moe. Guitarist Chuck Garvey Makes Triumphant Return On New Year’s Eve In Philadelphia

Chuck Garvey made his triumphant return to the stage with moe. on New Year’s Eve, over one year after suffering a stroke. The guitarist joined his bandmates for the final song of their first set at The Fillmore Philadelphia on Saturday and stuck around to contribute to the rest of the night.

Keyboardist Nate Wilson and guitarist Suke Cerulo, who have stood in for Chuck with moe. since the stroke, were also on hand in Philadelphia as was The Horn Section. Former Turkuaz trumpeter Chris Brouwers, tenor saxophonist Greg Sanderson and baritone saxophonist Josh Schwartz joined Wilson, Cerulo and moe. members guitarist Al Schnier, bassist Rob Derhak, percussionist Jim Loughlin and drummer Vinnie Amico for “Spaz Medicine” and a cover of Paul Simon’s “Late In The Evening” to get the first set underway. moe. last played “Late In The Evening” on April 29, 2017 — a span of 210 shows.

moe., Wilson and Cerulo went sans horns for the instrumental “Jazz Cigarette.” The Horn Section came right back to add to the pairing of “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” and “Dangerous Game.” The former was a debut Rolling Stones cover. Next up was a horn-driven “Sensory Deprivation Bank” before Garvey returned to the stage for the first time since Halloween 2021 to perform the beloved “Meat.” Chuck was greeted by huge cheers as he came out to play the set-closing “Meat” with Amico, Schnier, Loughlin and Derhak. “Meat” spanned nearly 20 minutes and featured an intense solo from Chuck.

Saturday’s second set began with a run of “Not Coming Down,” “Wormwood” and “Okayalright.” Nate Wilson played the full set with both The Horn Section and Suke Cerulo contributing to portions of the frame. “Okayalright” was followed by a “Nebraska” that saw Garvey put his voicebox to good use. Oldie “Johnny Lineup” came next complete with horns and Nate Wilson taking a flute solo. moe., Wilson and The Horn Section then busted out a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” for the first time since August 20, 2021 before dusting off the Little Feat classic “Spanish Moon” after more than four years on the shelf.

“Spanish Moon” led into a countdown to 2023. moe., Wilson, Cerulo and The Horn Section honored their host city and the return of Garvey by debuting “Gonna Fly Now,” aka the “Theme From Rocky,” and “The Dayman” from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Dancers in sparkly attire sporting umbrellas danced on stage for “Gonna Fly Now” and “The Dayman” as well as the moe. debut of Chicago’s “25 Or 6 To 4.” The ensemble went back to originals in ending the set with “Plane Crash.”

moe. and their guests wrapped the night with a “Blue Jeans Pizza” encore. Next up for moe. is an extensive 21-show winter tour. The band has yet to announce when Garvey will return to full-time duty.

Watch moe.’s NYE show via footage captured by fan Ira Heller below:

Setlist (via Phantasy Tour)

Set One: Spaz Medicine [1,2,3], Late In The Evening [1,2,3], Jazz Cigarette [1,2], Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) [1,2,3] > Dangerous Game [1,2,3], Sensory Deprivation Bank [1,2,3], Meat [4]

Set Two (w/ Chuck): Not Coming Down [1,3] > Wormwood [1] > Okayalright [1,3], Nebraska [1,3], Johnny Lineup [1], Ophelia [1,3], Spanish Moon [1,3], Countdown/Happy New Year [1], Gonna Fly Now [1,2,3], The Dayman [1,2,3], 25 or 6 to 4 [1,2,3], Plane Crash [1,2,3]

Encore (w/ Chuck): Blue Jeans Pizza [1,2,3]

• [1] – With Nate Wilson on Keys/Flute.
• [2] – With Suke Cerulo on Guitar.
• [3] – With The Horn Section: Chris Brouwers (trumpet), Greg Sanderson (tenor saxophone), and Josh Schwartz (baritone saxophone)
• [4] – Chuck’s 1st song back. Just the 5 members of moe.