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CONCERT REVIEW – moe.
Val Air Ballroom
Des Moines, Iowa
February 22, 2005
Entertainment
Art
Story and photos by AMANDA HEIN
Des Moines' Val Air Ballroom calls to mind a field house-slash-high school gym, offering plenty of space to bounce about. Most fans started rolling in from the lot around 7:30 pm to grab their space and a few beers before moe. let loose at 8:00pm. "It was a tough crowd when we started," said Rob Derhak, the band’s bassist, backstage after the show. You could tell moe. was hesitant at during the first set and a bit reserved when it came to jumping around. The first set consisted of spacey jams and dreamy chord sequences, as well as, the band’s second-ever live performance of their new song, "She," but the fan favorite "Buster" was by far the highlight of the first set.
After a 35 minute break, moe. returned to the stage, holding nothing back, and opened with one of my personal favorites, "Spine of a Dog." The crowd immediately started jumping with the beats and singing along. You could tell the band was feeling it and they too picked up the pace. The swirling hands of Chuck Garvey, vocals and guitar, kept the front row in a tizzy trying to imagine how he could make such amazing sounds. Other titles that stood above the rest were, "Captain America", "Plane Crash", "Tijuana Donkey Show", and "New York City."
From dreads to clean cuts, tie-dyes to Gap polos, the crowd was a mix. Throughout the night the music and booze was the only thing keeping them together. It sometimes makes me wonder how such a variety of fans show up for the same band, but that’s the beauty that’s made by such a great group of artists. The band is one to watch out for, so check out their website at www.moe.org for the news and most recent tour dates. |
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