Fresh off their recent album release, Circle of Giants, moe. returned to the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ on February 27, 2025. Prior to this show, they wrapped up a two week west coast and Colorado run on their appropriately titled Circle of Giants Tour. The show included a pair of rarely played tunes and a fun cover on this Thursday night gem, along with a tasty "Rebubula" sandwich in set two.
Many have heard of the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, however the Wellmont Theater has not quite seen the same notoriety in the jam rock scene. The Wellmont is strikingly similar to the famous Westchester venue in terms of interior and size. This is because both were theaters in the early twentieth century. The Wellmont has seen a recent revival, as the area around it was transformed from a road into a pedestrian space.
The music began with a recording of "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3, better known as the theme song for the television series, The Sopranos. Parts of the North Jersey based show were filmed in Montclair and neighboring Bloomfield. Most notably, the last scene of the series was filmed at Holsten's in Bloomfield. During the song, the band members emerged one by one as their names were announced by an announcer, sporting event style.
The This Is Not, We Are tune "Crushing" began the show. A well executed blues rock transition ensued into "Bullet." Percussionist Vinnie Amico decorated this build up with the xylophone as the band moved through a psychedelic sequence that continued during the "Bullet" jam. Keyboardist Nate Wilson dialed the jam up by a factor of the synth.
The first Circle of Giants song of the evening, "Don'tcha Know" followed. Bassist Rob Derhak wrote and sang this short tune that ended on a delectable guitar solo. The first bust out of the night proceeded with "Little Miss Cup" by guitarist Al Schnier, last played on March 4, 2020 in San Luis Obispo, CA. A face melting guitar driven push flowed into "Giants." This jazzy blues rock tune was written by Wilson, and recorded by Moe. on Circle of Giants. The song had a darker, psychedelic feeling at the end.
Feel good tune "Skitchin' Buffalo" succeeded, and included plenty of raging guitar, care of Schnier and Chuck Garvey. "Silver Sun" ended the first set with a sixteen minute exploratory jam that touched on many genres. moe. achieved beast mode in the first set, and was due for a break.
The band returned with a vintage "Rebubula," from their 1996 album, Loaf, much to the delight of the fans. Derhak was on point as drummer Jim Loughlin showed his technical strength. A mesmerizing transition was lead by Amico on the xylophone, before the band masterfully shifted gears into another old school tune, "Big World" from Tin Cans & Car Tires.
Another pivot found the band in "Ricky Marten," before eventually landing in "Brittle End." This tune was last played on March 1, 2020 in Crystal Bay, NV, and marked the second bust out of the evening.
The theme of og originals continued with "Tailspin," complete with monster power chords care of Schnier. The fifteen minute blues rock predominant jam that ensued is worth a re-listen, as the one two punch of Wilson and Amico elevated this well known original nicely.
"Opium" hopped into the set subsequently, from their 2001 album Dither. Derhak drove this song, before handing the keys to Wilson, who added a jazzy touch to this classic song. Schnier and Garvey brought this tune home with slide guitar effects. The band morphed into an inspired jam that jettisoned back into "Rebubula" with vigor that ended the set. This essentially book-ended set two with the fan favorite tune.
The band returned to the stage, and took a few moments to recognize fan mile stones. This included a special shout out to Jude by Wilson along with a "Hey Jude" tease. The band then dropped into a smile inducing "No Rain" by Blind Melon, sung by Wilson, that ended this epic Garden State show with a bang.
moe. crushed their performance at the Wellmont, and are red hot as they head back out on tour. They are up next in Charlottesville, VA on March 5, 2025. Tickets are available via this link. Head on over to this link for more dates on moe.'s 2025 ledger.
Check out more photos from the show!
Band: moe.
Date: February 27, 2025
Venue: Wellmont Theatre
Location: Montclair, NJ
Set One: Crushing > Bullet, Don’tcha Know, Little Miss Cup, Half Empty > Giants, Skitchin' Buffalo, Silver Sun
Set Two: Rebubula > Big World > Ricky Marten, Brittle End, Tailspin, Opium > Rebubula
Encore: No Rain1
Notes: 1. Blind Melon
Show Notes: Vinnie Set-list, Walk on music: Woke Up This Morning by Alabama 3
