Chris C.
This was one strange show. A ton of things went wrong and a lot went right. It started off very nicely with an old show feel. #41 was great and sounded like it usually does live. OSW's intro was nice- I hadn't heard it in a while. I was surprised that Too Much was played as early as it was, and Jimi Thing was really slow. Dave had a solo in the jam, but the crew didn't have the electric sounding effects on the guitar like they did last summer. It was a pure acoustic sounding solo. Help Myself was a (pleasant) surprise for me,but a ton of people sat down for this one. Say goodbye was standard, and Dave changed up the lyrics a litle bit. DDTW was the let down of the concert for me. I'm sick of this song- studio, live, you name it. Then came a bright point. The Long Black Vail was great. A nice sounding song acoustic on the Johnny Cash tribute, the band really adds to it and it sounds like a concert classic. Then, Pig came. I had never heard pig live before, so I was excited. Then, after the "look here are we on this stary night.." verse, dave started playing the chorus rather than the lead in to the chorus and everything started going nuts. Dave tried to figure out where he was, but the band feeds off of Dave, so they were lost. Stephan saved them and finished the bass line to the lead in and tried to start Dave in the right direction for the chorus. He recovered, but couldn't get the words or the tune right. It was the worst and longest flub I'd ever heard them make. It sounded hideous. Of course, not many people noticed, but I was surprised as hell. After the song, Carter and dave were cracking on eachother, and Dave shook his head in disgust as he finished up the last few chords. Two step was next and was an easy remedy for the rescue. Dave had another mini solo as Carter has cooked up another variance to jam to at the end of the song. Very nice. Dave started to sing recently, but either the mic was off or he choked w hen he began to sing the first lines. He played a little more and then began again. Then, it appeared Carter got a nose bleed when Recently got going, and he recovered for the jam that wasn't to be. Recently ended for what looked like a Water-Wine jam, but Dave faded it into Lover. OK. A loud one and then two encores, right? Nope. TLS was next and it was loud and there was a little confusion in there in communication. Maybe the guys were getting unsure of themselves? Then came Typical, one of the best I've ever heard. They brought out an extended happy jam, and the quiet ending faded into Warehouse, the finale. Very standard and very good. Everyone stood up for Crash and had a good sing as they did with a very very spirited Ants. The show ended on a great note- Ants continues to be a great closer. The venue was pretty good, the crowd was well behaved and for the most part quiet. Leroi was the highlight. He sounded very good, and his solos have improved a ton (no that they were bad). Anyway, this is way too long. Bye now.

Jeff B.
OK, everyone that was there knows that this was an unreal show...but for those of you who were not...here ya go. Highlights were #41 as an opener...Jimi Thing (just always sooo cool)...Say Goodbye (killer opening jam with Roi and Carter)...Pig (nuff said)...Recently (short but still very cool)...Warehouse (big suprise!)...Ants (did you know Boyd plays on this song?? hehehe) Anyway, its was good to hear some new jams emerging as well as a varied setlist. I swear Boyd will be in a neck brace before the tour is over if they keep playing Ants :-Þ This could be the best show of the tour!?!

Larry F.
We'll I just got back from the show and I was in the front row which would make any show great, but this show was incredible. #41 was a great opener and was jammed out for a while. One Sweet world looong intro Dave kept motioning and telling Leroi to keep playing it was a great song. Jimi thing was great Dave played a little Lead part it was new and great. Say goodbye had a great Drum and flute jam and a bunch of lyric changes. Before Long Black Veil Dave and Carter started to play this little bluegrass jam and thn stopped and stared LBV it was good with the whole band and Leroi had a little jam in it. Two Step was the best I've ever heard they did a false ending and Dave did a little solo in it TWo Step lasted for 15 minutes. After the Recently intro Dave stepped up tp the mic and fooled everone and acted like he was going to start singing but didn't and then stepped back and started laughing. Recently was only the first verse and then Boyd left the stagefor some reason and it was jammed into Lover. Leroi had a sweet long solo in Lover it was a nice treat. I always like the Last Stop and this one didn't disappoint. Typical was a nice jammed out version with a sweet flute and drum jam and at the end Dave startrd this little guitar riff that sounded lik e it was going to be seek up but then the Warehouse riff appeared out of nowhere. Warehouse was amazing as usual and a nice closer. As for the encore Crash well enough said. Ants was Incredible a little call and response in the intro and then they ripped it up. Boyd wasn't featured much at this show but he had a 5 minute jam in Ants that was unbelievable. He was all over the stage he danced his was right in front of me which was between Dave and Stefan he was right on the edge of the stage dancing back and forth. He shredded his bow to nothing. He ended up face to face with Leroi and they finished the show. I'll tell you I was blown away. The band had so much fun they were all dancing and smiling the whole time. Carter beat the hell out of his drums and he must of splintered 20 drum sticks throughout the show. The 8 hours of driving was well worth it and I cant wait for Clevland. Great show boys.

S. R.
What can I say, but AWESOME!!...I don't think you can go to a Dave concert and be bummed out though. The band seemed to have so much energy last night and Dave said he was feeling really good. I had third row middle in front of the stage and I was blown away!..#41 was awesome I believe that is the most beautiful song. The Jimi Thing jam must have went on for 10 to 15 minutes and Roi was great. Carter's drum solo before Say Bye was plain awesome as usual. I was excitedto hear a great Help Myself!the new song of Jonny Cash, Long Black Veil sounded great I love that they are doing that, its a pretty song. Two Step was interesting with a very long jam that was new and Lover Lay down was very beautiful. Pretty much a Awesome show and I can't wait till july 31st in Raleigh, NC. I have 2nd row and backstage passes so I can't wait!!!!!

Justin
The show began amazingly with #41. couldn't ask for a better opener. it got the crowd really into the atmosphere and Dave even stated how much energy was in the air. they kept it going by playing an excelllent One Sweet World and a high energy Too Much. Jimi Thing followed and they have added a tremendous jam that Dave just went nuts on. They took pieces of trhe jams they did with Tim from the last tour and adapted themselves. It was excellent. Say Goodbye was fine as well as Help Myself and Done Drink The Water. Long Black Veils is the Cash song played at the tribute by Dave and was a fine addition to the setlist. It has a very catchy tune. Pig then followed for a nice surprise and then came Two Step. This Two Step is the same trhing as Jimi Thing, they took several parts of the jam with Tim and Bela and adapted themselves. Recently was next and they stopped at the jam part and Dave did a few rifts and then went into Lover Lay Down. Last Stop was a usual crowd upper. Typical Situation jammed into Warehouse was a pleasant way to end the show. The first song in the encore was Crash and as usual every female voice in the crowd overpowered Dave's. Here is my favorite part of the show. I hadn't heard Ants since 6-16-97 and I have been to 15 shows since then. And finally I heard it. It got the crowd going and was a great way to end the show.

Chris B.
hey...8th dave show and one of the best as far as energy. only thing detracting from it was the civic center's priority on not letting anyone dance in the aisles. but everyone was on tonite...especially carter...he was just going OFF!!! roi seemed a bit off in the shadows and didnt jam as much, but hey. opening with #41 was a surprise...but as soon as carter started with that syncopated beat, the crowd went wild. followed by one sweet world, and i have to say that the instrumental intro (one sweet jam) is the best intro...so beautiful. jimi thing was unusually slow, was hard to get into...the song is great, but it's beginning to become an expected song at a show. the crowd let out a collective "huh?" when dave started playing help myself...i for one was dancing and gettin m'jam on. SAY GOODBYE...wow...amazing, the crowd was totally into it. i thought most that came to the dave shows were radio friendly people, but the crowd was singing and going psycho. again with the "huh?" when he played long black veil, but it sounds AMAZING with the whole band along. pig always sounds good live but the song that did it was two step. great new jam in the middle...dave's starting to solo on the guitar. the jam took me by total surprise though. a quick recently into lover lay down was a nice combination. last stop and picked up the energy while a SLAMMING typical situation carried it slowly. i was sitting down for the first time during this song, resting for the final few songs when all of a sudden they just broke the song down. WHAT A JAM! this song made the night for me, which was a huge surprise seeing as how i kind of grew out of it. then an amazing warehouse exploded the energy to end the first set. after a few minutes, the band returned with , crash into me. good song, but overplayed. the song that took me by surprise was ants marching...SICK SICK SIIIICK PERFORMANCE!! the whole crowd, regardless of the security keeping us out of the aisles started dancing everywhere...such a good vibe. and when boyd's solo came up...he went OFF. extended it to 3 times its length and approaching the front of the stage by the crowd. when it was over, nothing but energy. damn...oh yeah, went back stage and met dave...shared some of my whiskey with him and got him to sign both the bottle and my stub. the greatest thing? he smelled like s***!!!! I LOVED IT!!! see ya in p'burgh--starlake!!!

Jeff P.
Where do i start. Saw them fri, sat then sun at Charleston, front row might i ad!!! Fri and Sun were so intense, but Sun everyone was feeling it to the extreme, dave, the band and of course every person in the arena. Now for the review ;) Open with my favorite opener #41 (thanks dave) Right in the middle of it dave looked over and i signed i love you to him and he kind of stared for second, bobbing his head and gave me wink. Kinda saying thanks i took it as...Definately a moment for me. Then on to OSW w/ instrumentral outro, so beautiful! Next was Too Much and Jimi Thing, and then one of my favs. Help Myself, heard it the night before, i love that fuckin song!! Next was my all time fav...Quick Lay intro into Say Goodbye...2nd one this weekend. Dave rocks :) On to DDTW, awsome and then came Long Black Veil. He played all three nights which was incredible. The band is really getting a feel for that song, especially dave! He was so on tonight, truly lovin it. Ahhh and then Pig, i needed that! Two Step was sick but not as sick as Recently--->Lover...oh my god needede those too. Then they stopped for a second and they were messing around a bit teasing us with what seemed to be an intro for The Last Stop and my frien ds it was. I shit my pants!!! They went off!!! Then came Typical and Warehouse, good as always. To the encore...played Crash, such a sweet song and my fav closer Ants!!! This show got better and better and better (i think you get the idea) Got to hear so many songs for the first time live: Help, Say Goodbye (saw it once before w/ D&T), Recently and my favorite of the show, The Last Stop w/ reprise outro no less :) Such an incredible show and through the heavenly power of the warehouse, sitting front fuckin row. You gotta love life!!! Lates-jeff

Brad M.
One thing that any casual or non-fan would take from seeing a show from the Dave Matthews Band - these guys REALLY enjoy their work. From the opening nugget #41 (8:20 pm) to the raucous finale Ants Marching (11:10 pm), the band eventually succumbed to the necessity of rest. Having been a serious fan for only a year, my first DMB show opened up songs' doors that I didn't know existed. Dave and the fellas came out at 8:20, busted balls with each other for a minute or two, then launched into a stellar version of my personal favorite #41. They could have quit right after that song and I would have gone home a happy man. After jamming for a while, the band played One Sweet World, Too Much, and Jimi Thing before a great drum/flute prelude to another personal favorite - Say Goodbye. Apparently, the entire crowd shared my affection for this song as the energy was incredible during it. Help Myself, Don't Drink the Water and Long Black Veil followed. Although you veterans are uttering a collective , the difference between studio Dave and live Dave is unbelievable. I mean just about all of the forty or so bands that I've seen have been better live, but DMB takes it to an entirely different level. Put it this way, when we were leaving the parking lot, it was hard to listen to the studio music playing in the cd changer. Don't Drink the Water is the perfect example of the chasm between studio Dave and live Dave. Anyway, a solid rendition of Pig gave way to yet another personal favorite, 2-Step. THE highlight of the evening's performance. Lover Lay Down and an amped version of Last Stop gave way to Typical Situation. The band just did not want to quit playing during TS - "it all comes down to nothing". A great version of Warehouse and the fellas finally took a break. A couple of observances. Although I knew from reading some reviews that the band typically doesn't have a set-list, I never dreamed that the band would simply talk amongst themselves for a minu te or two, then just bust into the selected song. And it's not like the numbers haven't been rehearsed. I've been to louder concerts, but no concert has matched the clarity of volume that last night's show produced. Crash Into Me brought the band back out and Ants Marching closed things out. More observances. I'm not even a dancer but I couldn't help it last night - what a great beat produced by an INCREDIBLE drumming performance. Can't complain at all about the tune selection, after all I was afraid that #41 wouldn't be played. Would have liked to have heard Seek Up, Crush and The Stone. But I'm being greedy. Also, I don't own any DMB live tapes, but this will be my first. When are they typically made available? Please e-mail me with info.

Jared C.
The combination of the past two evenings was one of the best back-to-back performances I have ever been able to catch. Plus, I have to comment that the drive between Knoxville and Charleston is a very beautiful one, all country that I had previously never seen. Anyway, this was my favorite of the two, so I chose to submit a review for this night. The energy on the floor there was amazing, and the band kept increasing it all night. The start of the show with #41, OSW, and Too Much was more than I could have asked for, it was apparent that the band was going to play a far different set than the previous night. Not until Help Myself was something repeated, which is ok because this song only frequents a few tours anyways. Long Black Veil is amazing with Dave on vocals... I hope that this song sticks around. It seems to have replaced Beauty of Wynona, which I do not agree with... I sort of want them both. Pig in the setlist was pleasant, the song is kind of stagnant live, b ut still good to hear. Recently was shortened to less than five minutes. Typical Situation equipped with the jam was outstanding, and the encore of Ants was something that I needed desperately. It has been so long since I have heard that tune at the end of the night. What a show, and the Warehouse actually gives good seats... made for a great evening.