Tanida S.
Breathtaking, amazing, awe inspiring.  That's all I can say about The Gorge, located in George, Washington.  This ubervenue is located 143 miles east of Seattle.  Only the first 100 miles are scenic, with mountains and valleys galore. Once you're past Yakima, it's pretty dry and as I was driving to The Gorge I was thinking to myself, "Oh God...what have I gotten myself into?"  Once I exited off 143 there was a four mile winding drive the the amphitheater itself.  I looked around and thought, what the hell could possibly be out here, but when I pulled into the grassy field my heart leaped as I saw the view before me.  The amphitheater itself is perched on a cliff which overlooks the gorge below that is creviced by the Columbia River. Those blessed to see the beauty of this place will never forget it.  Excitement welled in me as I looked forward to the nights activities. Los Lobos was the opener for the guys and I will openly admit, I only knew one song, and that was from the movie, "La Bamba". :) However, I was nonetheless stoked to hear them.  Right on time at 8:00 p.m, they took the stage and I have to say, their music drives the soul and makes your feet do their own thing.  Even when they played a polka of sorts, people around were dancing away. Their music is almost spiritual to hear. They ended their time with Dave joining in on their version of the Motown classic, "What's Going On".  Incredible indeed and unfortunately they were on so briefly.  The change over time was unbelievably fast and soon the crowd roared as the band took to the stage. 1. Best of What's Around- What can be better than 22,000 fans dancing and enjoying a song together.  Friends all around it was a sight to see.  Tonight for sure promised to be "only better than the best"... 2.  Two Step- This song is so catchy, no matter how many times you hear it on the radio.  It was a very tight, cohesive number for the band and when Body was plucking, his notes hung in the air like magic. 3. Lie In Our Graves (w/Los Lobos)- Amazing jam with them.  Everyone in my row was dancing together like we were all the closest of buddies.  It's wonderful to see complete strangers bond together with music, a sight that makes you wonder why people can't get along better. 4.  Jimi Thing (w/Los Lobos)- Excellent Jam!  I say it easily lasted ten minutes or more.  One of my favorite songs, and the boys made it all the more memorable.  They were on fire with this one. 5. The Song That Jane Likes- I adore this song and Dave provided a nice little intro to his younger sister.  Definetly a feel good song. 6.  #41-  Oh, this is one of my favorites and a  painfully beautiful song. The guys played this one so incredibly. This crowd was so different from the ones I was used to at The World Music Theater in Tinley Park, IL where everyone and their mother is singing at the top of their lungs off key.  Here, it was low key or lip synched. It was a very subtle background to Dave's utterly amazing voice.  Leroi, the virtuoso that he is, made your blood rush which each note he played.  It's an amazing feeling when music draws goosebumps to the skin and the breath out of you and those around. 7.  Say Goodbye- Oh...yeah, it's a mushy song of star crossed lovers.  As soon as Carter began we all knew and smiled.  Dave, the ever unpredictable lyricist had another version to offer us and Leroi's notes carried so crisply through the night air that it flowed throughout the amphitheater. 8.  Minarets-  Dave's segue was all that was needed to get all of us rilled up.  I love that trill he does in the beginning!  When he sings, "What you see, what you see, what you see is human...."  hard to believe when you hear them play that song. 9.  Typical Situation- The gorge below echoed the song majestically.  My senses were reeling with this one and indeed we had to all agreed that, "everybody's happy, everybody's free..."  It was magical to hear everyone sing with Dave to this.  For those that have never heard an extended version of this song, you have no idea what you are missing.  Boyd and Dave were incredible,  the chemistry between them on this one was pure awe to watch. 10.  Dancing Nancies- I would not want to have been anyone other than me last night. :)  As Dave got to the part, "...look up at the sky..." we all pointed at the gorgeous starry canvas above us. 11. Warehouse- Another personal favorite.  The dynamic sounds of the song and the amphitheater contributed to the warmth of the tune and surrounded us in unbelievable music.  12.  Crash- Okay, even thoug this song is played a lot, it doesn't matter when you hear it live.  Even all the lovey dovey couples didn't bother me.  It was actually sweet to look around and see people hugging to it.  Yeah...I'm a romantic at heart.  I was bowled over by this one last night and I can't even describe why, it was the moment, the mood the crowd and the band. 13.  So Much To Say- Yep...that says it all about this one. 14.  Too Much -  Dave Matthews has got an incredible growl, I've got to give the man that much! :)  Even though it is no surprise to hear Boyd, Carter and Leroi play impeccably live, this one still blew my mind.   15.  Trippin' Billies-  Everyne was so in tune with each other and Boyd was utterly phenomenal with this one.  Dave said his goodbyes and the boys left the stage.  People around me were chanting for the guys to return for an encore. 16.  New Song-  Incredibly beautiful and I've been told it was named, "Weight of the World" and has changed titles various times,and now is listed as NewOne on the setlist.  It is amazing what Dave can do with his voice.  Only Carter and Stefan were on for this one and it was very low key to Dave. 17.  Ants Marching-  I guess there is only one way to end their show, and this is the song to do it with.  Whenever you hear Carter's intro, you know with sweet sorrow that all good things must come to an end, even when the night is perfect. LAST WORDS.... I don't think I've ever danced that much for that long and it felt incredible!  There's something that takes over the soul when you catch the Dave Matthews Band live that words cannot express.  Davespeak was minimal for the night, with a comment about Washingtonians.   "Where I'm from, when you say, 'How are you today?', people answer with, 'How are YOU today?'.  Here, when you ask, 'How are you today?' they say, 'I'm fine, and yourself?'.  I don't know what to  say!  Catches me off guard man!"  Ah...the many conflicts of geographical salutations huh? :)  Needless to say, he was fond of the warmth of the people and the beauty of the amphitheater.  With a final salutation at the end and thanks to the band, road crew and of course the crowd, a request of our visit to the Greenpeace booth ended the night as the guys said their goodbyes.  Indeed, the memories I have of the concert will be with me for a long time, it was a perfect way to end their brief tour this summer.  Submitted by Christa Vandeberg This show was truly amazing! This being me and my friends first time at The Gorge, we were blown away by the setting of this venue. It was definitely worth the eight hour drive. (and the unexpected purchase of two new tires) The sun was setting, the moon was rising and the stars began to shine. The sound, surprisingly enough, was the best I have heard from an outdoor venue. The band truly rocked! It's so nice to see such energy put into each song by a band that has been on the road for so long. For anyone that has not been able to catch The Dave Matthews Band, be sure to catch them or if anything, see a show at The Gorge in George! Submitted by Jeff Davis The Gorge is the greatest place ever to see a concert and I saw DMB there last summer there with the HORDE festival. Last year, Dave said, "this place is so beautiful it blows my f***ing little mind" and commented again this year on the scenery. It's a 7 hour drive for me and is out in the middle in nowhere in Central Washington but is definitely worth it. The best show I've ever seen by far. Although the setlist was similar to what it was the night before in Portland, still was great. Only a few comments since it it's similar to the Portland show: BOWA: probably the best opening song they have and sounded better than ever Two Step: sounded even better tonight and Carter on the drums is unreal Song That Jane Likes: great in concert and was really hoping for this one Minarets: don't like this song much but if did, you got a great version of it Tripping Billies: i much prefer ending the main set with this than with the SMTS--->Too Much combo. Great way to go out before coming back. LMP: was hoping I'd like it more but didn't- best part is, "this land is you land...etc" i knew it was coming but the crowd was completely quiet, not knowing at all what it was. for the long-time fans, the growth in popularity has taken away from the Dave concert experience because of that ever annoying radio crowd who only now those songs coming across the airwaves and are dumbfounded with the old material (#36, Granny, Help Myself, Blue Water Baboon Farm, etc.) Ants Marching: disappointed with the same encore but was expected. wanted them to go back to the June shows and finish with DIDO instead and play Ants earlier. Also thought that with it being the last entire band show, might throw in an extra song but wasn't to be. Excited to hear announcements on the next tourdates and if the band is headed for the studio soon. Dave just keeps getting better and better! Submitted by A, C & M This was BY FAR the best concert we have ever been to. The setting was absolutely breathtaking and the music was even better. We were a little dissapointed in Los Lobos. However, that didn't stop us from being the first people in our row up and dancing. :) The band got quite an applause when they first came on. Everyone was so pumped to see Dave. We were hoping Dave would talk a little more because we love the way his voice sounds. but he kept it short. They started out with a bang, playing The Best of What's Around, and ya know I don't care how many times Crash Into me is played on the radio its a whole new story to see it live. That is a great song. We were hoping to hear Satellite or What Would You Say, but that's alright they played Lie in our Graves and Typical Situation I'd have to say that Ants Marching was a really good ending song. I had never before realized how talented Dave Matthews Band really is. I mean you hear them on the radio, Mtv or on cd, but you never really realize how talented they are until you see them play live. If I were to rate this concert on a scale from 1 to 10 ten being the best I would give them a 12. It was awesome. That is the only word that truly describes it. Oh yeah, I could hardly believe how many people were there. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! Truly AWESOME!!!!!!!!!