On what started out as a terribly rainy evening, the storms let up just in time as the band emerged onto the stage. After recently releasing Stand Up many fans wondered just how well the tracks from the latest album would sound when being played live, and after hearing the nine (yes, nine) songs that were played during the course of the set, Daveheads have plenty to be excited about. The band started out with "One Sweet World," which really got the energy amongst the crowd going, as it is one of their earlier songs. However, after following that up with "Grey Street"--an often-played, but always welcome song--eight of the next thirteen songs all came from their latest release, a number obscenely high for DMB, and also for many other established artists. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, as a matter of fact, it was great to see the members so enthusiastic about the new material rather than referring to their older songs and more "safe" choices, not to mention that most of the highlights were in fact from the newer songs they performed. Among the highlights was the surprise cover of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" which was truly outstanding and played with such precision that it would seem as if the band had been playing it for years, and also "Hello Again" which featured some incredibly intricate work from the drummer Carter Beauford. "All Along the Watchtower" and "Warehouse," while both relative standards, were also very well-done, especially with Butch Taylor (keyboard) seeming to have gained a great deal of confidence in working with the band both on solos as well as even singing. The encore of the show was a bit uneven, as after the dynamic and thrilling "Watchtower" which really had the crowd in a frenzy the band came back out to play "Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)," a song, while amazingly breezy and fun, seemed a bit out of place in this part of the setlist. The conclusionary "Tripping Billies" was nothing short of astounding and truly showcased (as always-- the song was almost specifically written for him) Boyd Tinsley's skills on the violin and left everyone leaving the Tweeter Center feeling happy even if most were still soaking wet. For those that do have tickets at the Alpine shows, you should be in for one hell of a concert, as the only thing truly keeping anything away from DMB tonight was it's notoriously shoddy acoustics.
★★★★★
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