As a young man growing up in Pittsburgh, summer meant warmer weather, trips to the beach, and no school for three months. Now, as a college graduate living in Northern Virginia, summer no longer has anything to do with school, even if the first two characteristics still hold true. It does mean one more thing to me now, though - the arrival of the Dave Matthews Band on their customary summer tour. For the second year in a row, I was fortunate enough to catch these 1990s icons on their annual pilgrimage to Bristow, VA, and Nissan Pavilion. And even if the adrenaline rush of seeing Dave Matthews was not what it was a year ago when I saw the group for the first time, nothing quite compares to the feel of one of their concerts.

Playing before a sold-out crowd numbering near 20,000, the Dave Matthews Band delivered an eclectic set sampling equally from all three mainstream albums and even offering a few choice nuggets. One such nugget, "Stone," a personal favorites of mine, got the show off and running. "I've this creeping suspicion that things here are not what they seem…" Though I never would have hoped that the band would introduce themselves with an offbeat song such as this, it seemed to be the perfect way to kick off an incredible show. If that number did not get the crowd going, "Don't Drink the Water" most certainly did, as Dave was in prime form warbling through the haunting conclusion of the song.

The strongest portion of the show would soon follow this, kicked off by an intense rendition of "Warehouse." Throughout this song, as well as the next two numbers - "Crash Into Me" and "Lie In Our Graves" - violinist Boyd Tinlsey took center stage and dazzled the crowd with some spectacular solos. Looking as cool as can be on a warm Virginia evening, Boyd gave his fans a peak at his many talents, more of which would be on display later in the show. Dave Matthews once again showed why he is the emotional center of the band, guiding the crowd through the very moving "Crash Into Me." "I'm the king of the castle, you're the dirty rascal," he sang, to an eager and receptive crowd of his most loyal followers.

The band's set admittedly hit a lull after this incredible run, culminating with some drawn out versions of "Two Step" and "The Dreaming Tree." Yet just as the crowd was starting to rest on its laurels, the band roared back to life with "Jimi Thing" and "Too Much" to close off the set. The later of the two carried an energy I had not felt before on that track, and the band shimmied off the stage to thunderous cheers. Of course, the band would return, and they did so with two disparate songs that practically blew me away. "Angel From Montgomery," a cover of a John Prine number, featured the vocal talents of the aforementioned Mr. Tinsley, and represented a nice change of pace from the raucous closing number. No Dave Matthews show would be complete, then, without a powerful encore song, and "All Along the Watchtower" certainly fit the bill. As the band ripped through a few brief solos during this number, Dave wailed away through Bob Dylan's timeless tune. As the band left the stage for the final time, the joyous throngs headed for the exits overwhelmed by the notion that they had just seen the heroes dazzle them once again.

Setlist:

All Along the Watchtower

See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute

Submitted 8/2/99.