moe. Takes 1st Trip To ‘Bat Country’ & Dusts Off Pink Floyd Cover In Des Moines

moe. brought their 2023 Fall Tour to Wooly’s in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday. The band unveiled a new original, “Bat Country,” and broke out a rare Pink Floyd classic.

The setlist curated by drummer Vinnie Amico got underway with guitarist Al Schnier’s “Bearsong.” Additional Al classics “Haze” and “Not Coming Down” followed ahead of the title track to moe.’s 2005 album, Wormwood. The debut of “Bat Country” capped the four-song seamless sequence.

Bassist Rob Derhak’s “Bat Country” — the title presumably a reference to a legendary line from Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — boasted some groovy percussion stylings from Jim Loughlin as well jazz flute from newest moe. member Nate Wilson. Wilson also took an organ solo following guitar from Al and Chuck Garvey to kick off the jam. The tail end of the instrumental section also boasted percussive runs from Loughlin and Amico ahead of a final chorus. A pairing of new tune “Tomorrow Is Another Day” and a 14-minute “Moth” wrapped the first frame.

The second set launched with a 13-minute excursion on the Derhak staple “Plane Crash.” The sextet then paired up “Big World” and “Water.” Substantial versions of “She” and “Skrunk” came next ahead of a nearly 17-minute set-closing “Rebubula.”

moe. returned for the encore with “Alnouncements,” which began by Schnier thanking two fans named Skip. Schnier also noted that the band’s Rock The Pink fundraiser for the American Cancer Society launched on Sunday.

The band then broke out Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar.” moe. had not performed the Wish You Were Here cut in nearly two years. The group last played the song on October 15, 2021 for a gap of 108 shows, as per Phantasy Tour. The concert came to a close with another cover, Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla.”

Listen to the complete Des Moines show below taped by Dave Adair:

Setlist