Mind you, I'm a former Dave Matthews Band fanatic whose life was 100% engulfed in everything "Dave." Posters, concerts, road trips, AIM screen names, email addresses, wardrobe - it was an obsession that bordered on addiction. I traded (legal) bootleg copies of concerts, first on tapes (MaxellXLII 90's were the standard) then CDR's. To my mother's relief, being addicted to a rock band whose stand out musician plays the violin, I guess things could have been worse. Right?
Much like my food palette,
my musical tastes have (thankfully) expanded over the years and Dave and Co. now find stiff competition on my ipod. But every once in a while, it's good to go back re-live the good old days - predicting the next song based on the instruments the guys are holding, or hoping for the Recently intro to be On Broadway, or keeping fingers crossed that an oldie but goodie is pulled out of the archives (which happened tonight). Dave remarked throughout the night, "Who kicks off their tour at Madison Square Garden?" And it's true. The greats have all played here. Billy Joel's name hangs from the rafters. Hell, Dave shared the stage with the Godfather of Soul in 2002. There's something magical about the building that brings a different energy out of the crowd and tonight was no different.
I've seen my share of DMB shows (20+) and I continue to have respect for a group that goes out night after night and puts on a solid show while having fun. The band has toured every year since '92, and it's the driving force behind their success. Their new album out in June will be their first in seven years.
Highlights included new material from the upcoming album, including a great first single in Funny The Way It Is. Classics like Two Step and #41 continue to evolve, while songs that have been shelved for years made a boisterous comeback. Oh yeah, Gregg Allman joined the band on stage too. All in all, this DMB
Next up - tomorrow's show at the
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