Picture Show: moe.down 9 @ Snow Ridge

Swampadelica got the nod on Saturday with the lead vocalist Nadine LaFond later joining moe. on the main stage twice that day. The PMG were up next and surprised fans when they turned the stage over to the moe. side project, HaHa the Moose. The Brew, closed the tent in style on Saturday, playing multiple sets, including a killer tribute to their hometown of Boston with the hit single, Long Time. Sunday had the tent grooving to a funkier sound with Lynch, (who also joined moe. on the main stage) The Bridge, and The Macpodz all bringing a blend of horns and at times dirty southern sounds to the tent.

The main stage brought home the different influences and diverse tastes of the five members of moe. from The Band legend Levon Helm, who has been inspiring drummers for decades, to mid ’90s rockers The Presidents of the United States of America. The Presidents brought the MTV generation screaming along to hits like Lump, Peaches, and their spot on cover of Video killed the Radio Star.

When looking at moe.down line-ups, past and present, you begin to realize that you are getting a personal iPod party mix: a careful blend of old and new, rock, funk and even hip-hop, to really get you grooving. Fishbone, a ska-based funky act that had the entire mountain remember great summers gone by with their Sublime covers, while fans calling out for some “Kick ass Blue grass” got their choice of Yonder Mountain String Band, Cornmeal and a slightly different take on the standard sound with The Sparrow Quartet featuring Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck. Those looking for something a little fresher could check out American Babies and Benevento/ Russo Duo, the latter taking improv to a new level with the band joking that they were just making songs up as their set went along.

But of course the band that brought the fans out couldn’t be outdone at their own show. moe. put on an impressive six sets over the weekend building progressively better each night to the final crescendo. Between calling up friends from the Duo and Cornmeal, to switching places with Fishbone, the band switched gears constantly and effortlessly. Every chapter in the cannon was represented from the rarely played Funky Reuben to fan favorite Roll as well as quite a few songs off the most recent album, including, Queen of Everything, All Roads Lead to Home and Darkness. There was even a stealth HaHa the Moose set thrown in on the main slope after most of the fans had retired late Saturday evening. The family-infused weekend wouldn’t have been complete without a guest appearance by all the kids with singing and an air-guitar playing mini-Rob during Captain America.

It was the final set on Sunday however that really had fans fixated on the stage, from the disco ball lighting, to the George sandwich (set II: George > Happy Hour Hero^ > Recreational Chemistry, New York City > George > Roll > Plane Crash) moe. ended the weekend beautifully. As always the band had to make sure they had a little fun too. During the end of Plane Crash, Rob carried a cardboard Homer Simpson to the front of the stage and then strapped his bass onto the life size cutout as Homer “helped” him finish playing out the set. After the official fireworks had ended, the band cleared the stage of friends and family, stood arm and arm together with an acapella version of the Monty Python tune Always Look On The Bright Side of Life the crowd sang the band off the stage.

With moe.’s future looking somewhat uncertain at points during the summer (they have since released a date with FarmAid as well as the promise that moe.down 10 is already in the works) there were rumblings that this might be the Coventry of moe. world. Fortunately, besides a few bittersweet words from Al Schnier, “the music may go away but the friends you have made will always be there” the comparison ended there. This was a weekend to celebrate, listen to old favorites and new up-and-coming bands while relaxing with friends in the sunshine…that’s right finally a festival without rain! And finally in election news… This year was a tight race, in fact a cheering recount was necessary to determine the win as Bacon campaigned hard all weekend long but in the end Tits’n’Whiskey won the title of mayor of moe.down! Congrats to all the candidates and best of luck next year.