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Reviewed by Guest Scribe Harpoon
The Dave Matthews Band World Tour stopped in the Houston, Texas area recently and, as always, the band put on two great shows. It was a case of the old vintage Dave versus the newer sounds of the band. Friday night's show was a great clash between old and new, the setlist only featuring songs written before 1995 and after 2000. There were no offerings from the multi-platinum albums Crash and Before These Crowded Streets. DMB took the stage and promptly played three straight songs from Under the Table and Dreaming before Dave broke out the electric guitar for the audience's first intro to Everyday's DMBallard. "Angel," with its catchy opening guitar hook, is a nifty little number that with minor tweaking can be the next "Satellite." (Whether that is good or bad is for a later discussion.). But if anything, the Everyday offerings are essentially what can be found on the studio album, thankfully missing producer Glenn Ballard's overwhelming keyboards. However, it was an old favorite that got the crowd really rocking in the form of "Dancing Nancies". Once again violinist Boyd Tinsley outdid himself with perhaps the finest solo that this concertgoer has ever heard him play, a full six minutes long. If anything, Friday was Boyd's night. Not only did Tinsley lend outstanding play to "Nancies," but also his voice as well on "True Reflections" and "Angel from Montgomery," a cover duet with frontman Dave Matthews.
But clearly the highlight of the first night's show was the welcome addition of almost every offering of the lost Steve Lillywhite recordings played during last summer's tour. There can be no doubt in my mind that songs like "Bartender," "Digging a Ditch," and "Grace is Gone" are some of the most beautiful and polished work that DMB have ever produced. Even "JTR," a song that has grown on me with its superb exit, is head and shoulders above any cut on Everyday, especially the forgettable "Sleep to Dream Her." "Dream Her" practically put the audience to sleep, such that only about twenty fans were able to fully appreciate the follow-up "Grace is Gone." In fact, my personal hero at the moment was the guy up front that had a "Big Eyed Fish" sign, and, lo-and-behold, Dave teased us with the opening line to that rare Lillywhite tune, but it was not to be.
The second night was dramatically different from the first, if not because of the weather, then simply because of the return of the "radio songs." "Satellite" (much to my chagrin), "Too Much," "So Much to Say," and "Don't Drink the Water" all appeared in their standard form. The only plus is that Dave, for the second night in a row, sent all the trendy fans home without their beloved "Crash Into Me". Even with the Dixie Chicken finish I will not shed another tear if I never hear that song again live, thanks in no small part due to how overplayed it is on the radio airwaves. Dave, not to be outdone by a raging thunderstorm that drenched the audience for a good hour, kicked it up a notch with favorite "Grey Street," a sixteen-minute "Jimi Thing" (once again featuring Tinsley and an excellent sax solo from La'roi Moore), and then ending the set with a rousing "Watchtower"/"Ants" closing. It seemed like old times.
As for "Everyday," the title track is perhaps the most Dave-like on the whole album and its inherent quality was never more evident than during the eight-minute encore performance, with "Everyday" wrapped by a great "#36" melody. If anything the lone downers in the shows were the apparent inflexibility of the Everyday material and the weak encores. The finale of "I Did It" on Friday was an absolutely weak ending to an otherwise superb show. Live, "I Did It" seems very empty without Ballard's keyboard work and did nothing to bring the crowd's energy up. I was equally disappointed and shocked to have a one song encore Saturday night, especially after getting sopping wet, but perhaps the band was thinking of the 900 mile drive it had to make to Albuquerque that night. All in all, DMB remains the finest live show around, and it is my only hope that the Everyday songs improve as they are road-tested. I applaud Dave for having the guts to try something new, and while there are many solid offerings on Everyday, I will always hope that the likes of "Big Eyed Fish," "Raven," "Monkey Man," and other Lillywhite recordings see the light of day.
See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute
Submitted 5/21/01.
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