The Collegian

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Detour

For a band that seems to always be on tour, the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) can sure fill a venue.

Last weekend, at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Dave and the band were able to pack the spacious outdoor venue two nights in a row. I went to the Saturday show, and was blown away by the band's powerful sound and insatiably ravenous fans. They cannot get enough of the band's eight-minute extended jam sessions and fierce, spirited violin solos. At times the show sounded like a sped-up hoe down, carried out by a group of goofy-looking dudes with a penchant for improvisational musicianship.

I went to the show because I had not previously seen DMB live, had always heard so much about their live show, and because my friend asked me to go. After witnessing the show, I now see what all the fuss is about. For devout fans, crammed into the huge lawn section as well as the premium box seats, every minute of the two-hour-and-40 minute show was worth it. For a casual enthusiast like me, the show was entertaining, even if I only knew a handful of songs. (The band played most of their hits at the first show). DMB has a cohesive tightness that is virtually unmatched in music today, and that makes the show an impressive spectacle to take in.

We missed the opening band, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, due to long lines in the parking lot and the impulsive nature of our decision to go to the show. We were not alone, as many others fans moseyed on into the venue with us. That shows the focus of the fanbase: All Dave, nothing else.

Now that I have seen the band live, I can see the appeal. Even though most of the songs were foreign to me, they sounded great, and the ones I did know were even better. Especially pleasing was the medley of Too Much and So Much to Say, as well as fan favorite Tripping Billies, which closed the show. The highlight for me was DMB's cover of All Along the Watchtower, made famous by Jimi Hendrix. For this song, Robert Randolph joined the band onstage to play a phenomenal pedal steel guitar (similar to a slide guitar). It was an amazing performance of a classic tune, and made dishing out forty bucks worth it.

The only critique I could give the band would be regarding the set list. A band such as the Dave Matthews Band has so many well-known songs to choose from, so to only hear four or five in a three-hour show is somewhat disappointing. Sure, most of the spectators are superfans, but those that are not, like me, are sometimes left in the dark. But that is not really an issue, as they could probably just jam for three hours and have it be worth it.

The crowd was also fun to watch, comprised mostly of middle-aged white people dumping money on nine-dollar cups of beer. I wish I would have counted how many people I saw double-fisting beers. That would have been funny.

Other bands should take lessons from Dave and his buddies. Most bands would love to have half of the unity and fluidity that this band possesses. It makes for an amazing stage show, and justifies the fans' obsession.

It even made the hour-long gridlock in the parking lot after the show tolerable.

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