Chris B.
Very good show, if a little short. Surprised to hear Ants after they played it in Charlotte last night. Gotta love Jimi Thing, Ants, Two Step, So Much to Say and Watchtower in the same show. This show was a little heavy on "Everyday" tracks, but I did it (not my favorite song) rocked. A haunting Grey Street opened the show, followed by I did it and WTWE. Two step was classic, although Butch's outro ran a little long. Raven was a pleasant surprise. The show took off with So Much to Say/Too Much. Boyd let it rip on the latter, totally capturing the crowd. I was happy to hear Loving Wings for the first time - a sweet little song which I'm sure will evolve as they get to know it better. Jimi Thing was a bit unexpected and the show had a chance to really go into the stratosphere, but the choice of If I Had it All, followed by Fool to Think allowed the crowd to drift a little bit. Ants was the undisputed high point of the show. DMB was its usual terrific self on Watchtower, but the absence of Long Black Veil, and the fact that the show ended around 10:40 suggested the guys were wiped out after three straight days and were ready to call it a night a little early. All in all, a very good, but not great show.

Jme C.
Ok, this is my 5th show and sadly it was the worst I've ever seen Dave and the band perform. The set list was poor, the show was lacking emotion from the band and the crowd, and they played for barely 2 hrs. I was glad to hear Grey St. as an opener and Jimi Thing and Two Step had their usual jams included, but the energy of the crowd was brought down by the Everyday songs and LWS songs which the crowd didn't seem like they knew too well. Granted I was on the lawn, but I couldn't really hear the new song Loving Wings. It seems too slow to me. As stated earlier, the highpoint of the show was Ants Marching as it featured that classic tease intro. The show closed after Watchtower, a typical crowdpleaser but getting a bit old to me. I was shocked when the lights came after a mere 2 hrs (last show I saw the band jammed for 3hrs!) and I was disappointed I didn't get to hear Gravedigger or any other Dave solo encore performance. Maybe if they had played The Stone, Warehouse, Rhyme and Reason, No. 41, Tripping Billies, Big One-Eyed Fish, BOWA, Seek Up, Lover Lay Down, or Rapunzel I would have been more happy.

David M.
Last night in Virginia Beach was a pretty good show. WAY TOO SHORT though... Grey Street was a good opener. My friend called that minutes before the lights went down. I Did It sucks, but its always going to suck. And its only 3:34 every time they play it so its not too bad. I like WTWE though. They followed with by far the best version of Two Step I have ever heard. Butch and Carter tear up the jam at the end. And, no..... as the last review would assess, the jam was NOT too long. It cant be too long. One Sweet World is always a nice surprise. Grace is good, although I think thats going to be the new single. So that will be played out before too long I fear... Raven was nice. Never disliked the tune, but never really dug it til last night. Too Much was HOT. I really dig the funky keys on that song now days... Jimi Thing had a different jam than I am accustomed to. Dave laid down a really nice solo at the end. Loving Wings and Where Are You Going were both firsts for me. Like them both. I think Loving Wings will develop nicely over time. Ants was nice. But that was also the point of the show where I was EXTREMELY disappointed. Dave was saying "good night" 1 hour and 55 minutes deep into the show. Completely unsatisfying. I dont care if they did play 3 nights in a row. Show was maybe 2 hours and 10 minutes not including the encore break. I work eight hour days. If I work three in a row, I dont get off after 5 on the 3rd day. The encore was also miserable. I like their version of Watchtower. But Dave could have played a solo tune. They should have at least played 2-3 songs after such a short set. Widespread Panic played 15 minutes away in Portsmouth two nights before and kicked out a version of that song that blew the Dave Matthews Band's version out of the water. They also played over way over 3 hours, not including breaks, and cost half as much. If tickets were only $30 I wouldnt harp on show length, but the DMB fucks ya every chance they can. Overall, good show. Way too short. Disappointing encore. Had fun still.

Chris L.
Overall, disappointing setlist with a really short set and lackluster energy from the boys probably made this one of the worst shows I've ever seen. Grey street IS a great opening song but this one was typical at best. Followed by I Did It which had no business being played second was ok. WTWE was pretty standard as always. Two Step was one of the highlghts of the night and Butch really took off on this one. The crowd wasn't really interested in hearing this one at 8:30 however. Two Step was followed by the instrumental intro of OSW which was fantastic as usual. Nothing much to saw about OSW, its a great song and was played well tonight. GIG was next and was pretty good, the band started to seem a little rushed though. Raven was fantastic. Its gotten much better live and the boys seemed to enjoy rocking out on this one. The boyd solo during the song was incredible also. Luckily Boyd was really solid the whole show. So much was good and ASTB is always a treat to hear. Too much was standard as was Loving Wings(still needs work but getting better each night) into WAYG. Jimi Thing was pretty good, the crowd really showed much love for this song and the band responded perfectly. If I had it all was boring and killed the mood. Not a bad song, it just didn't fit well. Followed by Fool to think which was the 5th song in a row without an upbeat tempo. It would be interesting to see what the band originally had slated for the closer because it seemed like they changed it to Ants Marching out of desperation to get the crowd back into it. I've seen Ants Marching so many times over the years and this one was awful. I think it was shorter than the studio version(around 4-5 minutes). Now for the real travesty, a 4 minute one song encore. I've always loved Watchtower but it should have been played before Ants to close the show. If you don't count the time the boys left before the encore, the band was only on stage for about 2 hrs and 3 minutes. Now I'm sorry you guys were tired after 2 of the previous shows but don't schedule a 3rd night in a row if you can't give the crowd what they have come to expect and love. Sorry to be brutal dave but $41 for a lawn seat and hearing an emotionless set with several mediocre songs with a sub-standard closer was very disappointing, especially for your home state crowd. Sound Note-Not to blame Dave and the boys but the sound on the lawn was awful. Luckily it was a really mellow and quite crowd, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to hear it at all.

Bob B.
Dave and the guys were hitting on all eight tonight. Great opening with Grey Street and after WTWE another great tune. Then they caught fire with Two Step as it seemed to keep getting better the longer they played it. They whole band after the song were pointing at one another as if to say damn we were so tight on that song. You could tell they really enjoyed playing that one. One sweet world was super as well. SMTS amd then Too Much was all so a killer number, again hitting on all 8 cylinders. Everyone in the crowd was lulled by Loving Wings but then was picked right back up by Where Are You Going and then kickin it with Jimi Thing and If I Had It All. Ants is always good to get the crowd into it and then they left and someone came out and worked on Carter's drums and that took forever it seemed. Then came out and played Watchtower again for the encore. I guess that must be a favorite of the band to play here at Virginia Beach. It always kicks ass. All in all in my opinion it was an EXCELLENT show.

Phil &.
Overall a very good show. Yes, it was a LITTLE short. The show should have been titled the boyd nastiness clinic. I enjoyed songs sounding different then normal. I really enjoyed grey st as an opener. I did it was okay, not great, but better than previous tours. I enjoyed when the world ends. Two step was a pleasent surpries at song number 4. One sweet world had a great jam with the whole band getting in to it. Grace is gone was good, as usual. Raven was a nice addition. So much to say and Too much where amazing together. The band showed great energy throught both of these great songs. Loving wings is a really great song, smooth and mellow, just what the middle of a concert should be like. Where are you going grows on me everytime I hear it. Jimi thing was too great, boyd was amazing. If I had it all was ok, followed by fool to think. Ants Marching was simply amazing. AMAZING! Watchtower was great, Dave seemed to sing the lyrics a little more than usual, which was really cool. Overall, I had a great time at the concert. The overall concert experience was great for me, one of my best. I had a great time with my friends before and after the concert. Tailgating was great. Dave is best enjoyed with great friends. ---Please Remember, with the DMB, IT IS ALL GOOD ALL THE TIME---

James D.
Dave Matthews Band. Virginia Beach. What a place, what great people, what a setting. The Show Started Out Phenomenal. Two Step was the fourth song for gods sake how great is that?? Anyways the first 80% of the show started out as one of the best shows i have ever seen, then after the off the hook JimiThing, a dark cloud in the shape of glen ballard took control and sucked the life out of any potential the show had to be to become one of the best. Folks, If I had it all just does not work live and fool to think just needs to end. Then when i thought they would redeem themselves for another couple songs, they quickly left after ants and a one song encore indicated that they were probably pretty tired, thats ok. I had a great time. I think of it as a Great movie with an ending that lets you down slightly. See you all in Camden and hershey...whoooo

Nikki
The Dave show was incredible as always. This is an annual tradition for my sister and me and we count down the days each year. He played and sang with an enthusiasm I haven't seen for the past 2 years. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and the crowd reacted appropriately. I for one danced and sang the entire 2 hours. I wish it could have been longer but how long is enough Dave? I thought the set list was a good mix of classic and new songs and the crowd was generally up and responsive. I can't wait for next tour and I'm sure all true Dave fans will agree that the entire band rocked out as usual. I guess I just can't imagine saying I went to a bad Dave show. Is there really such a thing?

Lin S.
Have to admit this was an up and down show. After ten(yes ten!!) shows i finally got my first Two Step!! Seemed like it lasted 20 mins but i could be wrong. Grey Street as an opener was good, but pretty standard. After that was I did it. why did you do that, dave? Just glad that theres no long jamming on that one yet.Concert was rolling along great until we got Fool to Think. If he had come up with Crush or even Crash, the place would have gone insane. But as it was the crowd (out on the lawn anyway) got kinda lost out there. Watchtower was a great ,if predictable, ender. as a side note, here in 2000 dave got us with a one song encore as well. Have to give thanks to a special girl who made up for what the band sorta lacked. If it hadnt been for you, Tiffany, the concert would defenitely had been more below the average rather than excellent. "Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters" Much thanks

Dancin B.
Our second show this year, and 11th altogether - though not the best we've seen (or even a distant second), we had a great time, best seats we've ever had in the 6th row, center - and it was definitely superior to the tour opener on 4/4 in D.C. I know most of y'all dig Grey Street, but not me, so not a promising beginning . . . Next a standard I Did It and although I really like When The World Ends, I began to worry about the Everyday trend . . . But the minute we heard the strains of Two Step, all was right with the world! They jammed it out while we danced our asses off .. . . Then - One Sweet World, an excellent surprise - can't stand still during that tune either! We both love Grace Is Gone and were glad to hear it, though we've heard better versions, but a nice break to catch our breath . . . We've always liked Raven, too, but when SMTS melted into ASTB into Too Much, we were in heaven - Dave was dancing around like crazy during ASTB and it was clear he was enjoying himself . . . Loving Wings is nicely begun, I'm anxious to see they develop it live . . . Where Are You Going, well, it's pretty and nice to see for the second time this year . .... When they slid into Jimi Thing, we lost our minds again, and it was nice, the jam a little different than I've heard it before . . . Sadly, If I Had It All broke the spell, and the show further declined with Fool To Think - two of my least favorite Everydays . . . Ants is always a huge pleasure, and though Watchtower's a standard encore, they played their asses off, and it was outstanding - when we realized that was gonna be the last song, we were a bit disappointed, but give the boys some slack, three nights in a row had clearly taken a toll on Dave's voice - so while we would've loved to hear a few more tunes, we were happy with the show overall . . . See y'all in Hershey, Nissan and Starlake!

Dj P.
3 days later, $250 broker, several $7 24oz beers, one $6 philly cheese steak, over 1200 miles, about 20 hrs on the road, 3 tanks of gas, an entire grocery bag of trash in the back seat, fixing a flat tire for 3 damsels in distress in charlotte, having a girl (tiffany) dance with me in va beach while she had a cast on her leg, smuggling in a camera to two shows, then losing addresses to ppl who wanted doubles, numerous new friends that i'll never see again, and hearing my favorite all time DMB song "Lie In Our Graves" in charlotte for a 20-minute jam session.....PRICELESS. sad to say, my first 3 day stint with the DMB is now over. :( but what a long strange trip its been. last night's setlist seemed to be a combination of the raleigh and charlotte shows. i only heard 5 songs i hadn't heard the previous 2 nights: Raven, If I Had It All, Two Step, Jimi Thing,a dn i guess you could count ASTB. but i still walked out of va beach amphitheater a happy nancie! the little repetitive "baby" Dave sang at the end of SMTS was kick ass then they kicked in with ASTB then Too Much. def had the crowd pumped. i had called that the band would play Two Step and Jimi Thing since they had basically jammed out the previous two nights with their other jam songs. the one song encore sort of sucked. i would have liked to have heard them jam out a LIOG one more time but i can't get everything i wish for. it sounded as if Dave's voice was get scratchy towards the end of Jimi Thing so that's probably why they ended it the way they did. anyways, hope to see yawl on the 31st at Nissan!!!

Carl S.
One of the worst shows, possibly the worst, that I have seen. I was dead tired also as I did 3 shows in 3 nights and I don't make millions and still was able to jump around. Dave's voice being shot is a more acceptable basis for the lackluster performance...and I hope he is ok. 9 repeats. Glad I saw the night before in Charlotte as that was one of the best I have seen...that's a new reason I never have fathomed prior why I follow the band, just in case a show like VaBeach '02 is the only one you see that year. The tamest and going through the motions TWO STEP I've seen or heard. The saving grace was that to me Carter was doing the best he could to pick up the slack. I have a theory on shows that have an ORCH section...that it is better when there are only 2 reserved secs...the pit crowds tend to be tame or stodgy or somethin that I can't put my finger on and it could have helped the band energy out last night if the craziness of the 100 sections was happening up front. Oh well, I'll anticipate next year after 8 in '02. Oh and that guy in the brown shorts who got arrested was jogging right past me and i figured he was tripping acid and thinking he was running fast but in hindsight he was running half-heartedly as if he knew he did not have a chance. Raven>SMTS>ASTB>TooMuch was the highlight of the evening for me..especially Raven which had the emotion that I felt was lacking.

Sturg
FIRST DAVE SHOW EVER!! And I loved it. Haven't heard much of the new stuff but was excited to hear Jimi Thing, Two Step, So Much To Say, and Watchtower. Thanks Molly, Kim, and Erin for making it an awesome first show for me. I'm sure that there are more to follow.

John C.
This is my third Dave show and if this is any indication of where the dave shows are headed then it will be my last. First off 16 songs, 10 of which I think i might have slept through, is not enough. The setlist was short and boring. As much as I love two step, 20 mins is too long. same with jimi thing, they are great songs but together those 2 songs ran 40 mins, that time could be spent on more songs. I payed $116.25 for two tickets and I got ripped off. As much as I love dave, I can't afford to keep getting ripped off by this band. Sorry to say that but it is true.

Jacquie M.
Out of my 8 shows- this was the worst. I tried to be grateful for being able to see DMB at all but could not help by being really disappointed. Grey Street as an opener was nice. The music was decent but the setlist was terrible- way too much everyday, no BTCS. Carter changed the beat up a bit at the end of Two Step- probably my favorite part of the show. I'm really excited for Nissan now because any show has to be better than VA beach 2002.

April G.
This show finished off my "Dave Week 2002." A little dissapointed by VA Beach. Atlanta was great! Raleigh was incredible! Charlotte...I'm in awe, best show I've ever seen! They were all great compared to the only show I was able to see last year-Turner Field. But Va beach was fun, but not awe-inspiring. It was good just because it was Dave but it just didn't seem like the other shows this past week. Maybe I was just really tired. We had pavillion seats but the sound was muffled. One encore! You can tell the boys are getting a little tired. I was hoping to hear Gravedigger one more time since this is my last show of the tour. One good thing about Va Beach-the crowd was great. The crowd in Raleigh was horrible, but the show was amazing!

David M.
I went hoping for a great show and wasn't let down. One or two more songs on the set, and one more encore song would have been really nice, and I would've died to hear #41, but the concert was awesome. A good mix of new and old songs. They're not going to play the same songs over and over for the rest of their lives, and I'm really liking the Busted Stuff versions of the Lillywhite songs. Two Step is always great, I've always wanted to hear One Sweet World with the instrumental intro, and this was the first time I've heard Ants Marching live. Ants Marching rocked, especially Boyd's solo. This was my third DMB concert, and first since 1998, and I'd forgotten how awesome they are live. I'm not missing another show when they're in the area.

Dan I.
This was my 6th dave show and it was most definatly a good one. The guys were really in a chill jam mood tonight. Grey Street, Great opener. I Did It, not a fav. song, but a chill version. When the World Ends, Amazing Song. They jammed this one out for a while. Two Step, Holy Shit!! This was most definatly the high point in the show. First of all its a good song live, but the guys really jammed this out. Butch and Carter did some sort of jazzy improv which really got the crowd going. and just when you think its over,well, it doesn't end.WOW.Carter is incredible. One Sweet World, This was one sweet ass version(instrumental intro was the shit) Grace is Gone, always a favorite. RAVEN, Boyd went absolutly apeshit on this. another high point, also a great song live. So Much to Say with Anyone Seen the Bridge into Too Much was totally awesome, Dave had some sweet scat going on. Loving Wings, good song. never heard it live. Where Are you Going, good version. Jimi Thing, definatly a surprise. this was a jazzy version as well. My praise to Boyd and Roi on this one. If I had it All: once again. good version. Butch had some good key work on this. Fool To Think: awesome awesome awesome. Boyd was on tonight. Ants, what a great closer. Got the crowd going. real phat. Encore, Watchtower, Fawn is the man. Phat Show. Be back in Nissan and Hershey. peace

Kim K.
This was my 9th DMB concert and sad to say probably my last. We drove 3 hours to Va Beach all psyched up for an incredible show, only to find a less than energized band on stage barely resembling DMB. This was my first time in years venturing to the lawn seats and now I remember why. The sound was horrible, there were numerous times that the crowd was so disengaged from the show that we could barely hear the music. The energy that DMB normally exhibits that makes you feel that all in life is great and we're all happy to be alive was certainly missing. I walked away from the show wishing I had not wasted my time and money on the DMB show that night but made it to the beach a day earlier to catch the Lenny Kravitz show that was raved about throughout the area. My question is, why each year are ticket prices hiked up as well as merchandise prices when the quality of the show each year diminishes. When you pay more, shouldn't you get more...I mean I have never seen a DMB show with only ONE ENCORE SONG!!! Dave what is going on!?!? Is the passion and love of the game gone???

Jeff L.
Contrary to popular belief, the show Saturday night was great! I've been to countless shows and they just seem to get better and better. The setlist maintained the old, the new, and the really new. Newbie fans need to realize and appreciate the musical talent performing in front of them. At this point in thier career, you will hear a lot of new songs and not as many old songs...think about it. They've been playing those songs for a decade. Case in point, just because you didn't hear, "Satellite, Crash, or Tripping Billies" it doesn't make it a bad show...unless it's "Space Between." hahahaha...

Steve B.
Great show!! I feel the need to respond to the negative reviews being posted. The set, the crowd and the vibe was as heated as you can hope. The performers displayed their mastery of their instruments and their ability to move a crowd. This was my 67th show and it did not disappoint. For all of the newbies out there going to shows with expectations of what they hope to hear and then criticizing the band when they don't, stay home. The group played a set that allowed them to each shine while pleasing the broad spectrum of fans that are always present at a Virginia show. From old to new, the songs are great, the band is great and this show provided the intensity that only DMB can create.

Kevin
This is my second show of the summer, something like my 8th overall. First show of the summer was MCI Center in DC (tour kickoff show). I thought this show was better than the DC show simply because they were more prepared and loosened up, but all in all, the show was still a disappointment. The show started off great, with Grey Street. Then, in my mind, two of the worst live songs- I Did It and When the World Ends. Two Step is always good to hear in concert, but it was the exact same as on the Listener Supported CD. One Sweet World- always good. They did a mini lead-in which was really awesome as well. Next was Grace, which is probably the best song on the new cd (along with Big-Eyed Fish). They did manage to sneak in So Much to Say and Too Much. That made for a nice bathroom break. Where Are You Going is a great song, but no different live than on the cd. The highlights of the show were Jimi Thing and Ants Marching. And among the biggest disappointments was the encore- one song, Watchtower. While I love their version, I wish they would mix it up a little and close with other songs (maybe even some other covers). There are so many live versions of Watchtower out there and easily accessible. Overall, I thought many of the songs sounded too much like the CD songs, which makes it hard to justify paying the $40-$50 for the ticket (or the extra $15 you end up paying if you order through the "fan club"). Don't get me wrong, I'll still do it, it's just harder to justify.

Todd
This was show #18 for me. Had wonderful seats and good concert neighbors. I wasn't expecting Grey Street to open with. I didn't realize he was playing that song with a 12 string now. I brought a good friend for his very first show. I was worried he wouldn't have a good time, but I think he got into it (the music, and the concert production). Two Step was a helpful factor in this. I told him this would blow him away if nothing else did. One Sweet World and Ants Marching were wonderful to hear - Jimi Thing I thought I wouldn't enjoy - but the new (new to me) groove they have going in the end was incredible. While most might not enjoy Fool To Think, I was happy to hear it over What You Are. Loving Wings was great to hear - it fulfilled my quota of hearing at least one new song per show! We'll see how well they change stuff up for Nissan!