The Last Stop after twenty years on the road for the Dave Matthews Band was in their hometown of Charlottesville, VA on the University of Virginia campus. After these two shows, my wife and I have seen a total of 10 shows this year, her 30 and me 27 overall. What was sad about these shows was the fact that this part of our lives is ending for at least a year. I first kissed my wife and became serious with her after my first DMB show and in the years to come we went to 2 DMB shows the day after we got engaged, we got engaged up at SPAC park, we also saw DMB on our honeymoon, we were also first introduced at our wedding to "Two Step" a Dave Matthews Band song. This band has been a part of our relationship in so many ways as you can see from reading this blog we have gone to a show every week for the past few weeks traveling some distances to be a part of those events. We rarely do much else as we save our money for these kinds of things as this band is important to both of us, not only for fun, but as a release of energy. These are moments with each other that cannot be taken away and they mean so much because they are filled with excitement, love, and energy without the distractions of everyday life. For 3 hours we can sing, dance, make out and have a good time loving each other in a way that we don't do as much anymore do to work, school, stresses, and the little every day things that go into all of that process. Live music has a way of hitting all of my senses that nothing else in a long time has been able to do. What will we do now?
The shows were easily the two best I ever saw. Night one featured alot of favorites and guests which is always exciting to see the improvisation. This night also was the tightest I ever heard this band play. Not alot of time between songs, no mistakes at all, and solos that just killed it--like they were playing these songs for the last time. Highlights for me was definitely Tim and Joe trading guitar licks on "#41" and "Spoon" was out of this world so good. The jams that they added to everyone of these songs we all knew and fresh. Trombone Shorty is also the mofuckin man! I would easily say this is the best show I had ever been to as far as music, set list, people around us, energy and surprises. When they killed "Watchtower" and went right into "Halloween" that was it for me. People leaving that night kept saying "how can you make night 2 better". Night 1 let out at 11:45pm making it by at least a half hour the longest DMB show I had ever seen.
Night 2 could be better and would be. We had seats right on the side of the stage so we could see all the behind the scenes stuff that we had never seen, like what Dave says to Carter and what the sound guys do and of course what guests are on their way out. This show again was musically the best I have ever seen, they really stepped it up. The show really took off after "Rhyme and Reason" with Joe on guitar. After that it was the best versions of songs I have ever heard with a ton of energy that just kept going and going and going. Trombone Shorty killed "Cornbread" and by the time he played "Long Black Veil" I was in need of a break and in complete shock as he hadn't played that in years. There were many speeched throughout the night that have my wife emotional that we weren't going to be able to enjoy this experience for a time. These concerts have been so intimate with the fans from the Gorge where he didn't repeat one song for the first time ever to Philly were he said goodbye's and NYC were he said goodbye to being in C-Ville dedicating songs to his wife and mother who were both in attendance for these shows. There was a real connection between the fans and the band that was evident when we sang for him in NYC and when they came out for a double encore on this last night to the singing of "three little birds" at the end of "Last Stop". The show just kept going with tributes to Leroi Moore and amazing solos by every member and by far the craziest Carter has ever played the drums, breaking stick after stick and never missing a lick. The band left the stage at 12:15am that night and the fans left satisfied and gassed as they played almost 3.5 hours which is the longest they ever have. This was the most unbelievable two nights of music I have ever been a part of, I have never heard them better on any recording or on any album. The new jams they were busting out including new "What You Are" intros let me know that this band will play together again and hopefully someday soon as this is what we do. Some people fight, some people eat, some people drink, my wife and I go to DMB shows, its what we do and will do as long as we can. We are already saving and will be at the first concert they have in 2012 no matter where it is!
Friday Nov 19 2010
John Paul Jones Arena
Squirm *
Big Eyed Fish *
Still Water
Don’t Drink the Water *
Seven *
Grey Street *
Spaceman *
Everyday *
#41 *+
Shake Me Like a Monkey *
Spoon *
Warehouse *~
Jimi Thing *~Ä
Black Jack *
Christmas Song 5
Lie In Our Graves *
Time Bomb *
You and Me *
Stay (Wasting Time) *
__________________
Sister 6
All Along The Watchtower *
Halloween *
Show Notes:
* Jeff Coffin
+ Joe Lawlor
~ John D Earth
Ä Trombone Shorty
5Dave, Carter and Tim
6Dave, Carter, Rashawn and Tim
Saturday Nov 20 2010
John Paul Jones Arena
You Might Die Trying *
Proudest Monkey *
Satellite *
Say Goodbye *
Funny The Way It Is *
Rhyme And Reason *+
Eh Hee *
Crush *
Cant Stop *
Corn Bread *~
Digging a Ditch *
Lying In the Hands of God *
The Song That Jane Likes *
Write A Song *
Why I Am *
Dancing Nancies *
Long Black Veil
New Intro *
What You Are *
Two Step *
__________________
Some Devil Ä
Granny
#40
Last Stop *
Anyone Seen The Bridge *
Ants Marching *
Show Notes:
* Jeff Coffin
+ Joe Lawlor
~ Trombone Shorty
Ä Dave Solo
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