. The second set started with Lazarus, sandwiched “Brittle End” and finished with “Mar De Ma” and “Timmy Tucker.” For the inevitable encore, they rolled out “Defrost” into “Akimbo.” It’s safe to say moe.’s properly thawed for the rest of their fall excursion.