Name R.
well, I left kinda late, had to park over 2 miles away, but got to the venue in time to see most of Ben Harper and get settled before DMB took the stage. The boys seemed to have a lot of energy tonight, the Chicago crowd was really respectful and was feeding off the band's energy the entire night. #41 and Warehouse were really good, as well as STJL. I was very surprised to hear Watchtower so early in the set, but the solos ruled. It went Boyd, than Butch, than LeRoi. Grey Street, DDTW and Say Goodbye all had a lot of energy. But the highlight of the night had to have been LIOG. Boyd took a really long solo, he and Carter got louder than I've ever heard on any of my tapes, then for the really slow quiet part Butch got a real sweet solo, and everyone within Soldier Field held up their lighters and chilled. It was the coolest looking thing. Dave was turned around facing Butch the entire time, then he turned around and seemed kind of awed by all the lights, very very cool. I'm so glad I got to hear #36 live, although I prefer the old, more intense version, the new slow version has kind of an island rhythm/beat, it's now more of a laid back song and I think everyone got into it. The new outro on JTR is sweet, Two Step is my first since my first Dave show back in '98. I was a little upset that there was no DIDO>Ants like they did at Deer Creek, but DIDO was a great way to end the show. I wonder how they'll try and top it tomorrow. Peace y'all!

Brad S.
It has been all downhill since Monday in Cinci. Energy, setlist, and the crowd are all missing. I hope he packs a punch tomorrow night. The show was solid, but Soldier's for God's sake.

Will R.
Well, well... Good show, not great, but fun nonetheless. Missed Ozomatli because of traffic, but Ben Harper's set was great. He even dedicated the part of it to the late Walter Payton - very fitting at Soldier Field. The crowd was enthusiastic and for the most part respectful of the band. They opened with #41 again (same as Monday in Cincinnati) - which grabbed the crowd's attention off the bat - and followed it w/ WH again. Overall the band seemed a bit apprehensive about the large crowd, Dave made mention of how large the crowd was and the fact they've never played Soldier Field before. Carter was all smiles and even wore a Walter Payton Jersey, how great is that! The highlight of the show was DDTW - the crowd went nuts and the band was really into it. They even played clips from the video of Boyd in Native American dress playing violin on the big screens. The lighting was great, I can't even do it justice here, but it was unbelievable on Stay and Two Step. Butch Taylor and "the lovely ladies" were a nice addition - I've never heard #36 live before - very NICE! The new songs were fantastic but the crowd (atleast in my section) seemed unimpressed, even bored by them, I guess they just didn't know them. Grey Street and Diggin a Ditch were tops, the whole band seems to enjoy them. DIDO was ok as the closer, I think the crowd was hoping for something else maybe Dancing Nancies?! The solo jams were good as always - the crowd loved Carter's solo before Say Goodbye. I had a good time, but much of the show sounded too much like Listener Supported - maybe something a little different tomorrow... if I can find some tickets - can somebody help me out!?

Michael B.
The boys went on stage around 8:45 after a nice Ben Harper set and suprised me with a nice #41 as an opener that lasted about 10-12 min...Warehouse with stop time intro followed and was tight...Watchtower had an interesting intro reminiscient of the LS jam but centered around Daves licks rather than bass...Gray Street really reminds me of the Billies intro but I must say is an awesome song and Im glad to see a upbeat song amongst Bartender and DAD... Carter really went off in the Say Goodbye intro and they seemed to jam out the rest of the song too... LIOG was also a treat, especially in the same set as #41, it had the normal Boyd solo but then a solo by Butch too that really made this song stand out in my mind... I thought Butch added alot tonight and contrary to popular belief the Lovely Ladies were not that bad (except for on #36) I barley even noticed them on JTR which was also very jammed out...JTR may be the best jam DMB has in its arsenal right now and it impressed me more than any other song tonight... I think this was a great way to kick off the stadium tour and can only hope tommorrows show goes as well.

Jimmy R.
excellent show. There was a bunch of people walking on the field playing instruments and they walked up on the stage, it turned out to be the opener, Ozomatli. They played a bunch of Latin music. Ben HArper had a couple of good songs. Dave walked onstage before Ben HArper and introduced him saying "you'll love this band for the rest of your life." Dmb finally took the stage past eight. A beach ball got on stage as they were getting on and Dave gave it a swift kick off. Glad they started with an actual song; #41, and not a five minute instrumental. When the giant screen showed Carter wearing a walter payton jersey, the crowd went nuts. During the breaks in the Warehouse stop-time, the crowd did the Woo! Surprised it got to Chicago already. Introducing STJL, Dave said the usual "i gotta little sister named Jane." Another surprise at this point in the set, even though it's getting standard, was Watchtower. Very good. I think Grey Street was the best new song they played. Nice rythym. An awesome drum solo came before Say Goodbye, awesome version with some different lyrics. Lie in our graves was easily the best song of the night. Very loud and wild. everyone had their lighters out and the giant screens was showing the crowd I barely recognized the lovely ladies, they look different. Leroi had his sunglasses off for almost the entire concert. Boyd and Leroi had very nice solos in a lot o songs. I expected two step to be the last song before the encores, but then stay came, which the crowd loved. the encores, digg a d was good, and dido was a good closer. The sound quality was excellent, and the clarity of the screens was unbelievable. see ya there tomorrow.

Joanne
Well, I just came back from the first stadium show of the tour. The things that stand out to me were - The incredulity of hearing WATCHTOWER so early in the set list. Dave's line about how "We have never played this big place, and I am kind of nervous, so we are going to try to make it feel small by pretending to hang off the edge of the bed, take off our shoes, and get naked." The crowd WooHooing on the pauses in the stop time parts of Warehouse and Dave laughing and waiting for it. Dave's dorky CARGO pants. Hearing STJL for the first time live. The smoke machines on stage. The "tea party" line in DIDO. Calling Say Goodbye, Bartender, Warehouse, and LIOG, much to the amazement of the stoned teenager behind me (some people are easily impressed). Dave's collapsing in mock-exhaustion at the end of the encore, fully prone face down on his carpet. Hearing all the changes in JTR and liking it very much. The MAGICAL LIOG - loooong, and during the slow part of the jam, there were so many lighters up in the audience that when Dave finally turned around and noticed them, he pointed to them and made sure the rest of the band saw them. Boyd added some of Pachelbel's Canon in D, and Butch did a great solo on this one. I swear I also heard Boyd do some of Beethoven's Ode to Joy - did anyone else, or am I imagining things? Hearing Dave introduce an awesome BARTENDER with "It's great to go out to a bar and get a little buzz on with friends, but here's hoping that there's more in the glass." Dave pulled out a 12 string for this and for JTR. Carter's wearing a Chicago Bears jersey with #34 in honor of Walter Payton. Hearing Grey Street again and loving it as much as when I heard it at Deer Creek last week. Seeing the band seem so happy, with everyone smiling, LeRoi singing the chours on WWYS WITHOUT his sunglasses, and Dave sashaying across the stage. LOWLIGHTS - well, nothing needs to be said about the LOVELY LADIES that has not already been said. And DIDO was kind of a let down as a final encore...as was hearing DDTW again....But a very good show, lots of fun, the crowd was wild, the band seemed to really appreciate it and feed off of it, and on to tomorrow!

Jamie C.
First off, out of ten shows this is by far the BEST show I have ever been to. The band tonight was nothing short of phenomenal. Their energy was so high and it came across through their instruments. Before I get into Dave's set. I just want to say that Ben Harper rules. He was an awesome opening act for Dave and the boys. OK, on to the set. #41 was a very cool opener, they were groovin on this one. Great sax solo from Leroi, who by the way, didn't wear any sunglasses on stage again! Next was Warehouse, this was great. During the stop time intro, in between the guitar playing the whole crowd as screaming WOOOO!!!!!! I think that might stick with the band everytime they play it from now on. What Would You Say was a very good jam. It got people pretty excited, especially during the beakdown. Song that Jane Likes was very good tonight. Watchtower in the middle of the set was different and very tight. Great energy. GREY STREET! Hell Yeah!!!!! My favorite new one by far. So beautiful. It is honestly getting better and better with every show. Don't Drink The Water was rockin. He even yelled on the last high note when he sings "Hoooooome"! Say Goodbye was beautiful. FABULOUS DRUM INTRO by Carter! Very epic. Lie In Our Graves kicked major ass! It was so long. Boyd soloed for about 4 and 1/2 minutes and I thought they were going to die it down but Butch took over with an awesome solo. Clocked in at 13 minutes for the whole song. Bartender was unbelievable! What a jam at the end! Dave got so into it at the end, screaming his head off and dancing around. Another moving song tonight. #36 was a personal first for me and had been high on my list of songs to see DMB perform before I die. Woo Hoo! Great song to just dance to and I was proud of the crowd for dancing with Dave. JTR was so much better tonight than the last shows I saw at Deer Creek. The song flowed into the outro a lot better tonight. Awesome job on this one. TWO STEP!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!! I taped the show, so I know for a fact that it was 18 minutes and change. How about that. And the set didn't even there. He brought out the "lovely ladies" for Stay. Stay got everyone dancing. Awesome jam at the end of the song. Leroi was great on this one. Encore: Diggin a Ditch was gorgeous! It was just beautiful and the crowd respectfully shut up to hear it. Yeah Chicago! Drive in Drive out had a ton of energy. They rocked on this one. All in all an absolutley phenomenal show. I can't wait to see if they can top tonight's show on Friday. It will be hard. I am very proud of the fans for not acting like teenie boppers and appreciating good songs that were played. Soldier Field was a great place to see a show. See you on Friday night for one more show.

Scott S.
Well this is the second concert in a row for me that dave has opened with #41, i mean im not complaining but I survived. I had heard it a few nights ago at the first Riverbend concert in Cincinnati. Well everyone could see from the start Dave and Boyd were so energized in into the show tonight it was great to see. Leroi was kept real bust tongiht. Well anyway back to the setlist. Warehouse was also another pleasent suprise to hear again I have now heard it at the 3 shows i have seen so far. What would you say went over real well with the crowd and the band was real into the song. Dave gave his little " I have a little sister named Jane, this is a song that Jane likes." and the song seemed real short tonight and i dont know why. Anyway WOW...WATCHTOWER in the Middle/beginning of the show, it was so awesome the stadium was rocking along with the band. Then my new favorite song Grey Street was up next and i sounded really good as usual, and yet another song I have heard at all 3 shows. DDTW wass played real nice dave was real loud and energetic throughout the entire song. Then Carter started his intro to Say goodbye it was the BEST i have ever heard it. After say goodbye LIOG was up next and i had not heard in a while it was good to hear again. Bartender sounded awesome Dave gave a little intro to the song before they started. It sounded even better with Butch Taylor there. #36 was nice to hear but I personally believe it sucks with the back up singers. JTR was up next and it sounded the best i have heard it so far, i must say i was real impressed with the sound at the stadium. And another song i have heard at all three shows TWO STEP, but i wouldnt mind hearing it every show it is awesome and the crowd was so into it. Then stay was up next as a closer and it was AMAZING!!!!. That was by far the best version i have ever heard. I must say i was a little dissapointed with the encores: Diggin a Ditch and Drive in Drive Out but all in all it was an awesome show and I am looking forward to the show tomorrow so until then...later

Jen S.
To begin, the entire show gave me chills. It was amazing, the acoustics, the lighting and the view of the skyline in the backgroud really made this a captivating event. I was kind of surprised to hear #41 as an opener, even though it was done Cincinatti. I was in heaven though because that is my absolute fave and it was played beautifully. Warehouse and WWYS jammed, that's pretty much all you can say. Few people in the crowd knew the words to STJL and Watchtower. I called Watchtower though because they've been playing it early and when it came on I went nuts. Other highlights, Say Goodbye with a little bit of a changed up chorus. It was definently a favorite of the crowd downtown. LIOG...one word AMAZING! After they played, they all jammed for about 7 minutes and I do not think that there was one lighter that wasn't up in the air. I looked around and there was nothing but lighters going. It has to feel so good to the boys to see that we were all enjoying ourselves. The "lovely ladies" came out for #36, another song that mostly no one knew. I'm not complaining though, because in truth to just listen to Dave and the boys up there when it was quieter was sweet. They played 3 of their new ones, but left out Sweet Up and Down, so I am hoping for that one on Friday. Two Step was another treat and you knew with the "ladies" that Stay would be played. Butch Taylor, always amazing. The guys behind us that were such losers, thought that Butch was playing drums. I just laughed to myself and thought, you really need to go home. I was really surprised with the crowd. Some of these people amaze me, because they aren't into it and here I am singing and dancing to every song. Overall, it was a great show on a great night. Hopefully Tonight will top last night. He's going to a little thing with Al Green since he's in town for the taste. See you tonight.

Chris H.
Night One of two at Soldier Field, overall a very good warmup show...but I am expecting even better tonight with Al Green and my great seats! Here are highlights from the first show. Don't fret, the latest a&f fashions are still the rage on this years tour! Speaking of looks, Dave was looking a bit pudged out(and a little less hair?), but yet he still made it work to where all the females wanted him. Boyd, fit as always, and Leroi showed us his lovely eyes tonight. The setlist?? #41 is not the greastest lead off song, but Warehouse and that Song That I like soon made up for it. Watchtower got the crowd into the show. Say Goodbye is just amazing live. Best of the new songs? Grey Street by far, really dug it...Bartendar is much better with the full band and JTR, tho' an oldie was new to me. Encore was weak between Digging and DIDO. Thanks BOYD for going off on every song!!! The lovely ladies were ok, but I still say I could do their job too. Now the true prep begins for nite 2...

John L.
Well it was the First time i ever Saw DMB and it was Great!!!.The Opened with #41 which i thought was really cool the Drum and Saxophone Solo at the End were Awesome.Then Came Warehouse which they all jammed to that one.What Would You Say Leroi did back up singing along Carter,and Boyd and Leroi took the Sunglasses off.The Song that Jane Likes was cool Dave was really into that one. ALL along the Watchtower was really cool after Dave did the first Verses to it Boyd ran into this Solo which i loved same thing with Leroi. Grey Street was good not many people knew it but it was a good song.Don't Drink The Water was awesome they showed some of the music video on the screen and the heavy drumming was really cool. Say GoodBye was Amazing with the Drum Intro by Carter it was really cool People went Nuts when they heard Leroi Start up on the Flute and when they Heard Carter Play.Lie in are Graves Oh My God i can't Describe how AMAZING The Violin Solo was he played for like 5 mins non-stop it was so great that Had to be the Highlight of the Show. Bartender was cool your Average Jam.On #36 The Lovely Lady's came out to do Back Up singing,This Version had some Different Lyrics and Different Jam's by Leroi.JTR i didn't Notice that was it till the end of it and The Lovely Lady's were their again for it.Two Step was Great Carter did this Great Drum solo Twice at the end.Stay The Lovely Ladies Came out and it was just a Awesome Jam,Boyd got down with Dave just like on the Listener Supported Video.That was it for the Regular songs.Then The Encore Digging a Ditch its alot better now that the whole band plays it i really liked it and then Drive in Drive out was cool Carter did great on the Drums it was cool as hell.So over all a Great Show.I am lucky i get to go Tonight for the 6/30/00 show with Al Green there if its anything like last nights show i am really in for a Treat!!!

Esley
Oh man, what a show!! i don't really want to deal with the whole thing, so some highlights were-- definitly STJL!!!!! man, once he said that part bout his sister... we had 10th row seats which were so ill!!! But the crowd SUCKED like i've never ever seen. So many loser ass stuck up people--Tools like i've never seen, i was about to flip out--pot was also not so prevelant. DDTW was shockinly good. grey street was good to hear, as was jtr, say goodby, 2step and bartender(i really dig that song) Watchtower was normal, but i heard these lame kids saying "yeah, they played a jimi hendrix song" and i wanted to scream at them--annoy2K!!! I could not believe it when they played #36--it was great-- but those ladies are horrible!!! The set lasted so long and i thpought twostep was gonna be the last song before the break but then those chicks came back out and i knew it was gonna be stay-- it was execution!!! THe encore wasn't that bad-- diggin a ditch was chill, and dido was good. Hey, all i can say is, no ants, not smts-astb-toomuch crash or satellite-- I was stoked about that one!!!! what a great show-- dylan, sorry you weren't there, i was thinkin bout you!

Bobby B.
All I can say is...WHAT?!? I honestly do not understand how anyone could call this show lacking in energy. First, lemme tell y'all about Ozomatli. We walked toward our seats at about 5:55 and saw a bunch of guys standing around who looked like they walked in off the street and brought their own instruments. When they started playing, I thought security was gonna kick them out, but they started moving toward the stage and got up there for a performance that had everyone I could see smiling and dancing like little kids. They had very few breaks in between their tunes and really warmed up the crowd for Dave and the boys. But the best was still to come...after they finished their set, they marched off stage, still playing, and made their way through the crowd, so we followed them. After hosting a little dance party at the opposite end of the field, ey marched out again with maybe 100 people following them and had another mini-set in front of an exit! We were able to dance right next to them for maybe 15 minutes and anyone who wanted to was welcome to go shake hands and chill with them afterward. Incredibly phat...O! ZO! MAT! LI! Anyway, Ben Harper was rockin as expected, expect the crowd was kinda quiet until Steal My Kisses, oh well. This is running a bit long, so I'll hurry up. HIGHLIGHT: Definitely LIOG, it had insane solos by Boyd and Butch Taylor and it seemed to have an extra long pause...when I looked back and saw a sea of lighters during the jam, I knew this show would be one to remember. Watchtower was one of the better ones I have heard, except Stefan's intro was sorely missed, as was Carter's intro to #36. However, Carter's opening to Say Goodbye was absolutely sick. All in all, probably the best total concert experience I've had in a while. I couldn't imagine better opening acts or a much better setlist. I have no clue how they can top it on Frida (or play for 2:45 again) but I'll be watching.

Matt H.
Overall a pretty good show although the crowd wasn't anything special. First I'll complain because there really were some ragmuffins last night that ruined some things for me. 1) Girl who spilt beer on me 2) Guy that was "raving" to each and every DMB song. 3) Girls next to me only paying attention to the songs from "Crash" 4) Fight between two drunk guys in the stadium (out of control). 5) Girl who was swearing and screaming during Butch's solo on Two Step. A friend of mine told her to quiet down, she decided to say to my friend "Fuck off, this is a concert, bitch". With that, the review of the show :) #41 - Good opener, although the first threee songs were also the first threee songs at Polaris night one. Warehouse - Read above What Would You Say - Read above The Song That Jane Likes - Really enjoyed this one. All Along the Watchtower - Looks like he's playing this in the middle of his sets now. Fantastic version. Grey Street - Love this song. Every time I hear it I like it that much more. Don't Drink the Water - Usual DDTW Say Goodbye - Good stuff. Carter was an animal on this one. Lie In Our Graves - Not as good as night one in Polaris, but Boyd was still amazing. Bartender - First time I heard this. I like it alot. Much better than old D&T versions. #36 - Lovely ladies came out. Got the crowd going. JTR - Again, love this neew one. Lots of energy. Two Step - Butch's sols was fantastic. This version was one of the best I've ever heard. Stay - Got the crowd going crazy. Digging a Ditch - Good song to start the encore off with. Drive In, Drive Out - Odd one to end it off with. Liked the show but I'm hoping for something more tomorrow. See you all there.

Charles D.
My first stadium show. It was interesting. I was sitting in the 28th row and actually had a pretty good view of the band. Ozomatli was extremely energetic, I actually liked them. Ben Harper was pretty sweet too, but on to the show. Much like the Cinci crowds, everyone was yelling "Hey" during the stop-time intro on Warehouse. Dave got pretty into it too. I was hoping for a John Popper appearance (Blues Traveler was in Chicago the night before) but when he didn't come out for WWYS I assumed that he was going to be a no show. The lights during Watchtower are intense. The boys jammed that one out for a while. Carter's solo into Say Goodbye was pretty sweet, but the Lie In Our Graves jam was by far my highlight of the show. Boyd was solid as always, but Butch was phenominal. Dave even sang a little during the jam. Incoherent ramblings, but singing none the less. Bartender is such a great song. It's so full of passion. Dave gets so into it. I was kind of dissapointed about Stay as the closer, cause I heard it two nights ago, but it was nice. The Cinci one was the best I've ever heard though. Over all, Soldier Field was a solid show. I wish I could go to Friday's show, but alas, the fun must stop sometime. See you all in St.Louis and Kansas City at the end of the tour. Later

Sara A.
Wow. This was definitely one of the best shows i've ever heard. I am obsessed! Ben Harper was amazing, b/c of trafic we missed Ozomotli, but hopefully we'll be on time to see them Friday. Ok. I called #41. i knew he was gonna open with that even though he did a few nights ago, but still I called it. I loved the WOO that everyone added into the Stop time opf Warehouse great to see evryone get into it. I think the band had an amazing energy tonight and they got the crowd all dancing and everything. As soon as they played WWYS i knew it was going to be an awesome show and not just a radio show, Dave and the guys were gonna play the good stuff all night. Song jane Likes??? I had no idea that was coming. Before the concert I had a list og songs going that I wanted him to play and he played every single one on my list! it made me so happy. Among this was Song jane Likes, LIOG, DIDO, and JTR. I was really surprised (like a # of other people whose reviews i've read) to hear Watchtower so early into the show. And it really wasn't as intense as it normally is. All of the new songs are spectacular. Grey Street was so cool to hear, and i hope he plays it tomorrow night too. Bartender, Wow. i ahve old tapes of that one and it is amazing to hear how they've developed it so much. Same w/ JTR. They changed some of the words on me so i got lost when i was trying to sing along. I was alittle dissappointed to hear DDTW. I was hopong that he'd avoid this song since the rest of the set was so great, but they played it really well and the crowd really got into it.....LIOG !!!! the highlight of my night. I turned around to see all the lighters including my mini torch, and it was such a beautfiul sight, and i know dave liked it too. Thanks to the Warehouse, our 29th row seats were great. When he started 2 step, everyone around us went nuts! but i knew he wouldn't end the show on 2 step.. And as soon as he introduced the Lovely LAdies again, my friend called Stay and it was. A great way to end the set. A few things about the encore. First of all, i think they came back too quickly. normally they wait longer to get the crowd going, but they came back after only a few minutes. I was hoping for a dave solo or dave/stefan thing before the whole band but i was satisfied with Digging a Ditch. This song is awesome and i think the crowd loved it. Then DIDO. I knew he would play this song. I had it on my list and it totally made my night. It was an excellent way to end the show. I LOVE DMB!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait til Friday. Thanks to Warehouse i'll be SECOND ROW!!!! I'm looking forward to another magical night, hope to see you all there!

Guss
Overall it was a good night for dmb. After the long wait in traffic the crowd was ready for a huge concert. The boys had a lot of energy tonight, Carter wore a Walter Payton jersey and during #41 got huge pops when they showed it on the video screens. #41 was a great opener and grabbed everyone's attention. Then Warehouse played and everyone was into the concert. Suprised to hear STJL, and to hear Watchtower so early in the show. Boyd, Butch, and Leroi got great solos for Watchtower. Carter had a huge solo for Say Goodbye and had a lot of energy for that. LIOG was the biggest of the night. Boyd had a really long nice solo, and then for the really slow part, Butch had a really great solo. dave had his back turned towards Butch and when he turned around he was stunned by all the lighters. Just to look around and see all these people with lighters was just awesome. Two Step was awesome with the lighting and so was Stay. Digging a Ditch sounds awesome, and DIDO was a great finisher and still grabbed a lot of energy from the crowd. Well now I gotta wait till Alpine Valley to see dmb..later!

Brad H.
Wow, what a start to the 4th of July weekend! The boys were full of energy tonight! They started the show off with my favorite song, #41, and the show just continued to get better! As Dave was just strumming the first few notes to #40, Dave was saying how he wanted to make Soldier Field feel like a little bedroom so we could all just "pass one around and play the guitar". He strummed a few more notes of 40 and got my hopes up, but he proceeded to start up with WWYS. Watchtower was especially hot tonight. I'm not used to hearing that song in the middle of the set, however. As they were playing DDTW, the crew periodically played clips from the video up on the two circular screens they had on either side of the stage. Dave got into this song so much, he broke a string!! After Boyd's phenomenal solo during LIOG, Butch started up with a mellow keyboard solo that turned Soldier Field into a mass of lighters. 36 very good tonight. I've never heard this one live yet. They ended the night with what is possibly the weirdest encore I've ever heard, but that's not saying that it didn't get the crowd going! Can't wait to see what Friday has in store!

Ben J.
Ok, WOW. Just had to get that out of my system, since I was sitting in the first row tonight (thank you, Warehouse!). I got an actual setlist from the guy operating the boom camera off the left side of the stage. Originally, we were supposed to get Long Black Veil instead of #36, and a three-song encore (with the Stone as #2). Overall, a very good show...the selection of the first 5 songs was anything but orthodox. It's been a long time since I've heard Warehouse live, so it was great to hear that - personally, I think it's underrated as one of the great live songs. WWYS and STJL were about their usual. Dave did his own intro into Watchtower, instead of the bass solo Stefan used last year. Gray Street is an awesome song - it's intense and fun at the same time. DDTW was the Halloween of the night - Dave screaming like a madman and all. All I have to say about LIOG is that Butch Taylor is the man. Boyd laid down a great solo, but Butch pulled out some magic...they gave each other a pat on the back after the song - quite possibly the best version I've heard that didn't have Bela in on it. The new version of Bartender is good stuff...I like the breaks, and the 12-string fills out the sound. JTR...while I think that the song sounds incomplete without the "Who's that writing..." chorus, I love the new jams. For a bit I thought the 2nd long break in the song sounded like the beginning of Sweet Up and Down, but it wasn't. Stay was just fun...everyone was having a great time. Ditch is ok...still needs a litte tweaking for me to get into it. DIDO was a great way to close out a great night. All in all, probably one of the 2 best shows I've been at.

Richard Y.
Well, I have mixed feelings about this show. All in all, the set was good, but some odd placing. The traffic in downtown Chicago is awful and I took a train from town and ended up missing the last one of the evening because of the ending time and how long it took to get out of soldier (around 35 minutes). If you can avoid going to the show and have other options as far as picking a venue goes, do it!! Believe me. The sound quality was ok, but since it was on a flat surface, if someone is tall, you aren't going to be able to see unless you're in section A, B, C. If you have seats anywhere else, it may not be that fun. Just my opinion though and it was my first stadium show. Before I get into the show, I would like to say that Ben Harper was great. Especially when he ended with steal my kiss and during the final stages of the song when the human beat box was beating and the whole band had put down their instruments and were dancing all over the stage. Ben Harper's set did last longer than any of MeShell's and Gusters and went till around 8:05. The band took the stage at 8:47. Just some general comments before I get into the set. The crowd sucked. One of the worst next to the second Deer Creek. I was seated in the Warehouse section and no one knew any of the songs or anything. Moderately respectful of the band, but didn't know anything and there was too much talking and sitting down. The soundboard was placed oddly, around the section D area, only because of the TV screen. Boyd was wearing another button down shirt and Carter was wearing a Walter Payton jersey. When Carter would hit the snare drum, it almost had a marching band/army sound to it. That probably goes hand in hand with the stadium atmosphere though. Anyway, on with the set. #41, good openner, still was hoping for Seek up though. When is that going to pop up? Boyd and LeRoi had great solos. WH sounded great. During the stop time the crowd was chanting "Wooo" again as in Riverbend. LeRoi had a great solo. WWYS, what can I say? Great as always, gets the whole band in the show. STJL, sounded excellent. I'm not sure why, but Butch wasn't playing on the song and I'm not sure if he just doesn't have an accompanying part or what. Watchtower, great but again, odd placement. Stefan, great solo. Boyd, Butch, and LeRoi had great solos as well. Lot of emotion from Dave. There was a Butch/Boyd handshake at the end of the song. Always nice to see. Grey Street, sounding better and better everytime I hear it. DDTW was very cool. They had great lighting and on the big TV screens they were playing clips of the video, very neat to see. Say Goodbye, great Carter solo in the beginning and LeRoi. Always pleasant to hear. LIOG, excellent! No spotlight for Boyd's great solo. He started his solo a measure or two late, I believe. Started slow, went on quite some time and a brilliant finish. He was jamming with Carter during the more vivrant parts of his solo. Butch had a wonderful solo after Boyd. Sounded superb. Bartender. Before the song began I heard the first chord and since DDTW had already been played, I knew it was it. This girl in front of me, (WH member) asked me if I knew what song was next and I said it'll be Bartender. Once the song began her b/f said man that kid knows his shit! I'm thinking yeah I do and you don't anything about Dave other than he is playing right now. Anyway, before the song there was some Davespeak. I couldn't hear all of it but the just of it was about drinking and getting drunk. The ladies took the stage for #36, late in the set. I love the song and I think the ladies sound fine on it. Again, the crowd could sing the chorus in unison, but nothing else. Excellent LeRoi and Butch solos. JTR sounded pretty good. Don't like the ladies addition on this song. They don't fit in. Two Step was awesome. One of the best versions yet. The problem though again is the placement. I thought this would be the closer before the encore since it's generally used that way and it's long and this was the 13th song but I was wrong. Anyway, Stefan, great solo to start us off. Butch had a great solo, similar to Listner Supported, but it was better. Carter again did the thing during his great solo where he rotates hitting the snare drum and the high hat cymbals instead of just hitting the snare. Stefan then had another solo!! This one was longer and better. Blew me away. I was ready for the encore. The ladies came back out and then it was Stay. Second show in a row they played Stay as the closer. Very odd placement. Didn't sound bad though. Diggin a ditch sounded great. Again, no Butch accompaniment though. Not sure why. DIDO, used as a closer commonly now. I love the song, but it's kind of short for a closer I think. At the end, Dave laid on the ground and the crowd went nuts. This is my last show until August, hopefully I can find some tickets to Alpine and Blossom...

Matt H.
One word... "WOW" I had extremely high expectations for this show, it being my fouth and second in the last week (Deer Creek 23rd). The first thing that struck me was the magnitude of humanity that packed into soldier field. I was there as the doors opended around 4 and saw as everyone came in and eventually filled the approximately 50,000 seats. Incredible. Anyways, Dave opened with a great #41, excelent opener that grasped the crowds attention. Absolutely gorgeous. Then came Warehouse with the familar "stop time" intro. I have heard this 3 times and this was the best by far. The crowd got into it right away with the whole "Wooo!" thing, which did not happen at Deer Creek.. very amusing! Then came the always comfertable WWYS, which i have heard at every one of the shows i have been too. Not spectacular but it boosted energy big time. Then came Dave's announcement, "I got a little sister named Jane..." which got all the big fans screaming. THe energy level dropped though, because it is an old song (and one of my favorites!) and most did not know it. They kept it relatively short, which i think was good to keep the energy up. This was a great trend throughout the show, the new stuff that 90% of the crowd had never heard before were perfectly lengthed. They did not drag on at all or bore the new witnesses. I TOTALLY dug the early playing of Watchtower, especially with the quiet, elaborate Dave/Stefan intro (which featured the coolest video screen effect EVER! a zoom into Stefan's bass that became unfocused and focused into Dave's guitar). Enegy went through the roof and left everone gasping for the smokey air. They followed that perfectly with "Grey Street," a big standout of the new tunes. THe new song let everyone catch their breath and chill and jam. I noticed that Dave changed the character in the song from a "she" as it is in the recording i have to a "we" or "us." Interesting. Next came DDTW, very well done. Clips from the video, mostly Boyd hanging and playing his violin, were faded in and out of periodically. At first i thought this was a bit tacky, but i decided it really added. At this point i was feeling a wee bit dissapointed at the similarity to the set i had seen 6 days prior, however those thoughts were nnialated as i quickly recognized the elaborat drum intro to "Say Goodbye." CArter was Astounding throughout the song. This long jam was followed by a short pause and then the great opening chords of "Lie in our Graves." The whole crowd went WILD when he started playing that. I have a bad scrape on my shin thanks to my excitement! :) This was by far the best point of the show. The typically overused "lighter gimmik" worked PERFECTLY during the long slow jam. it was gorgeous. Boyd was outstanding and filled with more energy that i have seen from him. As it quieted down, Butch Taylor came sweeping in with a delicate soothing solo. Butch added immensly to the show as a whole. Once again, the mood was masterfully shifted by the great Dave Matthews as he poetically introduced the melancholy, incredible powerful "Bartender." This was a perfect break to catch some breath, as well as mellow out . it is SUCH a good song. The tempo and energy then shot up again as "the Lovely Ladies" stepped out for a great, dancy #36. They stayed on for a masterful JTR, providing vocals on the chorus that added imensly to the catchy tune. Next came Two Step, which is always amazing. However, it could not top the one i heard on the 23rd at Deer Creek. I was quite pleased when they stayed on stage for one more song... STAY! my favorite song to end the pre-encore portion of the set with . Energy came to an all night peak and there was not a non-wigglin butt in the house. Incredible and sooo sooo soo much fun. They then departed for the few minutes before the encore that always seem like an eternity. They came back on, finally, and played "Diggin a Ditch" MUCH imprved over the last time i saw it. Absolutely gorgeous, and the magenta/blue lighing was the prettiest all night. Dave seemed the most in touch with the audience during this song. This relaxing tune was backed my an absolutely intense "Drive in Drive Out." After hearing the opening chords i was initially dissapointed with the choice... but boy was i put in my place! GREAT closing song!!!! so powerful and dancable too. The best part was a line something like this (someone email me the actual words!): "It seems that god has left us behind. Oh well we'll make up a new god and have a tea party of our own!" It was great and Dave played the crowd wonderfully. As the last song ended, he jestingly collapsed on the floor in a fit of mock-exaustion. You earned it Dave! Sleep well and dont you dare try to top this show Friday when i cant come!

Anna Z.
Hello, everyone. I've read the reviews and there are many valid observations. First of all, I've lived here all my life and know how bad Chicago traffic and public trans can be during a concert so we left early and got to Soldier's just before they closed the first lot, which enabled us to leave the concert almost as quicly as we arrived. Also, since we got there early, we heard DMB sound checking Recently (which they didn't play that night) with the Take Me to the River middle and the Lovely Ladies on JTR as we walked around to the West side of the stadium. I barely had any prior knowledge of Ozomatli, but lemme say that they rocked! I've never seen so much energy from an opening-opening band before! They were also very nice to us as they marched down the aisles after their set. I would've liked to see more of Ben Harper, but the fans sitting in front of us (we had 10th row) were so incredibly rude and stood on their chairs for most of his set and DMB's. His version of Manic Depression was mighty fine. DMB entered with Carter paying homage to Payton, wearing his number, 34. 41 was wonderful, I can't say that enough. I was surprised, like many, to hear Watchtower so early, but I missed it last week, so I was happy. The problem with that was a young lady and her incredibly inebriated boyfriend had to get through our tangled row during the song, so she could get him to medical services, and holding him up took away from my enjoyment of the number and I felt really bad for her. On behalf of other DMB fans everywhere, I'd like to ask fans everywhere to have a good time at the show, but please don't get so fucked up that you hinder those around you. This is not the first time I've seen people who've paid so much for their tix, and then get so messed up that they miss half the show. By all means, drink whatever, eat whatever, or smoke whatever as long as you can still stand up on your own and refrain from picking a fight or swearing at other concertgoers and generally ruining the experience for everyone around you. I don't think that Dave meant "eat drink and be merry -- and then throw things at other people" when he wrote TB. To the nice guys behind us and to the left, thank you for not being those drunken stoned people in front of us!(Sorry, I had to get that out -- for my research thesis last year, I studied the fan culture of DMB and stated that the fans were nice and polite to those around them -- has that changed so much in one year?) Grey St was absolutely beautiful this time around, and for the first time in a long time I heard the much needed emotion on DDTW. Say Goodbye was lovely -- Carter's intro rocked and Dave changing the lyrics to something even more dirty was great. Bartender was excellent, but without the wailing "On bended knee" I saw last week. 36, ahh, 36 so many years since I heard it live. Very nice groove on this one, the Lovely Ladies added a nice touch that wasn't too over the top, and it was weird to see Dave playing electric. JTR brought tears to my eyes this time. When my friend told me that Boyd put down his bow, I got all excited for TS and was treated to an excellent version, especially with Butch on the keys, he's such a talented man -- adds a new dimension to any song he plays on. Stay was a rousing end to a show with a lot of energy. After a shorter break than normal, DAD was a grand choice for an encore and calmed down a very rowdy audience. DIDO brought everyone around me up to a nice level as the closer. Killer show, but not as wonderful as last Fri's Deer Creek. I was surprised I didn't pass out on the throng of people trying to exit the field, but not as shocked as I was to get out of the parking lot in 20 minutes. Chicago cops, of course, closed Northbound LSD, which caused some headaches for confused fans. I'm done until Aug 20, and I'm jealous of all y'all who witnessed the joy of Al Green Friday night! Have a wonderful summer! See ya in couple months!

Nick M.
What a show! Not only great seats to start the show off, but better ones to end it with. 3rd row for the encore was just unbelievable. The energy these guys had tonight were beyond belief. Boyd brings out the most energy in the band to my knowledge. Grey Street was nice to hear live and JTR is reworked to perfection. Overall great show except a better encore could have been displayed.

MATT P.
First i just want to say that the soldier field fans were kind of week, for such a large crowd they really lacked energy.The majority of people in attendance were lacking in there knowledge of the band and it's songs, i would say about 75% of the people there did'nt even know the song that jane likes!Never the less the openers were very good ozomatli started in the crowd and ended in the hallways of soldier field, the were full of energy and pretty talented.As for the dmb awesume as usual great setlist and great energy, you know that you'll get that when you go to see dave!Dave's comment about the size of soldier field was "let's make this feel like a small place,like we're hanging are legs of the bed passing one around and playing the guitar".THANKS DAVE!

Shane J.
WOW, nuff said. Before I begin I have to get this out right quick. I saw the girl that I've been dreaming about when I dream about DMB concerts. It was so unreal and we had eye contact all the way through Ben Harper. We both were in C section and she was in the first five rows wearing a white hippie top with her hair pulled back and was there with her friend. Both were in their twetnties. I can only hope she reads this cause I have to find her. THank YOU Warehouse!! Anyways onto the concert. Ben Harper-Hell Yaaaa- loved Burn one Down. I wish Dave would have talked more but that is my only complaint. I was completely blown away by the new stuff and The Woo! intro to Warehouse was orgasmic. Would love to hear Pig one of these days in concert but hopefully in Alpine. Much love to everyone who was there.

Liz L.
This was my first Dave show, and I would have to say it was amazing. He didn't play standard issue radio hits, but he still pleased the whole crowd. My highlights: The excitement on dave's face as he sang "come see" to open w/ #41, the amazingly long LIOG, clocking in at about 20 minutes complete with Canon in D, and Ode to Joy, I couldn't stop looking around in amazement of the thousands of people feeling the exact same groove together. Watchtower was done with passion and in the middle of the set?? #36 is one of my favorites (go ahead make fun) old or new version, i still love it, and dave made me the happiest girl in the midwest by playing it. The stoned high schoolers in front of us were also very impressed by our song guessing, and my nerdy factoids on the band. However the girl behind us, with her 35 year old bowl packing boyfriend, threw up all night, si that was a minor detraction. All in all, The best evening of my life (thus far), we'll see after Alpine!!!

Alex K.
the Dave Matthews band concert was one of the best concerts of my life. when i went to the concert they were taping for a cd , and the i-max movie in Chicago.it was a sold out show for both shows and with both of them that i went to both of them were great.