Chris
This was my 13th dmb show, and i would have to say this was deffinetly not the best show. Dont get me wrong, it was good and seeing dave and the boys is always a treat in its self, but i thought the show just lacked energy. Repunzel was great to hear to open the show, and pig is always good to hear. I would have to say that bayou was the highlight of the show. I blame most of the lack of energy on the fans, i didnt see any enthusiasm out of the crowd. And the kohl center is just a brutal venue to see a show, bad sound, and nobody seemed intrested in the show. After seeing so many shows at alpine everyother show just seems to be at best average, so i cant wait for the summer so that dave and the boys can show what they are made of and redeem themselves for this show.

Matt
This show was my 23 show on my 23 birthday, and the Band didn't dissapoint. The show and the energy from the band was great, I mean we even got Linus and Lucy. I went to the Champaign show the next night and it was a night and day difference the crowd was so much better. Great show, only two tapers so hopefully they got some good copies.

Fred
This was my first time seeing the Band inside and they did not let down. With a lucky trade for seat up closer there was a great amount of crowd participation and the sound was awesome. Much better sound than Alpine grass seats. Great opener, "Don't Burn The Pig" was great as I had never heard it live; I thought that the extended ABI was awesome. "Linus & Lucy" was a rare treat as well as Christmas Song. The band really seemed to get into the new stuff with a strong "Louisiana Bayou & Stand Up". I enjoyed the new stuff and thought there was a good mix of new and old. I like "Old Dirt Hill" but would have rather seen it mixed in earlier not as the encore and had Everyday followed by DDTW, Two Step, Warehouse or Watchtower finish it. Overall the band sounded great, looked like they were having fun, we had a blast and can't wait to see them again.

Mike
This was my 12th show, 2nd at the Kohl Center, other 10 being at Alpine. A lot of people seem to not like the setting of the Kohl Center for a concert, but I feel it is an excellant venue...very intimate setting. I agree with most and say there was a lack of energy in the crowd/band. Everyone had that buzz coming in and lost it throughout the show(no beer for 3 hours does that!) We lucked out and had a box/suite, so we could order alcohol, so we were rockin. Of the 12 shows I have been to this is the worst setlist, but its still a hell of a good time. The show last year at the kohl center I felt was the best show I have been to and that includes all the alpine shows. Dave was going crazy every song and ben harper came out for Watchtower. Anywho, that was last year. PNP>/Rapunzel was a great opener, I have heard as a closer too. Love to hear one sweet world, and Christmas song was a first for me. Everyday is always good to hear in a set, but not as the closer...I think we set a record for how long it took to get the, "..come and dance with me.." chant going. Oh well, I'll take it over What you are as a closer any day! One song they have ended at Alpine tooo much! All in all a fun show.

NIck
This was only my second dave show but i believed it was a solid performance. I have most of his live shows and i dont think it was a bad show at all. While dave was pretty lit and in consequence pretty out of it, who can blame him we were in madison for christsake! I liked the pantala rapunzel opening and the american baby intro was pretty sweet. I was hopoing for a grey street in the main set and a warehouse to close, but everyday was a pretty good encore.

Mike
I have been to about 10 DMB shows and last night was by far the worst I have been too. Boyd was great all night with alot of energy and Dave also was intense at times but overall seemed like he was out of shape? He was ending notes early and skipping words, etc... In all fairness a lousy DMB concert is still better than most acts on there best days, but DMB has a standard that is very high because they are so great, but I feel last night was not one to remember. Another issue that took away from the concert was were it was held. The Kohl center itself is an awful venue to see a concert. NO parking, no beer and the sound quality is aweful. Last night was the first time ever I felt I did not get my moneys worth.

Ashley
Last night, being the fourth time that I've seen Dave since the release of Stand Up and seventh show overall, was amazing. There was a great mix of old and new, as well as a few surprises that we haven't heard in awhile. It was a relief not to hear American Baby as it floods the radio these days, but the better Stand Up songs like Louisiana Bayou, Dream Girl and Hunger. Not to mention the old stuff, like Rapunzel and Crash with the "i will be your dixie chicken" outtake that he has begun to play often, but it still a favorite. Also, I love to hear Where are you Going, Dancing Nancies, and Too Much as overplayed as some people may think they are. I think last night's performance was all about the ladies, he was definately flirting. And no one can complain about him coming back to play the Christmas Song..especially having it be that time of the season and the fact that he hasn't played it live in years. Overall, Madison is an amazing place but with the energy of DMB in the air it was by far the best place in the world to be last night.

Jeremy
First thought right out of the gate is that the crowd had no energy. Don't get me wrong, I like the new album but for the crowd to be more into Deamgirl than a Panta>>Rapunzelopener, c'mon. Haven't heard The Pig in a few years so that was a nice treat. For those who got to see Robert Randolph play with the band on Louisiana Bayou last summer we were spoiled but Boyd brought it and saved the song. Again, I was disappointed with the crowd involvement and excitement during the Old Dirt Hill and Everday reprises. All in all, the show is in the bottom half of my dmb experiences. Dave was out of it....he was plain LIT...but that didn't make or break the show and what better does one have to do on a Tuesday evening than spend it with dave and the gang?

Jenna
after seeing dave matthews band 10 times live.... i truely felt that his heart was not into last night performance. although i thought it was awesome he played for almost three hours, and the show was really long, the encore was good. i enjoyed the chirstmas song, but i felt that ending with everyday was just kind of boring. the venue sucked. and i basically felt that it was just not usually what dave would put into a concert. don't get me wrong i love dave live no matter what and still enjoyed every second of the concert last night but i juat felt that it was by far once of the worst i have seen. slightly disapointed.

Dmb1fan41 .
This was my 20 something'th show, and 6 of this tour. Let me start by saying that I truly enjoy every DMB show. They are the best live show that I have ever seen. DMB on their worst night is still better than any other band. This show, and the Minneapolis one, are at the bottom of my list. They played way too much stuff from the new album at every show, and the non Stand Up mix wasn't very deep. There didn't seem to be much of a difference between the Madison and Minneapolis shows. Please get back to the complete randomness of the past!!!

Simon G.
It was my first show with Dave Matthews Band yesterday and it was a great experience, especially when you come from Denmark in Europe. Rapunzel is one of my favorite tracks, so I was happy to hear it that, like I think Dreamgirl was better live then it is on the record! American Baby Intro was amazing! One thing I did not like, was the long breaks between the songs. I do not have a lot live material with the band, but I do not think Live in Cetreal Park had so long breaks between songs as they did yesterday! But I loved the show in general....my first concert with Dave and band, but not the last!

Dave
My seventh dmb show overall, easily the worst. I guess during the summer months we are spoiled at Alpine Valley, but there was a strong lack of energy both in the crowd and the band. DMB shows are great no matter what but tonight i was dissapointed. Was not too overly impressed with the setlist NOR the encore. Ending the show with Everyday (great song otherwise) was not good. Christmas song, Pig, PNP Rapunzel and Nancies along with Linus and Lucy was the highlights, other than that, hmmm. Boyd was phenominal as always and dave was chatting about the cold constantly, but other than that, eh.

Greg
Alrighty - this was Dave show number 20 something for me and I thought it was solid at best. I found that songs I don't like that much (Hunger, Stand Up) were played with more edge. PIG sounded great, Too Much was missing 'So Much to Say' and for some reason Dave could not for the life of him hit the high notes in Rapunzel...an indication that maybe he had spent a little too much time in Madison (anyone familiar with Madison knows what I mean) he was twitching and shaky...he looked...well...screwed up.

The highlight: Was Bayou and afterwards when Butch broke into the Charlie Brown Theme Song...sometimes musical simplicity can be enough to make one smile the most.

The low-light: Was Everyday. Everytime he closes with that song I get the runs. The song is fine, but not enough punch to send me out the door buzzing. Eith open with it, or shelf it.

Kevin
Yesterday was my 3rd DMB concert and overall it was kind of a let down. This could be because i think that dave the 2nd night of alpine was by far the best concert ever, but still. i mean, end w/ everyday?! Plus, i'd hate to be the one to break it to him, but his new cd does not stand too high in comparison to his other albums. Don't get me wrong, i love the new cd, but i think he can't neglect the music that made the band who they are today. I really want to hear more busted stuff when i go next.

Justin
Last nights show was amazing, they blew me away with their extended performance of the American Baby intro, and their opener, I liked the mix of new and old songs. Madison is an amazing place and I could care less if they served beer there, I don't need alcohol to enjoy Dave. Also, the lighting really added to the show.

Mitch
This was my third Dave concert. This was the first i have been to that was inside and it did not come close to his outdoor concerts. I was a little dissapointed that he didnt go into warehouse after Dancing Nancies, however he still played allot of good songs that i enjoy listining to. I thought he dragged out the american baby intro out a little too long. For a tuesday night it was worth the money.

John
I let me first say that there is almost nothing more in the world I would rather be doing than attending a Dave show. I have been following the band for almost 8 years and have seen 26 shows in several states. Having said that, this show was one of the only shows that I left feeling disappointed. For one thing there was "zero" crowd participation and no energy. I saw dozens of people sitting and having phone conversations while they should be taking the experience in note for note. Secondly, the band (mostly Dave) seemed extremely out of it at times. Little movement/dancing, forced/emotionless scat and jibrish, and a lack of interest to "jam" at normal "jam parts" (if you have been to more than 10 shows and know how the live songs play out you know the parts I mean). They kinda had that shrug your shoulders, "oh well" attitude about the show. One bright note was Dave's screaming parts. I enjoyed the ending of American Baby intro. The only other two bright spots I saw were the dusting off of Pig and the quiet Dancing Nancies intro I have never heard before. I adore the band and what they do, but I fear they are evolving to a different place without me. I long for the days of the 96-2001 summer tours. I'll go to every show that comes within a state from me as long as they tour, but I can't keep fighting through 13 predictable songs for those 5 deep cuts. Ps. no beer, c'mon now that's just wrong

Kyle
This was, I believe, my 38th show. This is my first review. Madison show was easily the worst I have ever been to, of course all things are relative. Like others before me, I believe any Dave show is good, but this one didn't stand up. I loved Rapunzel as an opener and I expected a lot of new stuff, so that didn't bother me, but the crowd was awful. I was sitting in a suite and could look out over the crowd and most people were just standing there...no energy at all. I don't know if the band fed off the crowd, or the crowd was feeding off of the band, but neither had any energy. Then to close with every day, just capped a low energy show with a low energy song. I still had a great time, but this one was noticably mediocre.

Brack
Got hooked up with sweet seats for this one, 14th row center thanks to my heros Mike & Julie. I've been seeing Dave since Horde '95 and in addition to who knows how many live shows and collecting tapes/cds of a zillion others, I cant say I have ever heard a 'bad' show. Some are better than others but I've always found them to be enjoyable. A few comments on Madison: regardless of the lame crowd, the show rocked. Dave and the guys just love to play live and they always seem to have fun. Smoking has really started to kill Dave's voice. The guy still sounds great, and he still has one of the best true voices you could ever hear, but he's already struggling to carry notes that previously seemed to be so easy for him. The keyboard guy, who seems to be a pretty mediocre player at best, sang more than we would have liked to fill in some of the vocal gaps when Dave's voice ran dry. Dont get me wrong Dave sounded great, and the gravely voice does have character, but for someone who's been listening to Dave over the past 10 years his voice is clearly taking the toll that many artists suffer from due sucking down too many squares. Come on Dave, Stop Smoking!!! Do it for your kids and all those other kids in the audience! We were happy with the tunes played, its hard to complain about what gets played with such an assortment of fantastic songs at his disposal. We also really dug the new tracks off "Stand Up". The band really seems to enjoy playing them as well, fresh tunes that allow them to really open up and jam. Both Hunger & Bayou were great examples of this where the band just got down and gritty, with Dave playing the rare electric guitar on the later. Nice grooves, I loved it and they loved playing it. Traditional tunes like "What Would You Say" and "Too Much" are welcome at any show, the lyrics are priceless and they never seem to get old. Bartender is another tune we love to hear although its much more powerful acoustic (imho). Christmas Song probably would have been my favorite tune played last night had it not been for the jagoff behind us, but it is still one of the more beautiful songs in his bag (although there are many). Old Dirt Hill was also lots of fun. The most consistent thing I can say about seeing Dave, either solo, w/ Friends, and/or DMB, is how lame the crowd is. Live music has always been my thing, but more than any other band I always wonder the countless boneheads who go to see Dave and wonder how many actually go to hear the music? I guess its a crap shoot when you go and see a "Top 40" band, but it seems as though every single time we go we're surrounded by idiots on their cel phones, yelling throughout every song, acting like idiots, wasted, and just being plain rude. Not yelling as in "YEAH DAVE!", yelling as in "I GOT SO WASTED LAST NIGHT", yada yada. Madison being such a cool town I was hoping last night would be different but sadly it was not. We had this one idiot who constantly yelled at the top of his lungs: "Xmas Song!!! Xmas Song!!!", he screamed this literally inbetween and sometimes during every song. Great tune, I love to hear it live, etc. When Dave comes out to play it as one of the acoustic encores, the same moron proceeds to yell at his friends and yabber on his cel phone throughout the entire song. He missed the whole tune, and unforunately, so did we. What I've found is that as much fun as it is to see a DMB show, and it is fun, the crowd sucks, it just seems that they are there to be "there" not to there to hear the music. My take is that if you want to really enjoy the music, even though audience recordings still pick up the screaming idiots, you're better off downloading the show after the fact. Otherwise it more than likely you will be stuck in a crowd of screaming kids that are not so much excited because of the great music, but because they are allowed out without their parents. I say this not because I'm old and unhip, but because I love the music and go to see the shows to listen and appreciate it and make my ears smile....

Phillip
I thought this show was the best of the 6 shows I have been to. I have been to them spread out throughout the bands career. While the atmosphere is totally different when they play at an outside venue, I thought this show was amazing musically. We all enjoy different aspects of the shows, but I loved watching Dave just get lost in the music, more so than he ever has before. So I say that this was an amazing show, the set list left something to be desired, but still an amazing show.

Joe K.
last night's show was lucky #13 for me and definitely loved every minute of it. 11th row was great. i'm pretty sure dave had a cold though. drank a lot from his mug in between songs, and didn't sound quite as sharp as he did at alpine when we went. i know what its like to try to sing with your throat drying up in the middle of every song and if this was the case, he did an amazing job for what he was working with. american baby intro (she said) and bartender back to back in the middle of the set was quite the bold move. two really heavy screamers. both sounded great. definitely a lot of emotion there. absolutely loving the live sound of the stand up songs too. my highlights: dave coming out before the show and singing christmas songs, linus and lucy (hadn't been played live since '99, only played live three times before), half of a new song before dancing nancies, the christmas song of course, and the fact that i've never seen them play a three song encore before. seeing rarities like linus and lucy, and the christmas song are moments that every dave fan hopes and dreams for. solid set, great show, hell of a night for dave and the boys.