Tuesday, July 4, 2006

Dave Matthews Band Live at Alpine Valley 7/1/06

Even without the strongest setlist, DMB still puts out the best performances money can buy.


Say what you'd like about Dave Matthews Band, there are many that love them and many that dislike them, but no matter where you stand there's one thing that should go unquestioned-- DMB is about as good as it gets when it comes to live performances. The opening night setlist suffered from a bit of inconsistency, particularly with the latter half of the set, but yet there were so many great moments during that time that it was hard for even the most discerning Davehead to fault it. The favorite of the new songs were played, that being "Kill The King," "Break Free" and "Sister," which was played only by Dave. Also, the new segway entitled "Can't Stop" (no relation to the Red Hot Chili Peppers song), which serves as an intro of sorts to "Crush" was played quite nicely in it's first relatively full-length rendition. Outside of the new stuff highlights included a rarely-seen "Pay For What You Get", and outstanding jams on both "Seek Up" and "Jimi Thing." Another crowd favorite was the "So Much To Say"->"Anyone Seen The Bridge?"->"Too Much" jam, the latter which had a brief Lil' Jon "YEAH! WHAT? OKAY!" vocals on the part of Dave Matthews (yeah, it's about as funny as what you're picturing I'm sure). All in all it was a very, very good show, I just wish I had tickets for night two as they definitely kicked it up an extra notch for that night. Overall though, the setlists this year have been incredibly exciting and really encouraging in terms of signaling a sense of where the band is going, especially given the addition of Rashawn Ross (from the Hip-Hop/Jazz outfit Soulive) at trumpet. If you can manage to get a ticket to one of the remaining shows this year, I'd say it's a must see. Otherwise, check back in the fall/winter, as they might sneak in a tour in between recording their upcoming album (due early next year).


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