Matt K.
My 20th show, and a very good one. The band's energy was extremely low, but that made for a good vibe. Highest energy was during DIDO and Watchtower. It was good to see that Too Much following ASTB was just a tease leading to Ants (a welcome change to that old bit). Dave kept upbeat all night, but the rest of the band seemed to be going through the motions (although their musicianship was still superior). Dave broke 3 strings and Boyd 2. I was hoping for Grace is Gone, and thank God he encored with it---certainly his best new song (although Grey Street and Raven are both up there). Unlike every other person who posts on this site, I will not ramble on about how I was the only one who knew all the new songs---many of the fans around me knew John the Revelator, and most even cheered when they heard the swim naked intro to OSW, and those who didn't know still stood and enjoyed the vibe. One last thing---the solo for LIOG went on for 12 minutes, then Dave stopped, introduced Butch Taylor and Carter before going back to the "I can't believe that we would..." Great evening---thanks DMB. Cannot wait until next year.

Michael G.
this show was defiinately a step up from last year and one of the best shows in a while. the stone was a good opener and drive in, drive out kept the tempo going. i loved the so much to say-jam-too much teaser intro and then ants marching. it was awesome. The five new songs they did were great but grace is gone wasnt a good one to start and encore. the piano solo on lie in our graves was the best i have heard ever. crash was sweet as always and watchtower was the best of the evening. dave was very happy tonight and no one stopped when in was time to put on a show. this is deffinately one of the best dave shows this summer.

Ashley A.
Hot, muggy evening. Made it better though. Highlights of the show were Drive In Drive Out, the faked out Too Much into Ants and Watchtower. Watchtower blew the roof of the place. It was outstanding. Butch adds a lot to this song. Boyd's solo in LIOG was great. Grey Street is my favorite new song. Grace is Gone is such a sad one. Only thing that I would have asked for differently was Crush instead of Crash, and Say Goodbye. Rhyme and Reason would have been nice too, but hey, it was still a great show.

Tom H.
OK, I lied. I really thought last night at Virginia Beach was going to be my last of the summer, but I just couldn't live with myself if DMB was 3 hours away and I wasn't there. I left the house ticketless and ended up towards the back of the Pavilion dead center. Boy, am I glad I made the trip! The show was a little short but well worth the extra effort. This show blew VB away. We got "Granny," which is always a treat. We got #34, which really shocked me (One of these days Dave should play all the number songs right in a row.). The energy level of the band and the crowd was GREAT throughout the evening. The SMTS>ASTB>"Too Much" teaser>"Ants" alone was well worth the price of admission. When I heard ASTB, I called "Ants." Awesome! The new stuff was great as usual. No matter how many times I hear "Grey Street" and "Grace Is Gone," I never get tired of them. LIOG was phenomenal!! I'm Blown Away! Let me just say without equivocation that LIOG was the BEST song of this entire tour every time it was played. Boyd's and Butch's solos were so SWEET they made me want to cry. F**king Exquisite!! "Watchtower" was an excellent closer. As many versions as I've heard with all-star guests (Popper, Trey, Ben Harper, etc.), the latest incarnation, with Boyd, Butch, and Leroi each soloing in turn, may be the best. The boys absolutely JAMMED! Boyd broke a string and couldn't start, so Butch took over without missing a beat. Boyd followed, and Leroi topped it off. Leroi really let his hair down tonight (literally), and what used to be a rare exception (Leroi sans shades) is becoming a regular occurrence. So now I'm done for the summer and well-satisfied. Honest.

Justin
Two words sum up tonite's show. Great energy. Dave and the boys came out and gave a solid Stone to the sweaty crowd. Was hopin for Wise Men at the end, though. DIDO was solid. Changed up the words a bit (not surprisingly). Probably best DIDO I've ever seen, though, and this was my 7th show (3rd of the summer). Granny, Granny, Granny. Oh so much better w/out "the lovely ladies." Then again, all the songs are. I expected OSW next, and sure enough, it was. Mellowed the crowd a bit, which made SMTS seem even faster. Crowd was really into the show by now, and the obvious Too Much tease into Ants followed. Ants was great, maybe better than Polaris encore 6/20/00. If the show had ended then, I woulda been completely satisfied. But wait, it wasn't even halfway over. Diggin' a Ditch continues to grow in popularity, and quite a few in the crowd knew the words. I'm definitely likin JTR minus the "John the Revelator" chorus. The song has definitely improved since last summer (although Santana was pretty tight). Grey Street rocked (as always). Words have changed a bit since first two shows at Polaris, but nothing drastic. Raven definitely took the life outta the crowd. I was one of the few people standing for this one. This song is definitely growing on me. I was a bit surprised, however, that the band played 4 new songs in a row. Kinda made the casual DMB fans feel left out. Oh well, sux for them. I was expectin Seek Up (HOPING for Seek Up) or LIOG next. Sure enough, Dave started strummin away on his guitar and Boyd went off. Good tight jam, w/ Boyd, Butch, Carter and Leroi all adding solos. This song always leaves a lasting impression on first-timers. Pretty standard version of Crash came next, much to the delight of the girls I was with. Watchtower followed and what a Watchtower it was. Whole crowd was up for this one and the lightshow was sweet. Much more intensity than 6/20/00. Maybe Dave should save this song for encores and finales only, instead of throwing it into the middle of setl ists. Encore was decent. My first Grace is Gone and the rumors are true. This song IS good. Dave came out and said, "This is sorta a country song." Anyone else think this'll be the Crash/Crush off the new album? What Would You Say as the last song of the nite? Hmmmm... not too thrilled w/ that choice, but it really didn't matter. This show so powerful even BEFORE the encore. Had they ended w/ Two Step/Rapunzel, they woulda blown the roof off of Alltel. Tonite was definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen, although 6/19/00 at Polaris had an amazing setlist and plenty of energy. Lookin forward to next year when Dave comes to ELON COLLEGE to christen our soon-to-be-completed brand new football stadium. "If you build it, he will come."

Veronica H.
Ok,...I know I said that the Va Beach show was my last one of the summer. Well, my friend and I decided Friday afternoon that we were going to drive down to Raleigh and try and score tix in the parking lot! We did, and I am so glad I did!!! Our seats were dead center about 3/4ths of the way back and I could see perfectly! This was the perfect way to end my summer tour with Dave and they did not let me down. We got some more songs that I haven't heard with was great! Granny (which has now become my fav), #34 (which I believe I accidentally said Dave played the night before), Lover Lay Down, and One Sweet World, were great to hear! The best part of the show was when Dave and the Boys played So much to Say and then right into ASTB right into Too Much teaser to Ants!!!! OH MY GOD! That was awesome!!!!!! Crash follwed and I was done! Another highlight was LIOG. This was the best live version I have heard to date. Boyd was on fire and just when you think he was done, he would go again!!! Butch was definetly spotlighted in this song. The boys jammed all night long...New stuff was played, and all four shows I have seen, I can't get enough of Grace, Grey Street, and JTR! The encore was better than the night before...he played Grace and ended with WWYS! A perfect ending to a phenomenal concert!!! Can't wait to see you again Dave!!!

Mark W.
After exactly a year and one month, after reading reviews and setlist every night since the tour began, i was able to attend my first show of the summer 2000 tour. Just as anyone could expect of a summer night in the south, it was hot, humid and muggy. the boys came on aroung 8:25 or so dave wearing what looked like one of the soccer jerseys that they're selling at the t-shirt booths(w/ the # 10 Beauford on the back). they opened with Stone, Dave eerily staring straight ahead as he played the opening intro on his guitar. i've never really cared for this song as an opener, but it seemed to set a good mellow kind of vibe for the evening. after Drive in and Granny, the crowd finally began recognizing the radio tunes (SMTS, Ants) and became a little more involved. they went into the Anyone Seen the Bridge jam which we were all ready for Too Much, into which they played the first few measures and then immediately began with the opening violin/sax duet of Ants. I had seen this transition posted on the setlist of the past couple weeks, but was unaware of how it worked. it was a pleasant suprise to hear, especially to give new life into the overdone SMTS>ASTB>Too much combo. after Ants, which was amazing and gives me chills every time, the crowd assumed its "cocktail party" atmosphere by chatting and maintaining disenterest in the new songs. if there was a low point, it would be the woman next to me who was in her 30's and would scream "oh my god" constantly about dave and swoon like a teenage girl @ an N'SYNC concert. she maintained this throughout the evening and definitely took away from everyone around her's experience. It didn't help that she was not attractive and dressed like a def lepard groupie. anyway, the new songs sounded great and i'm sure i will appreciate them more when the new album is out. the bands' musicianship is still there, though. after a flourish of new songs came a 15 min LIOG, w/ extended butch jam, a standard version of the way overdone yet teenage girl appealing Crash Into Me, and a great rocking end w/ Watchtower. It was a rather short set, with the pre-encore ending @ 10:15. Boyd was rather mellow and kept to himself and his side of the stage most of the evening, even during his LIOG solo, a bit more animated during Watchtower. Overall though, i had a great time, was stoked to hear the new songs and was wonderful seeing the band again after a 13 month famine. see y'all in Atlanta!

Charlie M.
The first the thing I notice is that the set is a little more fancy than in year past, so I'm kinda pumped about some good little accompaniment. Dave starts off slow, but builds up an impressive "Stone" performance. The one thing I have noticed in the last three years of Dave shows in Raleigh is that they tend to not play the same songs in years past. This is the first time hearing The Stone, Granny, and the news songs: Grey Street, Bartender (excellent encore choice), Grace is Gone, and the Raven. Highlights: The Stone as an opening number, One Sweet World: the old version of Dave's intro and all the old trappings of LeRoi's long intro solo, and the extra long version of Lie in our Graves with a beautiful solos by Boyd and Butch. Boyd was on last night and it especially showed out during his extra solo bars of Ant's Marching. The one thing that annoyed me (if I may): The band had a string of 4 new songs that are understood to be on the new album. But the crowd shut off when they didn't know the words. Just like the "Crowded Streets" songs, these are new and you don't know them, but don't complain. The band did an excellent job in putting them on. Not a show for old fans, as I've seen posted before. I really wanted to hear maybe Recently or Warehouse, but I will walk away from another show still happy and content, and looking for to the release in November.

JM D.
GREAT SHOW!!! This was my fourth show and easily ranks first or second. I'd like to hit on a few points: 1. Props on Walnut Creek (I mean Altell Pavillion cough cough) for smoothness on getting in and parking. We didn't have to wait in traffic but that could be just our luck. Getting out was a totally different story though. 2. On the side show was a band I think called "Virginia Coalition." I was only around them for a few minutes but they straight rocked! 3. Taj Mahal was pretty good. A basic blues set. No "She Caught The Katy" though. Now on to DMB . . . The Stone was a great opener. Pretty similar to the LS version. Other highlights include . . . You probably said wow when you read it just as everyone did when they heard it: So Much To Say -> Anyone Seen The Bridge -> Too Much (Tease) -> Ants Marching !!!!!!! It was so great. I'm not sure if they have ever played that. Lie In Our Graves was another highlight. Boyd played the solo of the evening during this one. Of the 5 new songs played, JTR has got to be my favorite. It was really great when they jammed it out. Great show guys!

Michael L.
Missed The Stone & DIDO due to the absolute slowness of the Walnut Creek parking staff. I was very pleased that the Lovely Ladies were not there. The show really picked up at SMTS and I was completely caught off-guard by Ants after ASTB. Grey Street was excellent w/ the lights that turned grey. LIOG was a pleasant surprise but Butch's solo in the middle kinda dragged. The highlight of the show was Watchtower. The band was very into it as was the entire crowd and on the video screen there was an overlay of a bonfire over a close-up of Dave's face. Very cool for the mood. Very cool song. Grace is a very, very good song. I think it'll become a crowd favorite. Finally, WWYS was a great closer. Lights: great. Crowd: great. Show: great. Very, very well done.

Jason M.
Getting to Alltel was a pain, with the rubbernecking on I-40, so I got through the gate just in time for the middle of The Stone. Which pissed me off, because The Stone is a great opener. Drive In Drive Out--Haven't heard live before, still a great outro with Carter and Boyd. Granny--I wanted to hear this song live ever since I heard it on Dave and Tim at Luther. This needs to stay unreleased so it doesn't hit the radio. One Sweet World--standard instrumental intro, but still a tight, nice song. So Much--could have done with Warehouse in here, but to hear the Bridge once again is always a treat. Ants Marching--I noticed they were going into this after the Bridge, but I thought we were getting Too Much. Great solo by Boyd, he ripped his bow at the end, while he was dancing all over the front of the stage. Digging a Ditch--I knew a new one was coming here, I was hoping for Bartender or Grey Street, but this song did just fine. A real mellow song, nice version. JTR--Saw Dave go for the 12 string, and thought we would get Bartender, but got JTR instead. Heard it in Philly earlier this year, wasn't into it then, but wow what a song it has become. Really upbeat, and a cool jam at the end. The lights were all over the place. The album version with Santana should kick some ass. Grey Street--I knew it would be played eventually, probably their first single. Raven--The fifth new song, really took the energy out of the crowd. I wanted Sweet Up and Down here, but this song is really dark and creepy. Like a newer Halloween. Lie In Our Graves--Outstanding, my friend who was seeing his first Dave show was "Blown away". Same jam as in the 7/15/00 Philly show, with Boyd and then Butch. Crash--Have heard it in every show I've been to, but Dave has to please the ladies. Standard with the Dixie Chicken, but still a great song. Watchtower--I knew this was the last song, even though Dave didn't do his little "Thank Yaa'll very much for coming out thing." Once Stefan started the intro, I knew it was going to be played. What a version, Dave was jamming so hard he broke 2 strings. Lights were magnificent. Grace is Gone--Definitely my favorite new song. Once the band left the stage, I was screaming for it. When Dave came up and said "This is a little country tune," I was screaming like a giddy little school-girl. What a great song this is, I hope it doesn't hit the radio. What Would You Say?--Wanted Two Step here, but I'll take it. Long jam by Leroi, and a good showing from Carter. A good night all in all, can't wait 'till next tour.