moe. Brings Out Daniel Donato For Best.Summer.Ever Tour Collaborations

moe. and Daniel Donato‘s Cosmic Country kicked off their Best.Summer.Ever tour with shows in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Thursday; Westport, Connecticut on Friday and Jay, Vermont on Saturday. The two bands were joined on the bill by Neighbor at the first three stops of the excursion.

Collaborations between moe. and Donato were promised and each show saw Daniel sit-in with the headliners. Additionally, moe. and Cosmic Country each brought out Danny Clinch in Asbury Park, while Neighbor keyboardist Richard James helped moe. close out the night in Westport after Emma Derhak led the band through a Traffic cover.

Neighbor opened the show and tour at Stone Pony Summer Stage on Independence Day with a six-song set that included an instrumental cover of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” as well as fan-favorite originals “Steel,” “Carmelita,” “Words On A Line,” “Lonely Rider” and “Stranger Part Of Town.” Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country then treated the Jersey Shore crowd to a nine-song performance featuring a mix of originals and covers. Asbury Park-based photographer Danny Clinch emerged with harp in hand to add to a fitting take on Merle Haggard’s “Good Old American Guest” towards the middle of the set.

moe. returned to the stage on the Fourth of July after canceling a pair of festival appearances following the tragic death of bassist Rob Derhak‘s 23-year-old son Eddie. A holiday-appropriate “Captain America” opener flowed into “Recreational Chemistry” before keyboardist Nate Wilson led the band through “In Stride.” Daniel Donato and Danny Clinch both joined moe. for The Allman Brothers Band instrumental “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” a few songs later ahead of a “Lazarus”/”Buster” pairing to close the set. An apropos debut cover of the Grateful Dead’s “U.S. Blues” was the encore.

Watch moe.’s 20-minute “Liz Reed” featuring Donato and Clinch in Asbury Park via fan-shot video below:

It was Neighbor who got the collaborations going on Friday at Westport, Connecticut’s The Levitt Pavilion For The Performing Arts. The quartet brought out both Cosmic Country keyboardist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz and Lotus guitarist Tim Palmieri to jam on The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” following a funky mid-set “Don’t You Cry.” Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country then went heavy on songs from their latest album, Reflector.

moe. strung together “Not Coming Down,” “Wormwood” and “Okayalright” to start their set in Westport. Then, Emma Derhak fronted the group on their first version of the Traffic classic “Dear Mr. Fantasy” since October 12, 2005. Donato emerged after the ensuing pairing of “Tambourine” and “Downward Facing Dog” to shred on “Moth.” From there, moe. went at it alone for sequences of “The Pit” into “Meat” and “Livin’ Again” into “Seat Of My Pants” and “Sensory Deprivation Bank.” The night ended with a “West L.A. Fadeaway” encore featuring Neighbor’s Richard James.

The first weekend of the tour and Neighbor’s time on the road with moe. and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country ended at Stateside Amphitheater at Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont on Saturday. Neighbor honored the headliners by working a cover of Louis Jordan’s “Five Guys Named Moe” into their set-closing “Trippin’ In A Van.” moe. originally took their name from the Louis Jordan song.

After a cover-heavy Cosmic Country set, moe. kicked off their career-spanning performance in Vermont with a run connecting “Billy Goat,” “Tailspin” and “Yellow Tigers.” Daniel Donato emerged following “Threw It All Away” and “Plane Crash” to let it rip on fellow beloved original “32 Things.” The headliners then took on Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” that bled into “Mar-Dema,” which gave way to “Kyle’s Song.” Guitarist Chuck Garvey fronted “Four” to wrap the set, while guitarist Al Schnier helmed the “Letter Home” encore.

moe. and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country resume the tour on Wednesday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Scroll below for a full list of tour dates.

Setlists

July 4 — Asbury Park, NJ

Neighbor (via NeighborTunes.net)

Set: Steel > Carmelita, Words On A Line, Lonely Rider, With a Little Help from My Friends[1], Stranger Part of Town

[1] Instrumental.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

moe. (via moe. Instagram)

Set: Captain America > Recreational Chemistry, In Stride, Happy Hour Hero, Big World > Ricky Marten > Puebla, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed*, Lazarus > Buster

Encore: U.S. Blues

* with Daniel Donato on guitar and Danny Clinch on harmonica

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July 5 — Westport, CT

Neighbor (via NeighborTunes.net)

Set: Mighty Apple Tree, Old Dog, Don’t You Cry[1], Eleanor Rigby[2], Thunder Island, Take Me Alive

• [1] Funky Style
• [2] with Tim Palmieri on guitar and Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz (Daniel Donato) on keys

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

moe. (via moe. Instagram)

Set: Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Okayalright, Dear Mr. Fantasy*, Tambourine, Downward Facing Dog, Moth** > The Pit > Meat, Living Again > Seat Of My Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank

Encore: West L.A. Fadeaway^

• * with Emma Derhak on vocals
• ** with Daniel Donato on guitar
• ^ with Richard James on keys

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July 6 — Jay, VT

Neighbor (via NeighborTunes.net)

Set: Jam > Broadway, Move Along Little Jimmy, Chickens, Trippin’ in a Van > Five Guys Named Moe[1] > Trippin’ in a Van

• [1] First time played (Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five).

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

moe. (via moe. Instagram)

Set: Billy Goat > Tailspin > Yellow Tigers, Threw It All Away, Plane Crash, 32 Things*, No Quarter > Mar-Dema > Kyle’s Song, Four

Encore: Letter Home

* with Daniel Donato on guitar