The Dave Matthews Band has joined the likes of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones this year, playing to soldout stadiums all across the country and all across the world. The music industry has for years been yearning for a new act with the talent and the mass appeal to assert themselves as a headlining attraction for years to come. The Dave Matthews Band has always had the talent, they have recently built up the mass appeal, and on Saturday night at the Nissan Pavillion in Virginia, they asserted themselves. And did they ever!

Having waited for the better part of two years to see the Dave Matthews Band in concert, my expectations were understandably high. I had seen a six-song effort at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Washington, DC, in June, and while it was a pleasure to see the band perform, I found myself wanting more, much more. Seeing the band perform live at Nissan, and for nearly three hours at that, satisfied all my urges. From front man Dave Matthews' initial trip to the front of the stage to introduce opening act Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters, the crowd was boisterous and raucous, the excitement continuing to build until the main portion of the concert kicked off just after eight o'clock.

Sometimes I feel like I'm falling... To hear the opening line from band classic "Seek Up," and to hear the corresponding roar from the audience, one is immediately given a broader perspective on the appeal of this band. "Seek Up," one of the band's earliest offerings, does not appear on any of the band's major label releases, nor is it by any means a staple of the band's concert setlists. The band's following is one that has completely immersed itself in the music of the band, and not simply the radio-friendly fare that hits the airwaves. Having sprung up in Virginia, the Dave Matthews Band's core fans must have felt right at home at Nissan Pavillion, and their familiarity with the group showed.

Every Dave Matthews fan has their own favorite song, from new upstart "Rapunzel," which elicited loud cheers from the crowd, to old staple "Recently," off the band's debut live album. Knowing this, the band delivered a wide variety of songs, sampling from their most recent albums heavily, but also extracting some odd gems from Under the Table & Dreaming... and Recently. That being the case, "Seek Up" was a perfect intro. (Which is most likely why the band chose to use it to open their 1997 release Live at Red Rocks.) Violinist Boyd Tinsley began one of his many dazzling solos during this song, which, though twirling past fifteen minutes in length, left the crowd dizzy and begging for more. More came in the form of "Rapunzel" and "Don't Drink the Water," one of my more pleasant personal surprises. Having been numbed to the song by excessive radio airplay, I wondered what sort of energy the band could add to the live version. Needless to say, I was floored by the effort, and that was only the beginning.

After a run of "Lie in Our Graves," new tune "The Stone," "Jimi Thing," and "#41," the band turned to another radio staple, "Stay (Wasting Time)," to bring the whole audience together again. This drawn-out melody, featuring solos by Boyd and sax god Leroi Moore, had the crowd dancing up and down the hillside. As Dave strummed through the opening chords to "Warehouse," the clear highlight for myself, the crowd surged to a fevered frenzy. All the drive and force I had hoped the band would deliver to my favorite song arrived tenfold, and carried the band right into the ballad "Crash." "Recently," featuring another wide array of solos, and "Too Much," a seemingly forgotten song from Crash, poured directly into "Tripping Billies," the band closing rendition.

After a good five minutes of whistling and cheering, the band returned for their obligatory encore, delivering a peppy "Pig" and an inspired "Stir It Up," covering Bob Marley's classic. Having yet to trot out concert mainstays like "Ants Marching" and "Two Step," I was left wondering what the band would use as its final farewell. Sure enough, Dave Matthews and company rose to the occassion with their rocking cover of "All Along the Watchtower," delighting the 20,000 fans in attendance. From the song's slow build-up to its hectic, jamming finale, "Watchtower" was the ideal culmination to an evening's worth of incredible entertainment. Now I have seen the Dave Matthews Band live, and I can say that it was worth the wait. Of course, now the wait begins all over again...

See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute

Submitted 8/24/98.