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The rain did not let up for more than six hours during the evening of July 19, but that did not stop tens of thousands of fans from pouring into RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, to watch rock's foremost concert attraction. After a peppy opening set by Ben Harper and his band, the Dave Matthews Band stormed onto the stage for two and a half hours of crowd-pleasing jams. Sampling heavily from their multi-platinum album Crash and throwing in a handful of songs from their forthcoming release, Dave Matthews and company delighted their loyal, albeit drenched, listeners with some old favorites and a taste of things to come.
Arrving at the concert venue just prior to Ben Harper's set, I was informed by a friend of mine that the poor weather, then confined to a mere drizzle, would soon be leaving us. Little did we know that, nearly six hours later, we would be in the midst of a steady rain that had not abated for more than a few minutes throughout the entire set. As often happens at such events, fans in attendance either bemoaned the unfortunate effects of Mother Nature or chose to use it as a means to party that much harder. Thankfully, many of the Dave Matthews faithful chose to view it as a reason to dance and sing all the more. And from the moment the band hit the stage with new tune "JTR," that is exactly what they did.
While "JTR" may not have been a typical opener for the band, the fans were quickly rewarded with a medley of old hits. Violinist Boyd Tinlsey roared through his own "True Reflections" before the band rattled off four straight licks from Crash. "Too Much," often forgotten on an album with so many great songs, kicked off this little set, but radio favorite "Crash Into Me" was clearly the highlight, capped by lead singer Dave Matthews' trademark "Dixie Chicken" closing. While this song is easily the favorite of the "casual" Dave Matthews fan, it still rings true for this concert veteran. Besides, it is pretty difficult to beat the energy one feels in the crowd when this song is played.
Though I was surprised that more fans in attendance were not familiar with the song, "Grey Street," which has been played at nearly every stop on this summer's tour, appears to have the makings of an instant hit. Any energy that may have been lacking with "JTR" returned with "Grey Street," once more leaving fans eager for the band's next release. After a somewhat lackluster "Lie In Our Graves" and a seldom-heard "Best of What's Around," the band trotted out "Long Black Veil," a sensational cover that only gained prominence near the end of the 1999 summer tour. A high-octane jam session during "Two Step" and a Tinsley-led "Ants Marching" capped the set, leaving the eager masses clamoring for more.
Having scanned the setlists for this summer's tour, I have noticed that a variety of songs have been popping up in the band's recent encores. As such, "Grace Is Gone," another of the band's new tunes, was a pleasant addition to the encore. Though a little more mellow than one would expect for an encore, it struck an emotional chord, reminding me in some ways of earlier hit "Say Goodbye." To conclude the encore, though, the band ripped into "All Along the Watchtower," still the closer of choice for this fan. Midway through the song, Ben Harper returned to the stage to guide the band through the final minutes, providing an entirely different perspective than Matthews' normal finish. The Dave Matthews Band bid its farewells, the fans cheered, and the rain continued to pour. Who would have it any other way?
Setlist:
Encore:
See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute
Submitted 7/20/00.
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