Stirring It Up

Spring is upon us, which means that the Dave Matthews Band cannot be far behind. And, with the April 4 kickoff to the Spring 2002 Tour, music fans in Washington, DC are celebrating again. Moving indoors to the MCI Center in downtown Washington - a departure from past shows at RFK Stadium and Nissan Pavilion - Dave Mathhews and the gang welcomed fans to the beginning of the concert season, delivering a show filled with DC rarities and precious few Everyday tunes. With news that a new album is just around the corner, that last bit of news may have been the most heartening of the evening. It allowed the Dave Matthews Band to return to what it does best - entertaining its fans with fun-filled jams.

Dave Matthews has had an interesting year to say the least. Despite the financial success of Everyday, the band has been subjected to a disproportionate amount of public backlash, particularly from the group's core fans. Weaned on the band's trademark jamming style, most fans were turned off by Everyday's radio-friendly hooks, especially when the songs had a bumpy transition to the road. Granted, by the end of the band's 2001 tours, a handful of Everyday songs had begun to find their groove, but, for some, it was too little, too late. News of a 2002 release, however, stocked with recordings from the Lillywhite Sessions, sent a new wave of excitement through the fan base, leading up to the tour's debut performance.

Allow me to thank the Dave Matthews Band right away for mixing some new songs into their DC sets. Despite a couple years of road-testing, we had not yet been witness to "Busted Stuff" and "Raven," two early numbers which perfectly illustrated the band's shift from Everyday to the Lillywhite Sessions. The former was especially groovy, keyed by some energetic prancing from the band's namesake. These two built up to a raucous "Warehouse," my personal favorite and a song I have sorely missed. The crowd sensed it as well, whooping through the song's intro and dancing right through the end. New number "Where Are You Going" is a nice ballad in the tradition of "Satellite," sure to ring true on radio in the near future.

Thrills for me are seeing my favorite band perform live, especially during truly inspired numbers and when lesser-known songs are trotted out. "Drive In, Drive Out" and "Rhyme & Reason" were exhilarating trips down memory lane, sampling from the band's first two wide releases. "Big-Eyed Fish," "Bartender," and "Grace Is Gone," all rumored to be on the band's next album, made for a nice trio near the end of the set, setting the stage for an enjoyable - if standard - "Rapunzel" to close things out. Reaching into the vault once again, "Pig" proved a crowd-pleasing choice for the first encore, leading into a rowdy "Don't Drink the Water" to close out the show. There is nothing like hearing Dave scream about the "blood in the water" as the teeming masses pour from an arena!

Setlist:

Too Much
What Would You Say
I Did It
Busted Stuff
Raven
Warehouse
Where Are You Going
Drive In, Drive Out
The Space Between
Rhyme & Reason
Big-Eyed Fish
Bartender
Grace Is Gone
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel

Encore:

Pig
Don't Drink the Water

See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute

Submitted 4/5/02.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other concert, please feel free to e-mail me.