moe. Turns Back The Clock To 1976 For ‘Dazed & Confused’ Halloween Show

moe. filled their Halloween show at Boston’s The Wilbur with nine cover debuts and a long-awaited return of “Sweet Emotion” on Saturday. Dressed as characters from Dazed And Confused, the sextet mixed songs featured in the film with originals across two sets and an encore.

Richard Linklater’s 1993 movie follows high school students through the last day of school and the ensuing night in 1976. Its classic rock soundtrack supplied Saturday’s covers, with members of moe. sharing lead vocal duties.

Bassist Rob Derhak dressed as David Wooderson, while guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey portrayed Mike Newhouse and Mitch Kramer, respectively. Percussionist Jim Loughlin went as Ron Slater, drummer Vinnie Amico as Randall “Pink” Floyd and keyboardist Nate Wilson assumed the role of Fred O’Bannion.

moe. opened with Aerosmith favorite “Sweet Emotion,” which also soundtracks the film’s opening sequence. According to Famoe.ly, the band last played the song on October 16, 2005 at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, a gap of 1,412 shows.

A run of “Not Coming Down” into “Wormwood” and “Okayalright” followed. The latter received a fitting lyrical adjustment to “Okay alright, alright, alright,” nodding to Wooderson’s signature line. Loughlin then sang moe.’s first rendition of Alice Cooper staple “School’s Out,” followed by Derhak leading a debut cover of WAR classic “Low Rider.”

“Bat Country” separated those debuts from another first-time cover, The Edgar Winter Group’s “Free Ride,” featuring Wilson on lead vocals. The opening set concluded with “Plane Crash,” which included a “Dazed And Confused” tease.

Loughlin returned to the microphone to launch set two with Black Sabbath rocker “Paranoid.” Schnier handled the next cover debut, ZZ Top hit “Tush,” before moe. worked “Opium” into the frame. Garvey then fronted the band’s first performance of Peter Frampton’s “Show Me The Way,” and Schnier sang a debut take on KISS anthem “Rock And Roll All Nite.”

The band folded another soundtrack selection into “Silver Sun,” inserting an instrumental debut of Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold” before returning to the original. Derhak subsequently led moe.’s first rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd ballad “Tuesday’s Gone.” “Recreational Chemistry” brought the second set to a close.

moe. returned for “Moth” to begin the encore. Wilson then sang the evening’s ninth and final cover debut, Foghat staple “Slow Ride,” which also accompanies the closing moments of Dazed And Confused.

Watch full-show video below:

Official audio will posted on nugs. Stream an audience recording taped by Ted Gakidis:

Setlist (via Famoely.org)

Set One: Sweet Emotion[1], Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Okayalright[2], School’s Out[3], Low Rider[4] > Bat Country, Free Ride[5], Plane Crash[6]

Set Two: Paranoid[7], Tush[8], Opium, Show Me The Way[9], Rock And Roll All Nite[10], Silver Sun > Stranglehold[11] > Silver Sun, Tuesday’s Gone[12], Recreational Chemistry

Encore: Moth, Slow Ride[13]

Footnotes:
[1] first time played since October 16, 2005; Aerosmith
[2] “Okay alright, alright, alright” lyrics
[3] debut, Alice Cooper; Jim Loughlin on vocals
[4] debut, WAR; Rob Derhak on vocals
[5] debut, The Edgar Winter Group; Nate Wilson on vocals
[6] with “Dazed And Confused” tease
[7] Jim Loughlin on vocals
[8] debut, ZZ Top; Al Schnier on vocals
[9] debut, Peter Frampton; Chuck Garvey on vocals
[10] debut, KISS; Al Schnier on vocals
[11] debut, Ted Nugent; instrumental
[12] debut, Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rob Derhak on vocals
[13] debut, Foghat; Nate Wilson on vocals