The energy coming off of the crowd in front of Revolution Live on Sunday night reverberated all throughout Himmarshee. It's hard not to be excited when you go to a moe. show. You know exactly what you're going to get -- blazing guitar solos, intricate bass lines, over-the-top unbelievable jams that take you on a mental journey, and a whole lot of vibraphone -- and it's always good.
See also: Moe.'s Jim Loughlin on Return Of the Jedi and the Vibraphone
It was almost 9 p.m. before the band took the stage, starting off strong with a near 20-minute version of "Timmy Tucker." A real groovy gem of a song which they took to incredible heights. After a few minutes of bouncy funk, guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier both launched into high-soaring simultaneous solos. And when right at the peak, they dragged us back down to earth with a cool reggae style jam. We grooved while our brains stayed in our skulls.
Next, the band brought out a handful of less intense tunes, slower songs that let the crowd sing and dance. Then the opening riffs of fan-favorite "Happy Hour Hero" hit, and calm time was over. Joyful shouts filled the club. Garvey uses a talk box on his guitar for a very enrapturing solo that just makes ya feel good inside. To close out the first set, they launched into "Wind-Up," a mallet heavy jam with really cool synth lines. The melody is almost haunting, until it kicks into a hopeful sounding chorus. To end it, the band moved into an almost King Crimson-type, prog jam that kept the crowd wanting.
And pretty humongous and eclectic crowd it was. Concert-goers were young and old, included hippies, frat boys, and professionals; every "type" was well-represented and tightly packed in. Luckily, Revolution has an amazing a/c system, and it was shockingly cold. The cool air knocked all the smoke quickly away from the audience, and we avoided the hot, sticky, tobacco-drenched environment usually encountered at a July concert in South Florida.
