Show Review - moe. & Daniel Donato 7/17/24 Buffalo, NY

The Best.Summer.Ever. tour featuring moe. and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country stopped in Buffalo last night and delivered over three hours of excellent music and great vibes. The Outer Harbor venue is located at the waterfront away from downtown and boasts a spacious concrete-and-grass combination of GA standing area, making it easy for every fan to find a great spot to dance in.

Donato’s set kicked off at 7pm sharp as the sun dipped toward the horizon, his quartet leading off with the choogly “Broadside Ballad.” Their tight musicianship – and the “cosmic” side of things – was put on display in the ensuing “Hangman’s Reel,” a faster and dancier song with excellent interplay between Donato and keyboardist Sugar Legg.

“Translation” saw the first real foray into extended improv as the band hit some psychedelic bliss zones, uniquely augmented by bassist Will McGee’s upright work – not an instrument usually found in an electric and rocking jam like this.

Legg strapped on his guitar and McGee switched to electric bass as the former fronted the band on “Got My Mojo Workin’.” This cover featured an absolutely incredible funk jam in the second half with Donato working some grimy octave-down effects over Legg’s wah rhythm playing.

“Gotta Get Southbound” appropriately featured some Allman Brothers-esque licks from Donato as the quartet showcased their amazing vocal harmonies. On the set-closing “Two Hills,” drummer Will Clark opened up his tight beats to give the music more space to breathe as the band hit into some very Grateful Dead-like themes, even hinting at “Dark Star” for a spell.

My first proper Cosmic Country show left me eager for more – while the country side of things isn’t really my thing, I’m very into what happens when Donato gets cosmic.

On this tour, moe.’s typical headlining two-set format has been condensed into one two-hour affair, and the sextet worked through a long list of songs including a couple of choice covers. Overall, the vibe was more mellow and psychedelic than I expected, the setlist seeming to focus on segues rather than big jams and peaks.

This wasn’t the case during the opening “Spaz Medicine,” as guitarist Al Schnier rocked through the tune ahead of an appropriate “Skitchin’ Buffalo,” showcasing keyboardist Nate Wilson’s versatility with an excellent flute solo around bassist Rob Derhak’s vocals. Guitarist Chuck Garvey then took over for some ripping work ahead of the song’s conclusion.

“Not Coming Down” saw Derhak engage in some vicious slap work as percussionist Jim Loughlin went off on congas. As the composition mellowed out, Wilson took a floaty Moog synth solo that bled smoothly into some colourful slide work from Garvey. Sticking to a major key from there, moe. seamlessly segued into an amazing rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Fearless.”

Schnier and Wilson’s harmonies shone on the cover as the crowd responded with excitement for the Floyd as the band segued smoothly into “Deep This Time” with Derhak back on lead vocals.

Wilson fronted “In Stride” before the band embarked on an ambitious sandwich that encompassed the remainder of the set, kicking off with “ZØZ.” Along with some excellent interplay between Schnier and Garvey, Loughlin flexed his xylophone chops through the beginning of “Kids.”

“Time Ed” embarked on the biggest improvisational journey of the night, kicking off with drummer Vinnie Amico and Loughlin taking a break on their own with some whirlwind playing before the rest of the band jumped in and slowed right down into a more exploratory zone. Derhak held down a steady pocket with the drums as Garvey leaned into some big volume swells, letting Wilson pepper in some excellent piano work.

Some guitar trading and another drum break led back into the ending of “Kids” before moe. snuck in a “Bearsong” at the end of the sandwich, getting the crowd involved with some “woo” action and letting Schnier go wild one last time, adding some vocalization along with his solo. Slamming back into the ending of “ZØZ,” the long set ended with raucous cheers from the crowd.

Returning for the encore, moe. welcomed Donato back to the stage for a lengthy cover of “Deal,” the Cosmic Country guitarist sharing solos with Garvey and Wilson as the good vibes of the Grateful Dead brought the night to the close.

The Best.Summer.Ever tour continues tonight in Cleveland Heights, OH – there are only a few more chances to catch this amazing double-bill before moe. heads west on their own next week. Two amazing bands, one amazing night!