On the eleventh and twelfth of July Dave Matthews Band displayed why they could be named the greatest live show to be playing these days. The sounds that occupied the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach not only pleased your ears but your soul. With a new personal including guitar guru and close friend of the band Tim Reynolds adding echoing compliments to the band’s melodies and what one concertgoer exclaimed “the sting” the band has been missing the past few tours. Reynolds who played with the band on its album Before the Crowded Streets, has become the fan favorite of the tour so far. His abilities have erased almost all memories of Butch Taylor, the Band’s touring keyboardist who is not playing with the Band for the first time since 1998.
Trumpet player Rashawn Ross and Saxophonist Jeff Coffin were simply phenomenal whenever called upon belting out riffs that will get stuck in your head for days. Coffin, the regular saxophonist from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is no stranger to Dave Matthews and his band, regularly sitting in with the band to create some memorable moment such as epic half hour long renditions of #41 and though not as long great performances of Lie in Our Graves and Jimi Thing. But this weekend Coffin was filling in for DMB’s regular sax player Leori Moore who is ailing from an ATV accident that will sideline him for the rest of the summer tour. Lets be clear, Coffin was no fill in well but rather a perfect fit within the band’s unique horn section. He not only covered all of Moore’s former parts and solos but rather went above and beyond anything that Moore has ever done in a live performance that I have seen. Coffin not only had musical chemistry with the other performers but also stage chemistry, interacting with Reynolds, Matthews, and Beauford throughout the night, something that Moore never does. Ross, who has been playing trumpet with DMB since the winter 2005 tour has been outstanding since his debut increasing his load with the band steadily. Ross along with Coffin creates a completely unique sound that I have never heard at any of the other seven DMB shows that I have attended. Coffin throughout the weekend seems to have worn out Ross into submission. Coffin’s talent has raised Rashawn’s performance to the point where it can go no higher and simply, stamina-wise, cannot play any longer.
As the mugginess and heat filled the amphitheatre, the band took the stage with Seek Up, a quiet yet powerful way to open the show. Matthew’s never ending main riff lay the foundation for Reynolds, Coffin, and the rest of the band to show their skill straight from the beginning. Coffin and Rashawn traded solos after every measure or so, or simply soloed on top of each other to create a stunning sound for four minutes before Matthews quiet and simply guitar riff was the only thing left to accompany his vocal entrance to the show. The exit jam, which unsuccessfully tried to hide under Matthew’s screams, was a textbook DMB solo that featured violinist’s Boyd Tinsley steering the song to new heights with smooth and flowing playing. Proudest Monkey segued into Satellite kept the mood to a relaxed and chilled state while yet energizing the crowd. Proudest Monkey appealed to longtime fans while Satellite connected with the more “radio” fans. Reynolds added his first large solo of the evening during Monkey.
Ditching the slower songs behind, Cornbread, a cover of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, and a tour debut of Stay (Wasting Time) raised the tempo and provided the band to showcase the wide variety of their talents. Cornbread, which is on its second summer tour, is quickly becoming a fan favorite. With a southern sound, Beauford’s beats are overshadowed by Dave’s relentless scatting, rapping, and quite ridiculous yet memorable dancing while Reynolds continues to wail through the verse and solo. Sledgehammer did not sound like a cover but rather a track of a vintage DMB album while Stay got the crowd involved especially during the outro with Matthews, Beauford, and Ross all singing together. It is always hard to point out a weak spot in DMB’s sets but Matthew’s piano ballad Out of My Hands was clearly the low point if you were to dare call it that.
With Out of My Hands behind them, the band began one of the most classic runs ever preformed this tour. You Might Die Trying featuring a Reynolds, and horn solo should expel all negative thoughts about the song because of what album it was released on. The unfair bias placed on this song because it was on the disappointing Stand Up album is ridiculous and judging by the amount of fun the band had playing this song on stage, it does make you smile. The quiet opening chords of Drive in Drive Out were answered by monstrous and bolstering sounds from all members of the band in a rusty but successful attempt to bring the song back from 751 day hiatus. Dave’s lyrics including “
I’m about to make up a new god and have a funky tea party of my own” demonstrates the powerful tones while displaying his comfort about singing about important issues such as religion. Sugar Will, another song “liberated” was recently played for the first time in over 1000 days demonstrates the musical diversity of the band.
The highlight of the night is awarded to a magnificent performance of #41. The band displayed its ability to out due them. You go to concerts and hope to leave with a moment as special as this one. Coffin and Ross included a Soujourn of Arjuna interpolation and along with every member of the band created a symphony that you wish you could hear over and over again. Instead of playing the usual Everyday outro that goes along with #41 the band segued straight into Everyday. The crowd felt the energy and joined the band singing the famous “Honey Honey come and dance with me” during the intro. Jimi Thing followed and kept the energy high as each performer took their time to solo. Another unusual segue of Grey Street into Ants Marching ended the main set.
So Damn Lucky, normally played as Dave and Tim song, featured the whole band and a lengthy Reynolds solo outro. The audience was blessed with a perfect Two Step and Beauford solo to end the night. A great setlist, and energy from the band provided a memorable night for Dave fans.
Download the Show: http://www.antsmarching.org/forum/showthread.php?t=224941
Set List
Seek Up
Proudest Monkey ...>
Satellite
Corn Bread
Sledgehammer
Stay
Out of My Hands
You Might Die Trying
Drive In Drive Out
Sugar Will
#41
Everyday
Jimi Thing
Grey Street
Ants Marching
Encore:
So Damn Lucky
Two Step
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