DBBSP
The best Lie In our Graves I've ever heard! Boyd rocked the house and the band. People clapping, crying, jawdropping version! The stage lights are beautiful!!! Fentom Williams is definitely the MVP of this tour! It will be tough to reinvent this stage for the next tour! #34...never thought I would hear it live, especially because they played it in ATL the night before. Ants live, with my wife by my side is always a sigh moment. The new songs do great live! Louisiana Bayou is not my favourite in the cd, but I have to admit that live it is a different story, the jam at the end got everyone rocking. Apparently Dave likes to snap his strings when I attend his concerts: Twice in Rio '98 (Ants intro) and 2001 (Tripping Billies), Gainesville 2004 (Too Much) and now during Ants again. Oh well, too much energy for those poor Adario strings, I guess. And the odissey continues : 100% Watchtower! 6 concerts 6 renditions of this Dylan classic. Stephan getting better everytime! Looking forward to next year.

Stephanie
The show is long over, but this has been my first chance to check out what's been mentioned on the website. No review would be complete without mention of Butch Taylor's excellent performance at this show. I've found myself often lulled into distractions by his slow/jazzy "jams," but he was really ON for this show.

The atmosphere seemed intimate despite how loud things could get, etc. I found this to be the case more here than in any of the other shows I've gone to. I'm not sure which show this was for me. 10+ something, but it ranks up there as one of the best. The sound was fantastic, and it seemed like the band was really enjoying themselves.

I loved the encore, surprisingly. I thought the Old Dirt Hill would be a disappointment, but it turned out to be very fitting for the night. Considering this was the only show I'd been to in two years, the Too Much style they had going was new and awesome to me. I thought it was a great show, and would recommend anyone getting a tape of it.

Jake H.
This was show #10 for me, 2 of 4 this year (Bonnaroo, Tampa, WPB 1&2), including D&T at Radio City. Of those 10, this one ranks right at #10. And it's not close.

I wasn't surprised by the encore - the encore at Bonnaroo (SAWG, Billies) was lackluster too. Old Dirt Hill felt like they were tired, going through the motions and without the punch I've seen from them before in the "bonus" part of the show.

The jams, whereas in the past they seemed explorative, inventive and ultimately entertaining, felt self-indulgent tonight. A "jam for jamming's sake", I suppose.

While I applaud the scouring of the catalog for forgotten gems, #34 is what it is: an instrumental hidden track off an album over a decade old. My friend cheered when he heard it b/c it's rare (50 times more rare than Halloween, he told me), but I want to hear rare songs such as Halloween and Say Goodbye and The Last Stop because I enjoy them, not because the band plays them but once in a blue moon.

The merits of the Stand Up tracks have been discussed ad nauseam elsewhere, so I'll not ramble about that. The point is this: Hello Again, Hunger, Die Trying, these songs work live. Joyride and Sugar Will do too, for that matter. Bayou does, and there's no use denying it, but it's not my personal favorite.

SAWG has potential, as does Stand Up, but the performances need to improve, and I'd prefer it if they did so when I'm not paying for it. Dreamgirl and Old Dirt Hill work about as well in concert as Dreams Of Our Fathers and Angel did - I'm looking forward to those songs finding the same part of the catalog.

In sum, I'm feeling that I'm right when I said at the start of this tour that I was glad to be going to a range of shows, so I get the equivalent of at least one show from the past. A disappointment, but an expected one.

Mike
My wife has been a big fan of the DMB, so I have been listening to them for years. Although for some odd reason, we have never been able to make it to one of their live performances. But now, that has changed.

I don’t know the name of the opening band. We only caught the very end of their performance. The setup for the DMB went rather quick, except for the vacuuming. I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing that someone in the DMB is a neat freak. :o) It seemed they vacuumed the stage forever!

Finally, they lights went out and they took the stage. There was a ¾ moon out to greet them and a sold-out, charged-up crowd gave them a huge welcome. With the crackle of a lingering Florida thunderstorm, the band opened things up with “Everyday”. It was an awesome opener! At that point, I knew we were in for a great show.

The energy was electric throughout the entire show. Even when they played the more mellow “Where Are You Going?”, the crowd kept its intensity and enthusiasm. It was great to hear “Ants Marching”. That is one of my favorites from their older stuff.

The new stuff came across really well and I was surprised by how many people already knew the words. “American Baby” was great, as was “Louisiana Bayou”. Both those songs seem to fit the wet, humid Florida evening that surrounded the venue.

At the end of the show, they closed with another oldie. “Too Much” was without a doubt a top highlight. The place was booming. It may have been because everyone knew the show was ending soon. Not a single person was holding back and the band nailed it.

If I had to describe a live DMB experience, I would say it is like watching a group of sculptors. They are all so talented on their instruments that a jam session can break out of any song without notice. They take you for a ride and are just relentless about doing it. Sometimes, I was in awe by considering the conditioning it must take to be physically capable of going off for that long. It was an experience to behold. Awesome show!! Go see this band every chance you get!

Evan H.
I have been to 15 DMB shows and this was definately up there in the top 3 for me. The Venue was gorgeous and the band certainly did not disappoint the crowd here in Tampa. The Everyday opener was one that I called but was still glad to hear, and the crowd really responded will with the #36 outro, so much so that Dave and the boys responded very well. Dreamgirl is a song that has the chance to really become a great jam song, once they road test it some more this should quickly become a song along the lines of #41 or Say Goodbye, very awesome live. American Baby was the standard version, although Dave was wailing pretty good towards the end, which made it pretty cool. Warehouse, how can you possible go wrong here, the salsa outro is definately something that needs to be experienced live as the entire band really gets behind a mammoth jam at the end. Where Are You Going was again a pretty standard version, but none the less an enjoyable song. Hunger For the Great Light, as many others have posted, it just sounds so awesome live it will be around in setlists for quite sometime. A mid set-list Ants Marching is always a treat, just so good live. #34 was a surprise, especially since they played it in Atlanta the night before, but it is my favorite song, never thought I would even hear a tease a live, so hearing the whole musical score live is just an amazing experience. Bartender is so powerful live, Dave really puts his whole voice into this song, so its a wonder he can keep singing after it is completed. What Would You Say kept the energy level high, and the people were dancing in the aisles. Louisianna Bayou is probably, in my opinion, the best of the new songs to be heard live. I know we are all skeptics of the electric guitar, but for tonight at least, I was actually glad to see Dave grab it because I figured this song would be the result. Steady as We Go is very mellow, but at the same time beautiful to hear live. Lie In Our Graves, you just can't go wrong no matter how many times you hear this song. Boyd was a madman on this song he was jumping all around the stage, so much so that he almost ran into Dave at one point. I really like how Dave moves to the side of stage for the jam so that the other members of the band can really bask in the spotlight, just really unselfish of him. Stand Up, is good live, but at this point in the setlist just felt like a song to bridge between LIOG and Watchtower. All Along the Watchtower is just awesome live, no matter how many times I hear it, I can't help smiling. I love how the boys have really taken this song and really made it their own thing. Especially with Dave adding "FIRE" at the end of the last verse for a truly added effect, it really gets the crowd pumped. When they came out for an encore I knew it would be Old Dirt Hill, but you know what, it was really cool, the crowd really was singing their hearts out, if you get a copy of this set, listen at the end because the music has stopped for a good two minutes but dave and the crowd are still singing "Bring that Beat back to me Again." At the end of the song he thanked the crowed for their help with that number which was just awesome. Too Much, a great song, but I have never viewed it as a set closer, especially set closer. Although I love how they slow the very first jam down, its a very cool effect since the rest of the song is so fast paced and up. Overall a great show, ranks only behind 12/8/00 and Central Park for me, the new CD really translates well onto the live stage and the most important part is that the whole band really enjoys playing the new material meaning it will continue to develop and stay in the setlists.

Bob L.
FIRST DMB CONCERT FOR THIS OLD DOG!!!!!! Rain poured like buckets beforehand – tx out to the beer crew for the trash bags! As DMB time came, it was all good.....not even a sprinkle. Warm-up Mark Broussard pretty standard stuff…nothing mind-blowing…..not enough bootie’s shakin in the house. Some ok Cajun groove. But Dave was a different story! Booties shakin’ from the Intro: Warehouse on….. throughout….peace out to the chair-renters behind us asking us to sit down & to our friends close by sharing their wares……. The night had that “electric feel” to it after a rainstorm. It was filled with a LOT from Stand Up….loved old school Ants / Bartender (primo jam with boyd, carter, stefan, leroi, piano-guy) #34 killer. Stand Up with EXCELLENT Stefan bass solo jam. He’s BASS. They REALLY do up Bayou!! The new cd is smooth and a sign of a maturing band…..but they kick it live too. Some stuff does suffer live though…..the sound is flat & the vocals suffer on Old Dirt and Dream Girl….so I like the studio versions better…but the boyz do get to open up and jam on the new stuff too. Dave does things with the guitar that are UNBELIEVABLE! (I wish I had seen him a LOT earlier back in the day, though….) Too Much to close out capped one of the FUNNEST times in a long while. Will do DMB live again soon!

John
OK..This was the REAL DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From 36-Everyday, to warehouse to a middle of the set ANTS to Watchtower to the unfreakin awesome Bayou, this was the top 1 or 2 of 9 I have seen, I am going to West Palm for the rest and if they play the same exact songs with the intensity they did tonight WILL NOT complain. It was a helluva show! The party favors were passed around and the songs were sung loudly by the crowd..ANts was an ass-kicker! I only hope the 2 in West Palm come close to this..oh and now they are in love with #34...decent jam but wayyyyyyyyyy to long...Bartender is awesome live and next year Bayou will be a closer!

Erin
I have been to 13 other DMB shows - all in Pittsburgh, PA (and I missed this year's! D'oh!) - and while this was a great show, I will go to my grave stating there is no other venue like Starlake!

While the setlist was pretty freaking good - Dreamgirl and Steady As We Go were huge highlights for me because I am a huge chesseball - I must admit I was missing Two Step as it is a Pgh tradition to chant the song until the boys play it. Personally, I dig 34 and all but something like Minarets could have sent that crowd into a frenzy! Ants turned out to be a welcome edition to the begining of the show, and am I the only one that noticed, but Dave broke a string on his guitar mid-song and never missed a beat. Thats just hot! OH, wait, everythign about that man is hot, what was I thinking?!

This was the first time I was close to the stage though and that was an expereince in itself! I am now spoiled and want to be seven rows back each time, but I really have to ask, how is the older crowd getting their close seats? The concert goers next to me complained of having to get up early for work the next day and left about 3-5 songs into it; that was a full out waste of tickets!

Although the venue was crappy, I was quite happy with the boys and the preformance. Its going on a decade now, and I am only in my early 20's, and the only thing which makes summer worth it for me is too see DMB.

Andy G.
One word describes my experience of this concert...........AWESOME !!!!!!!! I've been a huge fan of DMB for 9 or 10 years but living in Scotland I've never had the chance to see them live before now. The fact that the Tampa show coincided with a planned vacation to Florida was a dream come true. Even the thunderstorms couldn't dampen my anticipation. All the previous live CDs and DVDs had given me a taste of what to expect but these are nothing compared to actually seeing the band's live show. From the first song to the last DMB totally rocked, whether performing classics like Warehouse or the new material from Stand Up. Although I'm already a 'believer' this performance proved to me how 'on top of their game' these guys really are. In my view the whole show underlined why DMB truelly are "one of a kind".........without equal in any contemporary music anywhere on the planet. As I expected, I was 'Standing Up' for the whole show and just couldn't help but be swept up in the whole emotion of the night. The packed audience showed their love and appreciation for the band throughout and after every number. When the band left the stage after 2 hours plus of non-stop playing the 5 minutes of screaming, shouting and chair-banging for an encore was almost deafening !! How I envy those people in the US who get to experience this phenomenal act on tour every year (and possibly several times each year). Maybe if the financial / contractual issues get sorted out I can look forward to seeing DMB live in the UK or Europe sometime in the not too distant future. Failing that I might just have to organise another DMB vacation for next year!!!