Dave Matthews Band stormed West Palm Beach

I’ve never been to a bad Dave Matthews Band show. I’ve just been to really good ones.

Saturday’s show at West Palm Beach was the night of jams. Was it for LeRoi? Was it for the new album? Or was it just because Dave, Boyd, Stefan, Carter, and Tim — yes, Tim Reynolds: for the entire set — fed off the crowd and each other’s energy? That type of energy you can’t manufacture. That energy comes with near 20 years of playing together; that compatibility comes with founding members as still current members 18 years of their first show — a feat that few bands can achieve; that passion comes with overwhelming respect for other band mates’ ability on their instrument of choice.

That energy makes a good band.

This wasn’t a concert for the fair-weather fan. This wasn’t a concert for newbies. This was a concert for those that have stuck by the band through solo albums, standard studio albums, and founding member’s deaths. This was a concert thanking those fans with 20-minute jam sessions of So Much to Say, Cornbread, Lie in Our Graves, and Two Step.

Boyd Tinsley set the tone for the night with violin skills I didn’t know existed in Warehouse. Carter Beauford took it to the next level when he kicked in the all-too-familar beats of Ants Marching. But, I’ve never seen a group of people more happy than when Tim and Stefan killed it during Crush.

It didn’t even matter that we spent more time in the 8-hour, roundtrip carride than we did in the actual concert itself. It didn’t even matter they played a 3-hour set when he could have played for 6 — the crowd wouldn’t have even noticed. It didn’t even matter that a small hurrcaine pummeled through south Florida Saturday night and the entire lawn resembled one giant poncho.

In fact, I think it made it better.

Funny the way it is…

After picking up my two friends, coworkers, and carpoolers Tuesday to make our daily pilgrimage to Ocala for work, the passanger turned my way, grabbed my iTrip and plugged into her iTouch claiming she had a surprise for me. I instantly knew what it was; today wasn’t just Tuesday, it was Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King release day, a day other DMBers have been looking forward to for four years. I was pumped when “Grux” came on cooing out a saxophone solo that could only be from LeRoi Moore (the band was in their initial recordings when LeRoi died in August 2008, and while they don’t mention which songs he played on, it was unmistakeable that this was him) and made a side-swap comment that I had to run to pick up the CD after work.

If I hadn’t been driving, the breaks would have been slammed.

I gunned onto I-75 while the two of them gawked at me like I was in a side ponytail and legwarmers, followed by a rather, ghastly “You still buy, CDs?” when I knew what they really meant: “What the hell? Download it from iTunes when we get to work, and don’t waste your time and money on something that’s going to break in a year, anyway.”

The iTouch owner was a designer no less, and I was banking on her backing me up as a Dave fan, but moreover as a fanatic of good design. (She did later admit she would probably buy this CD to complete her collection.)

But I’m emotionally invested in this band. And moreover, I’m a firm believer that you can’t fully appreciate music without that CD case. Sure, with iTunes you get that cover artwork, but you lose that physical aspect of checking out all the crevices while the music plays in the background. (I realize I do sound like 65-year-old man pining over his lost vinyls, but bare with me, OK?) And with this album, adorned in an original sketch by Dave memorializing his friend and bandmate, you walk away with such a greater appreciate for what the band is getting across with the ablum. It’s like that first cigarette after a couple of beers: that one rush of nicotine just takes your buzz to a whole new level. You get such a better high with that visual image.

Rolling Stone posted some great videos of the band talking about the new album and their good, good friend LeRoi in preparation of the music coma I was self-inducing myself into later. When I got home from work, I gave Big Whiskey my first full run-through, and it really is the GrooGrux to say the least.

Watch the videos, you’ll understand.

Dave Matthews Band Summer 2009 Tour

I love February. And not just for the fact that winter is finally over in Florida and we’re back to enjoy 70 degree weather.

Every February Dave Matthews Band releases their summer tour dates. It’s like clockwork. Right around the time when I need to renew my membership on Warehouse, an e-mail pops up in my inbox announcing the next strand of tour dates.

This summer will mark my 11th Dave Matthews Band show (Call me obsessive, fine, but you haven’t lived until you’ve seen them live). Last year was pretty incredible because his Atlanta show fell on my 21st birthday, so it’ll be hard to top. But this year is a big year for Dave. With their first studio album in four years coming out June 2, it’s going to be a different kind of tour. I’m always hesitant about seasoned bands touring a new album, because obviously you want them to play the songs that got you hooked—Crush, Satellite, Two Step, Ants Marching, you know, the songs that embody everything the band is—but the band will most likely be promoting their new stuff. And I’m always down to groove to something different, as long as few throwbacks are tossed in the middle.

But I’m even more curious about who’s going to replace LeRoi Moore on sax since he passed last August after an ATV accident. It’s eerie thinking he’s not going to be on that stage. For the 18 some years that DMB has been touring, the band hasn’t shuffled through a slew of members. For the most part, it’s always just been Dave, Stefan, Boyd, Carter and LeRoi. (Minus the beginning 3 years when Peter Griesar was on keyboards.) And it’s rare to say that the the majority of founding members of a band are still playing together almost 20 years later. I am pumped that Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is going to stick with the band on sax through the summer tour and future projects.

But, here are the dates:

DATE	CITY	VENUE	SUPPORT
05/27/09	Darien Center, NY	Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center	Robert Randolph & The Family Band
05/29/09	Boston, MA	TBA	TBA
05/30/09	Boston, MA	TBA	TBA
06/05/09	Hartford, CT	New England Dodge Music Center	Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/06/09	Hartford, CT	New England Dodge Music Center	Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/09/09	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Molson Amphitheatre	Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/10/09	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Parc Jean Drapeau	Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/12/09	Saratoga Springs, NY	Saratoga Performing Arts Center	The Hold Steady
06/13/09	Saratoga Springs, NY	Saratoga Performing Arts Center	The Hold Steady
06/16/09	Cincinnati, OH	Riverbend Music Center	The Hold Steady
06/17/09	Maryland Heights, MO	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	The Hold Steady
06/19/09	Burgettstown, PA	Post-Gazette Pavilion	The Hold Steady
06/20/09	Burgettstown, PA	Post-Gazette Pavilion	The Hold Steady
07/18/09	East Troy, WI	Alpine Valley Music Theatre	Umphrey’s McGee
07/19/09	East Troy, WI	Alpine Valley Music Theatre	Umphrey’s McGee
07/21/09	Wantagh, NY	Nikon at Jones Beach Theater	Old Crow Medicine Show
07/22/09	Wantagh, NY	Nikon at Jones Beach Theater	Old Crow Medicine Show
07/24/09	Hershey, PA	Hersheypark Stadium	Jason Mraz
07/28/09	Clarkston, MI	DTE Energy Music Theatre	Old Crow Medicine Show
07/29/09	Cuyahoga Falls, OH	Blossom Music Center	Old Crow Medicine Show
07/31/09	Noblesville, IN	Verizon Wireless Music Center	Hill Country Revue
08/01/09	Noblesville, IN	Verizon Wireless Music Center	Hill Country Revue
08/04/09	Syracuse, NY	Alliance Bank Stadium	Donovan Frankenreiter
08/05/09	Bethel, NY	Bethel Woods Center for the Arts	Donovan Frankenreiter
08/07/09	Virginia Beach, VA	Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater	Donovan Frankenreiter
08/08/09	Bristow, VA	Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge	Donovan Frankenreiter
08/12/09	Tampa, FL	Ford Amphitheatre	Robert Earl Keen
08/14/09	West Palm Beach, FL	Cruzan Amphitheatre	Robert Earl Keen
08/15/09	West Palm Beach, FL	Cruzan Amphitheatre	Robert Earl Keen
08/29/09	San Francisco, CA	TBA	TBA
08/30/09	Fresno, CA	Save Mart Center	TBA
09/01/09	West Valley City, UT	USANA Amphitheatre	Yonder Mountain String Band
09/04/09	George, WA	Gorge Amphitheatre	G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/05/09	George, WA	Gorge Amphitheatre	G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/06/09	George, WA	Gorge Amphitheatre	G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/12/09	Chula Vista, CA	Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre	Switchfoot
09/13/09	Irvine, CA	Verizon Wireless Amphitheater	Switchfoot
09/19/09	Scranton, PA	Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain	TBA
09/22/09	Camden, NJ	Susquehanna Bank Center	Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/23/09	Camden, NJ	Susquehanna Bank Center	Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/25/09	Des Moines, IA	Principal Park	Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/26/09	Tinley Park, IL	First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre	TBA
09/29/09	Little Rock, AR	Dickey-Stephens Park	TBA
09/30/09	Kansas City, MO	Sprint Center	TBA
10/02/09	Tulsa, OK	BOK Center	TBA

I’ll probably head to West Palm Beach for the Aug. 15 show, although I secretly hope to be making enough money to make it the the Gorge. I’ve yet to make out there (It’s tough to fly across the country for a concert when you’re a poor, starving college student), and I’m really not serving my duty as a devoted fan and music lover if I haven’t seen a show there. Cause c’mon, check out the view:

There’s a strong possibility that I would see God if I went to that concert.

In double digits

I remember turning 10. I thought it was my biggest accomplishment to date. Double digits. I was no longer a child. Unfortunately, a family friend hit 30 so my meager birthday was slightly out shadowed, but it was still a big deal to me.

Last night was big.

Not only was it the 21st anniversary of the glorious day of my birth (Ta-Da!) but I’m finally in double digits on seeing Dave Matthews Band live.

It was monumentous, life changing even.

OK, life changing may be a bit extreme. Last year in Gainesville, he played an extraordinary set list, comparable to that he played in Red Rocks in 1995. And I have yet to see him play at The Gorge in Washington state (currently topping my list of Things To Do Before I’m 30), which I’m sure is one hell-of-a-show, if not for the set list than the view itself.

I am a bit bummed though because the Atlanta show fell at a really bad time (other than the fact that it was on my 21st birthday) in his show series. He played Rothbury on July 5 and totally rocked the place out as expected. The only song missing that would’ve topped off the show was Crush, which is why last year in Gainesville is so high on my list. And I’m sure the guys are still hurting over having saxophonist LeRoi Moore hospitalized about a week ago from an ATV accident.

All in all, awesome show. Tim Reynolds was even on the guitar, and a Dave and Tim combo is pretty unstoppable. But I’m a fanatic, so it’s safe to assume that this post is a bit biased.