moe. Busts Out Neil Young Cover In New York City

Upstate New York jam-rockers moe. kicked off a three-night stand in New York City on Thursday night with a performance the intimate Stage 48 ahead of shows at PlayStation Theater tonight and tomorrow. Last night’s concert featured expansive jams, a few rarities and the bust out of a Neil Young cover after nearly 14 years.

moe. opened the evening with a “McBain” > “Down Boy” segment followed by “It” > “Smoke.” A pair of fan favorites came next as “Rise” led into “Happy Hour Hero.” From there, the band started a “Downward Facing Dog” and left it unfinished as they transitioned into “Deep This Time.” The second set featured plenty of jamming as both “Tubing The River Styx” and “The Pit” would be played and then reprised later in the closing stanza. Set two also contained the end of “Downward Facing Dog,” the geographically appropriate “New York City” and rarities “Farmer Ben” and “Interstellar Overdrive.”

The evening’s biggest surprise came within the encore. Guitarist Al Schnier led his mates through a cover of Neil Young’s “Down By The River” to start an encore that ended with “Wind It Up.” moe. had last played “Down By The River” way back on July 3, 2002. Last night’s “Down By The River” was just the 16th in the band’s history.

Watch moe. bust out “Down By The River” as shot by Paul Giza:

Setlist (via moe. Facebook)

Set One: McBain > Down Boy, It > Smoke, Rise > Happy Hour Hero, Downward Facing Dog > Deep This Time

Set Two: Billy Goat > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Downward Facing Dog, Bearsong > Interstellar Overdrive > The Pit > Tubing The River Styx > Farmer Ben > Raise A Glass > New York City

Encore: Down By The River# > Wind It Up

# – Last Time Played 7/03/02