moe.

moe. Plays Live Show On iPads

This past Memorial Day weekend, while headlining the annual Summercamp Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois, jam-band moe. wowed everyone as each member of the band set down their instrument, walked to the front of the stage, and without missing a beat, finished the song “Crab Eyes” completely on iPads. The festival had been video streaming their sets via iClips, and those of us watching the show from (in my case) 2000 miles away, had a front row seat to watch the groundbreaking jam unfold. It’s too bad iClips doesn’t have a teaser on their site, but you can click here to watch a snipped shot by a fan at the show. After a ripping first set where moe. showcased new original tune, “Smoke,” the band returned to the stage and opened their second set with “Crab Eyes.” The lights swirled, lasers cut through a dense haze rising from the crowd, balloons lilted across fan’s up-stretched arms; this was going to be a monster set. For the first nine or so minutes everything seemed conventional and then – bam – down went the instruments and out came the iPads. The jam never stopped and the transition from live instrumentation was seamless; almost eerie. The performance certainly blurred the line between live and recorded music. The New England quintet has always been a forward-thinking crew. They were one of the first groups to start their own festival with East Coast moe.down, held over each Labor Day weekend. moe. also offers fans the opportunity to purchase a live recording of the show they just attended on a thumb drive as they exit each venue! Worth noting in the classical world, pianist Lang Lang last year performed “Flight of the Bumblebee” during an encore at a San Francisco concert on an iPad. -Court