Dave Matthews Band Fan Site

DMB made their third appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN this past Sunday night. The band embraced the “jam” mentality of the festival beginning their set with two expanded versions of “Don’t Drink the Water” and “You Might Die Trying”. Boyd Tinsley and Tim Reynolds were given a lot more freedom on their solos as DMB ran through favorites like “Tripping Billies” and “Two Step”. Banjo and guitarist Danny Barnes joined the band for “Spaceman”. Dave rocked out a beautiful version of Neil Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done” and brought it home with their traditional set closer “All Along the Watchtower”. Tomorrow the band will be in Cincinnati to play the Riverbend Music Center before playing a show outside St. Louis on Tuesday night and two nights at the Verison Wireless Music Center outside of Indianapolis.

In the first of two shows at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Dave Matthews Band put on a solid show for 25,000 music fans Friday night. Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King tracks “Why I Am” and “Seven” got the night really going and the show picked up a few notches from that point. It’s a great sign that the newer material can energize crowd just as much as a song like “Bartender” or “Big Eyed Fish”. Stefan Lessard was  serenaded by the audience for his thirty fifth birthday and the concert turned into a full-on dance party with “You and Me”, “Jimi Thing”, and “Shake Me Like a Monkey”. Dave and Company is headed for Bonnaroo next weekend where they will close the festival on Sunday night. First things first though, DMB travels to suburban Boston to play tonight and tomorrow at the Comcast Center.

Fans were surprised to hear that DMB are planning on taking 2011 off from touring and recording after 20 years of being on the road. DMB has had years before when they didn’t play a ton of shows, but never have they taken an entire year off. In an interview in promotion of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Dave revealed that he was looking forward to spending more time with his family and rejuvenating his creative forces. He said he wanted to make the announcement this far out from the end of the tour, so people won’t be surprised. It also gives DMB fans a little more incentive to go see the band this summer. The tour kicks off this Friday in Hartford, CT at the Comcast Theater with opening guests Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. Anticipate the guys giving a little extra this summer knowing the long break that awaits them in September.

Although the 76-year-old world famous primatologist might not come immediately to mind when you’re listening to Dave Matthews, the two shared the stage at DAR Constitution Hall. Dave, assisted by his trusty guitar maestro Tim Reynolds, put on a acoustic show benefiting the Jane Goodall Institute in front of a enthusiastic crowd in Washington D.C. Goodall gave a short speech to the audience about contributing to her fight against pollution. Songs like “Bartender” and “Save Me” highlighted the over two-hour long intimate concert.  In a press conference, Dave expressed his disappointment with politicians’ overall efforts toward protecting the environment. When asked if he would ever consider going into politics himself, the 43-year-old musician said his “closet full of skeletons” would make that impossible. DMB will travel to Hartford, CT for their pair of shows at the Comcast Theater.

Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King concludes with “You and Me”, a unadulterated song about love’s possibilities, was featured in DMB’s latest music video. The video opens with Dave sitting in a chair playing guitar surrounded by numerous empty chairs. As the song progressed the chairs are filled by musicians including the rest of DMB. This is one of my favorite songs off of the album, for its straight ahead positive message and I got a feeling its going to be amazing live. I can imagine it’s going to be great sing-a-long on the tour this summer. Check out the video here

Dave Matthews has long been a proponent for fighting against the harmful mining of Appalachian mountains and will be raising money for the cause on May 19th in Nashville by playing a live concert with the wonderful Emmylou Harris. Dave even mentions the crisis on Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King’s track “When the World Ends”. If anyone has been to Appalachia, you’ve seen how beautiful the green, rolling hills are and it would be a tragic loss to country if they are continually harmed by mining companies. The mountain mining can also have negative effects on the healthiness of surrounding water supplies and destroying surround forests. Matthews and Harris have had a long friendship stemming from their celebrated 2000 CMT Crossroads performance. Hopefully, the pair will play a number of duets as Dave and Emmylou truly have remarkable chemistry together on stage.

The Dave Matthews Band will make a stop on their summer tour this year in Manchester, TN to headline the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Dave’s played the festival before with DMB and  Dave & Friends, so this announcement doesn’t come as a surprise. I personally saw DMB play four years ago on the main stage and they were definitely the highlight of the festival for me. Expect a number of guests to join DMB on stage with all the performers playing Bonnaroo. When I saw them Warren Haynes and Robert Randolph made cameo appearances on stage. Other acts playing the three day festival this year include Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, John Fogerty, Phoenix, Jeff Beck, and the Avett Brothers.

On the latest Dave Matthews Band album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, is appears that Dave is a firm believer that every coin has two sides. The first single from the album “Why I Am” is a great example of irony in DMB’s songwriting. A irresistible saxophone riff drives the song with some heavy electric guitar work makes the track jump out of the speaker and grab your attention. The character of the GrooGrux King, which is a reference to recently deceased band member Leroi Moore, appears to be Cajun monarch of Mardi Gras whom the speaker in the song celebrates life with. The opening lines of the song demonstrate man’s capacity to do both amazing and terrible things: I grew from monkey into man/Then I crushed 15 million with the wave of my hand. The point I gather from the song is to truly enjoy the good parts of the lives we have because the world is such an imperfect place.

Playing a barn-burning version of “You and Me” accompanied by a group of teenage musicians, DMB had one of the best performances of the Grammy Awards this year. The band’s album Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King was nominated for two awards, but came away somehow with no awards. Despite the disappointment of not winning, it was great to see them perform “You and Me” live in such a big setting. The young musicians did a great job performing the song as Dave bounced around the stage during an impressive instrumental section. Dave’s buddy Adam Sandler introduced the band and special guests. Matthews is known to pop up in Adam Sandler movies and the two seem to have a mutual appreciation for one another’s work. The performance featured forty five 16-year-old kids playing horns, drums, strings, and singing along with the world-famous group. The night must of been a great thrill for all the young musicians as well as DMB.

In support of their 2009 release Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King, The Dave Matthews Band will be touring the world this year making stops in both Europe and North America. DMB will be making their way through Europe during the winter playing cities such as Rome, London, Dublin, and Amsterdam. The guys will return to the states on May 28th in Hartford, CT to kick off their summer tour. After earning a Grammy-nomination for Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King it will be interesting to hear how the band plays some of the new tracks live. Look forward to hearing songs from the new CD like “Why I Am”, “Shake Me Like a Monkey”, and “Funny the Way It Is”. Dave Matthews Band tickets pre-sale begins today January 28th and officially go on sale February 26th.