Matt
This show was so awesome,this was my 6th dave show and this by far was one of the best shows I have been too. The opening song was Everyday increddibly amazing. The new songs of his Stand Up Album sound great Dream Girl was awesome. Out of My hands was really good going solo on that. The was a couple of fans who decided to get up close with dave matthews and jump on stage and surround him that was funny but yet that could ruin it for the next couple of years for the dave concerts when he comes back to Hartford. All it was a great show Dave really does rock All along the watchtower to end the night was amazing cant wait to see him again.

Chellie
I travelled all the way from Australia to see Dave at Hartford and it was worth every cramp on the plane and every penny that it cost getting here. My boyfriend and i drove down from Nova Scotia, Canada, which took 14 hours give or take each way. I would have walked to see Dave! The concert was like a dream, i couldn't believe i was there seeing my favorite artists in the flesh. The new songs are fabulous and i loved hearing the older favorites. Although i was standing further up the hill in the 'lawn' section, i appriciated every moment and danced my little Aussie heart out the entire time. DAVE WE LOVE YOU! PLEASE TOUR AUSTRALIA! The only disapointment of the night (very minor of course) was not hearing 'American Baby', which my boyfriend sings to me - only changing the lyrics to 'Australian Baby'. Obviously, he wants me to stay in North America... GO DMB, I'LL BE THERE CHEERING YOU ON NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN CANADA OR AUSTRALIA!

Sarah
This was my first show of the summer and I must say I couldnt have asked for a better one. My best friend forgot our tickets and we drove from Long Island only to realize we had no tickets 15 minutes before arriving. On the way there I called out which songs I would love to hear....and needed to hear..including Rhyme and Reason...The Stone...Out of my hands... Granny...and more. My best friend called out Dream Girl, Bartender, Lousiana Bayou and a couple others. Needless to say...we made it there...fought with Will Call for a while and made it into the show. I was so ecstatic with the set list and actually really enjoyed the new stuff live. Wish my bf could have been there for that show because it was an awesome set list. Old dirt hill was a great ender.. The lawn was a muddy mess but was worth every second of dancing in it. Doobie smokin n rockin out to Dave. GREAT SHOW! GREAT way to start off my 13 show summer.

Jimmy M.
On the whole, an enjoyable show. Hartford has definetely turned into a mess- from the puking kids to the lack of free parking... The band still puts on great shows there though. They definetely sound reenergized by the new album and all of the music is affected. There is a freshness to their show that I have not witnessed since 2002. New songs like "Louisiana Bayou" and "Hunger for the Great Light" sparkled. Some very well put together older tunes too. At times (Watchtower) they still could ditch some of the old tricks. My other complaint is that the show seemed short overall. For the most part, they played very well and it was a fun event for the cool moonlit evening. Should be really ON by the time they get to the Gorge...

John W.
Unreal!! I have seen the set lists for the 2005 tour to date and knew that most of the music was from Stand Up and a few oldies mixed in. I was at the Saturday show (6/18) and had it proved to me when Dave played. So what I was expecting and what I got were two totally different stories. I have never in the almost 70 DMB shows I've been to heard Ants Marching played second. The bass Solo Steffen played was unreal and overall the whole show was Great. Just Before the Encore went on a crazed fan hopped onto the stage and ran towards Dave. 3 bodyguards quickley grabbed him and took him offstage. Dave took it with a grian of salt and joked bout how he lost his shoe's when the guards took him. Thank you for another great year

Jaime L.
WOW, I'm in shock. Couldn't have asked for a better show. I'm not a big fan of some of the songs from Stand Up, but this showed changed that. Hearing songs like Hunger For The Great Light and Louisiana Bayou. They played more Stand Up songs Saturday night, but i liked how they threw in more oldies Sunday night. Everyday was a great start to the show, and Watchtower was a great ending. Ive been to tons of Dave shows at the meadows, and I'm sad to say this is my last because I'm moving to California. All I can say is thank you Dave for such an awesome show.

Danielle
I just needed to say to everyone out there. The new songs ROCK live. I truly think each one is fantastic. The band loves to play them, you can see it in how they play. I am not going to go through each song, but I was there both nights and was so impressed by the new flavor and intensity. The old songs were great, I loved the way they mixed it up. The great light is wonderful, dream girl. Dave was also so intense for- out of my hands. This was a GREAT SHOW!!!!For the fans who ran on stage--(it was two of them, I was in 6th row), I hope touching dave for a second was worth your night in jail. It sucks that they would ruin this for the rest of us. We were not allowed to stand at the stage for the encore because people were trying to get on stage the night before, sooo then two guys get on stage. This is a huge safety issue for Dave and the band. I bet they were pissed after the knife incident last year.

Kevin
All I can say is this show was incredible. The way the band played and jammed tonight was unbelieveable. This is my 22 show and it ranks with the best of them. I loved how the band opened with Everyday then went right into Ants. The new songs were awesome and were well mixed in during the concert. Dream Girl is just fantastic as was Louisiana Bayou. Lover Lay down was a pleasant surprise and PNP->Rapunzel was great for the close. I think many of the concertgoers will agree with me that Dave was trying to save his voice during this song. Understandable with Watchtower coming up in the Encore. Old Dirt Hill was crazy and how can you not like Watchtower to close out the weekend. The davespeak was crazy too. After he was "attacked" on stage he went on a rant and rave about coming on stage but once you get there you, theres nothing to do. One of the kids lost his shoe and he went nuts on that. It sucks that Hartford has had these problems but I can now understand by the two shows this weekend. The staff tries to get the entire crowd out of one enterance as they leave. This is just stupid and they need to think of something else. However, this show was amazing and you can tell that the band is back to their old ways of connecting on stage. I cant wait to see them again.

Jay T.
Wow what an incredible show! I knew right when they started with Everyday/36 it was gonna be something special. Then ANTS SECOND! No one saw that coming. The Stone, R&R, Bartender, Granny and Crush sounded amazing as usual. And the new songs were done much better then on saturday. PNP-Rapunzel as the closer was awesome. The more from Crowded Streets the better. Me and the guy standing next to me called the encore combo of Dirt Hill/Watchtower, but it didnt matter cause when Stephan went into his solo we were going nuts. Great weekend, cant wait until Live 8.

Melissa
Thanks for another phenominal show!!!! I've seen Dave and the boys live 17 times now, and this show may have been the all time tops! The set list was amazing, light show...spectacular, performance...mind blowing! Props to Butch Taylor and Rashawn Ross for tearin' it up too! To all the drunkerds and idiots that have caused the extremely ridiculous security and new policies...you suck! I don't know if anyone in the area truely looks forward to the Dave weekend at the Meadows as much as I do, but every year it's getting worse with stupid chaos. It ruins it for everyone else that's there to jam and are true DMB fans and I fear it will eventually cause them from playing here anymore; whether it be by choice or by force, and that would really suck! Sorry for the rant....Thanks again to the Dave Matthews Band for an unbelievably righteous show!

Paddy
Well, this was unlucky 13, and unlucky it was. Drove a solid 4 hours for this one only to be confronted by groups of police, videotaped by police, kicked out of the lot early, having to deal with morons rushing the stage(which is scary since dimebag was killed), and the most generic venue ever. on a musical note, i knew what to expect regarding the amount of new tunes, but was disappointed by their placement within the set and how little carter has added to some of them live. the encore was expectedly weak after the bum rush, but more because of the generic watchtower than old dirt hill, which was ok. nice to see rapunzel close though. im really suprised by the amount of positive reviews as well.

Patrick P.
One of the challenges of touring a new album is the balance of introducing new live material while playing time tested classics. The Dave Matthews Band found a good balance between new and old to close out their stay at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford, CT. The band had a strong opener with “Everyday”, the packed audience joined in with the #36 outro. “Ants Marching” came in as a surprise, a song that typically finds its way towards the end of the set came in at #2 and got the crowd to their feet very quickly. After two strong openers, the band then snuck in “Dreamgirl” and followed with “The Stone”. “Rhyme and Reason” gave Dave a chance to show the pure emotion that is conveyed in the song. Louisiana Bayou was a catchy tune that has potential to become a new crowd favorite. The chorus “down by the bayou” is accented so carefully to give it a likeable syncopated beat. Dave placed two longer songs in the middle with “Bartender” and “Crush”. The two songs went on for over 29 minutes total. As always the jams were kept with a strong pace that did not make the audience away that they were jamming away for an extended period of time. Dave then mixed in additional new songs with “Stand Up”, “You Might Die Trying”, and “Hunger For the Great Light”. He then closed with “Pantala Naga Pampa” and “Rapunzel” a great choice for a strong song to finish the set. The encore included a new song “Old Dirt Hill” and a regular closing piece “All Along the Watchtower”. Dave has quickly embraced the new material on his new album, effectively blending it into tonight’s set, creating a cohesive a energizing production.

Keith
This was my eight DMB show and I though it was ok at best. I was there with some first-timers who (understandably) loved it; there were some hits and some new stuff. In the new songs, it's hard not notice Boyd and LeRoi sitting by idly. And I was disappointed with two of my favorites, as well: "Crush" and "Watchtower." The Crush jam is just predictable (although I still love when Carter solos at the end). And why not bring Howie Day out to liven up the somewhat played-out Watchtower? Day does a good version of it himself. Also, it would be great if they'd play #36 without Everyday; but I doubt that will happen any time soon. The one and only shining moment, in my mind, was Rapunzel -- unexpected and vibrant. This show has me wondering whether it's worth the ticket prices any more to see my favorite band -- now that's sad...