Titos D.
The first big event of summer for me and my friends, there was a lot riding on this concert. It was my fifth dave show and I was looking for things that i had never heard and seen before, as well as an all around great show experience. To cut to the chase, the show was great; a few epic highs, thanks to Carlos and his wailin' soloing on Love of My Life, John the Revelator, and especially Watchtower (really cool). Another great moment was when Boyd was soloing on Lie in Our Graves and the showed him on the video wall next to the stage, and then he went and played right in front of the thing; pretty amazing sight to see! Boyd is very much larger than life sometimes. True reflections and Pig were really great. The worst thing about this show, aside from the kinda standard, mellow opening which i'll talk about in a minute, was the encore. Crash and Stay is not how DMB should have ended this cool concert. I thought that this encore was a waste. If Dave and the gang are suppose d to be puttin' on these awesome shows and playing every night like it's their last, then pull out the big guns that get the crowd and devoted fans into the music (warehouse, dancing nancies, halloween). Mostly I'm refering to the omition of Two Step. This song is so intense and surreal in concert that it should be played every night. I know it gets played a lot and the band has to mix it up and experiment, but the last four shows i've seen over the past year or so have left me craving Two Step at the end of a Two Stepless show. My sorrowful no-2step streak continues i guess. ANyway, talking about the beginning of the show, I think that seek up is a weak opener for a stadium event like this. Dave comes out and the crowd goes crazy, but Seek Up kinda stifled the energy everyone had stored up. Audience is a big part of the concert experience. I guess Dave shows just need to get better audiences. ANd as far as the setlist goes, it may seem really great, but the tempo of the performance was a little too slow at even apathetic at times. Now this review may seem scorching, but i did like the show. The second show will probably be twice as good though. I love Dave and his music and I'll continue to buy any CD the band releases. I just think that a show like this one proves that DMB is playing shows now that aren't as intense, meaningful, or just plain fun as their shows from years past. Kinda makes me wish the band would retire from the road for a while and write more music. But big kudos to the video wall imagery and the carpets on the stage; very nice. Email me with your own comments, i'm interested in what everyone else thinks.

Sean
Could Boyd kick any more ass?!! He was unbeleivable again. This was my second show this week and I didnt think it could have possibly been better than Tues night at Giants, but it was. It was filled with hits to satisfy the teenage girls, but seeing 'True Reflections' made up for that. Highlights: 'Watchtower' with Carlos Santana, Boyd's solo in 'LIOG',seeing 'True Reflections' for the first time live. Dissapointments: I am really sick of everybody sitting down during 'John the Revelator' and 'Love of My Life', and having to sing 'Dixie Chicken' by myself. See you Sunday night.

Stacey D.
What an amazing show! We had 13th row seats (the only thing to thank Warehouse for this summer). Some highlights: Rhyme & Reason was incedibly intense! Boyd ripped it up during LIOG - he was all over the stage in his black leathers! Long Black Veil was gorgeous - loved Leroi's sax and the backing vocals were lovely... Carlos Santata was amazing on Watchtower and John the Revelator and Love of My Life were both alot of fun. One of the best shows I've seen!

Brian S.
To sum it up in a few words, DMB can still put on a great show regardless of whether or not the crowd is into it. This was the fourth show in a row I was lucky enough to attend, and this was by far the worst and quietest crowd I have ever seen. I think maybe they should have played three in Giants Stadium and one in Foxboro, but enough about that. I was extremely happy to hear them open with Seek Up since i missed it in Philly and at the Meadowlands. It was kind of disappointing to see that even still fans didn't know what this song was. Pig was a nice switch from the last couple nights, and I hadn't heard that since last year. Boyd went crazy on the violin once again during Lie in our Graves dancing and parading back and forth across the stage but even that didn't hold the crowd's attention for that long. I also want to note that John the Revelator and Love of my Life are not bathroom songs, and those of you who went and those who sat down missed some great guitar as Sa ntana can definitely wail. Second night in a row I've heard True Reflections, but I can listen to that song as many times as they want to play it. Watchtower of course, was a crazy way to end the show again with Carlos laying down a nice solo which was played right after a great PNP-->Rapunzel. I wish Dave would stop messing around with #40 and just play it, but its fun to hear him mess with the crowd every now and again even if most don't know what's going on. Although there were more complaints than usual about this show from me, I'll keep them short. The crowd was horrible. Seeing the Dave Matthews Band is an event, its not a routine, don't take it for granted. You want to have a miserable time, do it somewhere else, and let someone else get your tickets. Very disappointed with the encores, but Dave probably thought Crash and Stay would be the only way to get the crowd alive. My hat goes off to the thirty year old guy right in front of me who made being in my secti on bearable. Being from New York, maybe I'm giving people up north a bad rap, but being a big DMB fan as well, I highly doubt it. To all those other people in my section and to all those on the floor....those who dance are criticized by those who cannot hear the music. Even though I won't be there for the second show, I hope for their sake, everyone hears the music.

Pat M.
WoW! I don't think any other word can describe my first Dave concert any better than that. I got up yesterday morning counting down the minutes till the big show, hoping to catch a glance of Dave playin' my favorite songs that I've sung to over the years, I've been a huge DMB fan since the early days and finally after all this time I've managed to get tickets before they sold out in less than the time it takes to get past security at Foxboro. Well once i got seated and the show started rollin it was pretty Awesome. Santana rocked as usual and The Roots did pretty good too I hear (I was a little gone but i sobered up quickly by the time dave came on') but nothing compared to the show Dave put on. It was great with the lightsand the wall to wall video feed not to mention the oriental rugs on the stage added a nice touch. As far as a rating for this concert goes I think i'd give it about a 8 out of 10 only for a couple of reason. Reason #1.) Most of the people there tonite were looking for the released DMB songs and most people got confused once dave played songs like the johnny cash cover "Long Black Veil" and "John The Revelator". Reason #2.) I was kinda hoping for a more electrifying set. The majority of the songs were more mellow and laid back.. until it was up to Dave and Carlos Santana to bust it open on "All Along The Watchtower" which was the best version I think I've ever heard! The Encore was pretty Sweet too.. I just wish they would have played those songs during the first half of the concert and used other songs like #41 or Two Step for the encore. All in all i think this concert was rpetty good. My favorite moment of the night was when Boyd Tinsley jumped in front of one of the big video monitors and jammed to his solo on "Lie in Our Graves" and of course there was Santana wailing on "All Along the Watchtower". I'm a huge fan of DMB and I always will be so I can't put down this show cuz let's face it.. Anything Dave plays kicks ass! To nite's concert should be better than last night's unfortunately but I'm just glad i had a chance to see them play and get a phatty T-Shirt too (#3 for all of you goin tonite, check it out) If anyone has any comments on last night's show I'll be more than happy to hear them. Later guys, and one word of advice for those of you partying before the show... Jack Daniels is a nice guy, but he doesn't show any mercy mixed with his friends Samuel Adams and Jim beam. DMB 4 LiFe!!

Jed M.
After seeing both nights at giants and other shows this 2:15 set was disappointing. Santana was excellent as an opener!! Highlights were Seek Up opening, Pig, True Reflections, and Watchtower with Santana. Dave also played the opening chords to 40 but did not sing this time, I went nuts and then was disappointed with the encore. I don't no if its because of the large stadium but the short sets are extremely disappointing. Last summer every show I saw was three hours if not more!! Also the lack of creativity of this amazing band has been very disappointing. In three shows no dreaming tree, the stone, the last stop, best of whats around, typical situation, and many other songs that would be a nice change. Hopefully tonight will be more creative, but the hope for longer is lost after three shows in a row that were 2:15.

Joe J.
Would have written this last night but the traffic out of Foxboro was terrible. Concert was overall decent. The show was great if it was your first show and if you are a veteran then you know what the band is capaable of so it wasn't great. Rhyme and Reason was good. Nice to see some relatively old stuff. Pig was nice a little slow though. Really liked the songs with Carlos Santana, LBV and John the Revelator. True Reflections was great but I don't think 50% of the crowd knew what was going on. Watchtower was pretty damn good. Santana tore it up on stage. Damn Dave for the #40 tease. He's lucky I like him and the rest of the band so much! The bands encore left a little bit to be desired. Crash and Stay were aimed right for the teenyboppers (which were in full effect and getting younger every concert). I wish they hadn't finished up with Stay but it was played a little faster than last years tour. Overall a good concert but it could have been a lot better. See you all soon!

Jake S.
This show was excellent. starting it off w/ seek up and R&R was fantastic, and Watchtower and True Reflections were incredible. When carlos santana came out, i had to tell everyone what songs they were doing though, and same thing with long black veil. (way too many teenyboppers! here is my one problem. the #40 tease was cool, but i was expecting them to go into something like one sweet world and then finish it off with a jimi thing jam or two step. but instead they did crash and stay. don't get me wrong, i love both of these songs, but i have never really thought of them as closers. anyways, all in all a great show. ill be there tonight too so we'll see how it goes! unfortunately, my tix arent as good (last night was 4th row, now is25th)

Ben
This was my third DMB show, and I'd have to say that it was somewhat of a letdown. There didn't seem to be a lot of energy from the band at certain times, and for the first time, I kind of felt like I had "been there, done that" (but I guess that's just a personal thing). The special guests were solid, especially Karl Perazzo on percussion. Still, I'm somewhat disappointed with the direction that the band seems to be headed in, with a slower feel that includes the background singers. Now on to the good stuff: Carlos Santana was awesome on Watchtower (great substitute for Timmy). Also, that #40 tease drove me crazy; Dave deserves to suffer for that one! Also, as an aspiring bass fiend, it was great to hear Stefan use an autowah (or a similar effect) during Anyone Seen The Bridge and Too Much. That was incredibly funky. I'm looking forward to going to the second show tonight, but with slightly lower expectations than before.

John
What can I say? Take a quick glimpse at the setlist and you might think, "what an awful setlist". However, when you're sitting out in the crowd, it's a whole lot different. Every song they played was with incredible intensity. The boys really looked like they came out to play and they looked like they were having a great time, which always makes it more fun for the people watching. I was psyched about the "Seek Up" opener that went on for almost twenty minutes, and it contained some fresh new jams never heard before on stage. "Lie In Our Graves" was a major highlight. Boyd's solo in the middle section was just incredible, he was playing with such enthusiasm. He was actually on fire all night. The two new songs with Santana were incredible. I know that "Love of My Life" is going to be on the Santana CD, and I am hoping "John the Revelator" will be on a Dave CD. "True Reflections" was also incredible, I've only heard it on tapes of other concerts, and it was incredibl e live. Then I knew when Santana came out and Dave started to play Watchtower, I knew the night was made. Also, I'd like to say that even though five radio songs were played, they were all played with the same intensity as all of their other songs. I was at first dissapointed with the "Stay" encore, and I'm still wishing we got Ants or Warehouse or something, but once it got into the song it was great, even with the backup singers. All in all an incredible show, although they did play an unusual mix of songs.

Josh C.
A great show. One of the best I've seen yet, and a more impressive show than 5/25 at Giants Stadium (but not 5/26, which I couldn't attend, but heard was excellent.) Seek Up led off and gave some personal mirth to the evening, as Dave seemed to surprise both Boyd first then Leroi who were seemingly unprepared for their solos and kind of fudged the improv. However, a good, "old school" opening nonetheless. There was a lot of feeling in last night's show, something that was definetely missing from 5/25. Rhyme and Reason and Lie in Our Graves were great. True Reflections was excellent, and the Watchtower with Calros Santana was fantastic. PNP toward the end of the night had a lot of energy and went over very well. Pig, which I had not heard to date was pretty good, too. Stay was alright, but I've heard it done better. Crash was well received and played well, but I'm tired of it. Long Black Veil was done very well, with a lot of feeling behind it. Compared to the 5/25 s how the crowd was much better behaved, and the security was more relaxed. This show was at an energy level that went far beyond the 1st Giants Stadium show, with the exception of Boyd, who was better on 5/25, but still outstanding anyway. A great keyboard solo during the evening was a neat bonus that was definetely not expected. This was easily one of the top three shows I've seen (the other two are 10/15/96 at Syracuse, and 12/3/99 at MSG; if anyone has those shows or the Giants show from 5/26 and could contact me that would be awesome.) CHEERS

Dave P.
Well this was my first stadium show and thanks to the 19th row tickets from The Warehouse it was definately worth the 3 hour drive.The band really played out their songs to the fullest. The setlist was great,the crowd was great and Santana was one of the best guests i have ever heard. Butch Taylor played the majority of the concert with the band, filling in on the keyboards when he could.The sound was incredible. Whether you were the farthest away or closest to the stage, the sound system made it sound like you were on stage. I wasn't too happy about the setup of the stage though... Unless you were dead center you had an obstructed view of the band. I was just left of center and i couldn't see Boyd or half of Carter.Some people who had front row seats had obstructed views because they were so far to the left or right or there was something in their way. There were huge banners and video screens blocking the whole stage. Also, the band was positioned very far back on stage. I could barely see even with my excellent seats. They also had two huge camera rigs set up right in front of Dave and Leroi. Half the time I couldn't see. It's almost like the band was play ing in a cave where you could only see in through the front entrance. Other then that it was excellent. By far the best Watchtower i have ever heard. Carlos came out and topped Trey's performance at the Roseland Ballroom in New York (02-24-95) when he joined the band for Watchtower.I don't know how many people noticed, but for the tape traders out there, Dave played the # 40 rift for about 15 seconds before he played Crash. He ended the night with Stay. All in all it was the best out of the other times i've seen him and i can't wait to see him in Hartford. See you then.

[Name R.
For my first Dave show, to tell the truth, I was a little disappointed. I didnt get to see Ants Marching, and I didnt get to see Tripping Billies: two of what are in my opinion, their five best songs. On the other hand, the concert was just great. Santana played some good stuff to open, and then Dave came on. Seek Up is a really great intro song; it's a good suspense-builder which can have an indefinite intro sequence and not really get boring. Then came the songs which I hadn't heard before--Long Black Veil, John the Revelator, and True Reflections. True Reflections was great, and John the Revelator was O.K., but Long Black Veil was just poor. I was really disappointed. It went on forever, and just seemed to put a downer on the whole crowd. On the other hand, inbetween these was Lie in Our Graves, which included a very extensive solo by Boyd on the violin--it was definitely one of the highlights of the concert. The other was All Along the Watchtower-adding Carlos Santana on guitar to an already great song. The only other thing I didnt like about this show was the encore: crash into me and stay. Ants Marching was the only thing missing from this show. Overall though, it was great.

Patrick F.
Let's just say that ninth row tickets make a show amazing to begin with. But the show itself was pretty damn good! Highlights: Seek Up opener. Good intro jam and all around a great song. LIOG: Boyd, Boyd, Boyd. He single handedly took over on this one. Watchtower: Santana was amazing! The best Watchtower I've seen in concert. True Reflections: I've waited sooo long to hear it. Tears were in my eyes, let me tell you. What a great song. The encore was a little weak but after such a great setlist, I didn't mind.

[Name R.
First ever Dave show, but made a huge impression. Highlights include: Lie in our Graves: Great violin solo that cast shadow across giant screen. Rupenzla (spelling?): Played very tight. Watchtower (with Santana): Guitar solos were unbelievable, the way Dylan wanted it to be played! Crash and Stay: Awesome Encores, had the audience chanting "we want dave" when the lights came up. Overall a great show, audience VERY involved, can't wait to see him/them again.

Ken C.
Out of the three DMB shows that I've been to this show was definitely the coolest. It wasn't the best, but definitely the most interesting. Boyd, no doubt, stole the show though. From his incredible solo on LIOG (where he walked in front of the big screen and all you could see was his shadow) to his great vocals on True Reflections, he definitely saved the show for me. I was extremely impressed with John the Revelator and Long Black Vail. Love of My Life wasn't as good as the other two, but still cool. I exploded when True Reflections came on and it seemed like I was the only one that knew the words!! I've had the song on my computer for ever and I finally got to hear this song live!!! This was my first time hearing Watchtower live and it was a hell of a closer. Carlos Santana can really play the guitar. I thought the encore basically sucked. When Dave started playing #40, I got so pumped. It's such a beautiful song and would have been great to hear. Instead, he p layed Crash and, although disapointed, I did enjoy singing the Dixie Chicken line with Dave. An Ants Marching would have closed the show with a bang like last year, but Stay was played instead. Wasn't bad but definitely no Ants Marching. Overall a decent show. Disapointed with the length and some of the song selections but I'm glad Dave played a lot of non-album songs. I would be interested in a tape of the show if anyone has one. Send me an e-mail! Adios!

Ryan D.
This was my third DMB show and the set was a letdown but the songs that were played were excellent. The good tunes of the night were Rhyme & Reason, SMTS, Too Much, PIG, LIOG, DDTW, PNP - Rapunzel, AATW, and Crash. I didn't like the two songs at all they played with Santana and True Reflection got a little boring but when Carlos Santana came to do AATW it was better than before. Boyd going nuts across the stage during LIOG was the highlight of the night. Closing the night with Stay was in I think a mistake to end a so so night. Something like Tripping Billies or Ants would of went better but the songs they played were good enough to make my night a success. Hopefully tomorrow night will be better.

Submiotted B.
Center Section A2... 9th Row... Seats 17 & 18... WOW... WHAT A SHOW! Highlights include Seek Up, Watchtower, and Crash! Even though my husband almost got busted, his 3-D binoculars made Dave and everyone else on stage appear closer than they already were! We saw them here on 6/5/98 but we weren't this close! Even though every other reviewer has complained about the "closer", we enjoyed DMB's second show at Foxboro even though it was almost not even one year apart from the other! Greg first saw them on 4/14/94 at the State Theater in Portland, Maine when they opened for The Samples! Next time, Rusted Root should open for DMB and join them on-stage for the 2nd half of the show! MASBUG!

Beth A.
This was definitely a show for true DMB fans. It was for the fans who can appreciate the talent of the band as a whole and not just what is heard on the radio. The jams of these summer shows have been incredible and this show was no different. The setlist may be shitty for the average DMB fan, but if you know anything about the band and know how amazing these guys are, it was an incredible show. Seek Up was the typical start off. It was nice to hear that. Rhyme and Reason was a surprise. It's the second time I've heard that since December. SMTS>AOSB?>Too Much was supurb as usual. No one in the crowd around me knew that Too Much was coming, as usual. No one around us even danced. I don't know how someone can just stand there while these guys put on such a show--I was busting a move out there...Pig was cool. That was a first for me. I think that'll be a usual on the setlist soon. DDTW was great. I'm still really digging the nature scenes for that one. LBV is becoming a favorite. Every time I see it, I love it even more. John the Revelator and Love of My Life had two of the three best jams I've ever seen. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't sure if they were ever going to end. The "Stay Girls" and Santana came out for these and the stage was quite full. The music that they were pumping out was unreal. True Reflections is always great to hear. Boyd was great as expected. PNP>Rapunzel was typical and the jam was some crazy ass funk. Watchtower was mad cool and they were ripping the shit up on that one. The #40 tease was a *very* big tease, but I figured they wouldn't go into it. (Thanks Dave) Crash got the crowd up finally. I believe that was the only song besides Stay that anyone knew. I just love Stay, even though most people think it gets annoying. I LOVE that jam at the end. I swear I could dance all night long to that one. Of course, this show was some good shit. All I can say is that I would have liked to have heard a little Say Goodbye, Two Step and Warehouse, but I'm glad I gave those up for the jams. Rock on to the REAL DMB fans who could appreciate it all (like my texas friend and me). =)