The Dave Matthews Band

[Hoosier Red]

I don't know where you guys were sitting but in the lawn it was a pretty dead crowd. Admittedly, I'm just a bigger fan of the first four albums.

I dunno maybe I'm not a big enough fan. In fact I know I'm not a big enough fan.

[Caseyfan21]

I don't know where you guys were sitting but in the lawn it was a pretty dead crowd. Admittedly, I'm just a bigger fan of the first four albums.

I dunno maybe I'm not a big enough fan. In fact I know I'm not a big enough fan.

Honestly, that probably had some effect in changing your opinion of the show. I find when I sit further away at shows I usually enjoy them less unless the set is unbelievable or the people around me are unbelievable. But if you see an average show from the 10th row dead center as compared to the lawn your opinion will be hugely different. I sat lower pavilion for this show way over to the side and while I have seen better crowds, the crowd around was a lot of fun and I knew at 5-6 people around me. This definitely made for some great memories during the debuts. And everyone around me was big time into the show.

And I wouldn't say you weren't a big enough fan. An older guy next to me was clearly not that big of a fan but I'm pretty sure he still had a great time at the show just by seeing him dancing, smiling, etc. I really think the importance of good seats is underrated for show enjoyment.

Now if you sat front row and had a bad show experience then something is wrong.

[WeLoveLarkin!!!]

Yeah, yeah, kind of a repetitive "review" thread I guess, but I really wanted to wait a long time and let BW sink in before I made my final review of it. I like to look at every song as having three parts-- Music, vocals, and lyrics. I like to then grade a song on each of those parts individually-- obviously those songs out there that hit all three as A or A+'s, would be considered my all-time epic songs.

Before I review the new songs, here is a sample grade of what I'd give two other DMB albums-- just as a point of reference:

Under the Table and Dreaming:

Music: A+

Vocals: B+

Lyrics: A



Everyday



Music: B-

Vocals: C+

Lyrics: C



Here we go with BWGGK



Grux/Shake Me Like a Monkey



Music: B+

Vocals: A-

Lyrics: B-



(Not a "special" song, but a very good one)



Funny the Way It Is



Music: A-

Vocals: B+

Lyrics: C



("Blah" lyrics, but an underrated song musically)



Lying in the Hands of God



Music: A

Vocals: A+

Lyrics: A



(Near perfect)



Why I Am



Music: A-

Vocals: B+

Lyrics: A



(Not a complex song by any means, but it really works)



Dive In



Music: C+

Vocals: B+

Lyrics: C



(Average, kind of catchy, but will be forgettable ten years from now)



Spaceman



Music: B+

Vocals: A-

Lyrics: B+



(A tad boring for me, but I do appreciate it)



Squirm



Music: A

Vocals: A

Lyrics: A



(I wish the studio version was longer; add an extended jam to this and it's an all-timer)



Alligator Pie



Music: A+

Vocals: B

Lyrics: A-



(I really like the Katrina-inspired lyrics, and musically, this song is monster)



Seven



Music: A+

Vocals: A+

Lyrics: A-



(Just awesome)



Time Bomb



Music: A-

Vocals: A

Lyrics: A



(Has potential to be the best live track from the album)



My Baby Blue



Music: A

Vocals: A

Lyrics: A+



(Possibly the best lyrics Dave has written in a decade)



You and Me



Music: B-

Vocals: C

Lyrics: D



(I understand where Dave was going with this, he just didn't get there, IMO. Lyrics are lame).



Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King



Music: A- (Carter is amazing on this album--his best studio work ever; would have like to have seen more jams and a bit more Boyd)



Vocals: A (Maybe even an A+; Dave's best vocals of any album-- not wel versed enough to know if it's the mix or whatever, but the harmonazation is great)



Lyrics: B+ (Not quite up to par with the Big 3, but still way above average-- a couple of duds bring it down).



This album adds up to an A- for me, which puts is JUST behind the Big 3, but not far at all. This was excellent work from the band. Great addition to the DMB catalog and I look forward to seeing them expand these songs in a live setting.

nice post. however i only disagree with one song. i feel that You and Me is a very good tune. the things i actually enjoy about it are the things you don't.haha. i enjoy the humble and simple lyrics, and the very nice temo the song has.

[Caveat Emperor]

Just be glad the band only played 1 song off Stand Up and no songs off Everyday the entire 2 night stand in Indianapolis, there were a lot of other songs we could have gotten last night.

Smooth Rider -- dodged.
Louisiana Bayou (which I don't hate, but it's way overplayed) -- dodged.
Everyshow -- dodged.

Deer Creek is rapidly climbing towards SPAC / Alpine / Gorge status for DMB shows. There were a lot of people in the crowd who were saying they had a better time at DC than Alpine this year.

As for crowds, the crowds get worse in the lawn the further you get from the Warehouse section. That's your best bet for DMB fans there to see a show, not get drunk and party.

Sorry I missed you n2 Matt -- we drank a little too fast, then the rains kicked in and I wanted to get inside to my second poster before they all sold out. Next time you come down to Cincy for a Reds game or otherwise, shoot me a text. I owe you a beer or something for letting me actually touch a real DMB setlist.

[Hoosier Red]

Deer Creek is rapidly climbing towards SPAC / Alpine / Gorge status for DMB shows. There were a lot of people in the crowd who were saying they had a better time at DC than Alpine this year.

As for crowds, the crowds get worse in the lawn the further you get from the Warehouse section. That's your best bet for DMB fans there to see a show, not get drunk and party.

Unfortunately, there's as good of a chance that Deer Creek is going to be an airport or a housing development in the future as there is that it will be a legitimate music venue.

[Caveat Emperor]

Unfortunately, there's as good of a chance that Deer Creek is going to be an airport or a housing development in the future as there is that it will be a legitimate music venue.

Yeah -- every time I go, I'm shocked as to how much additional development has happened around the Noblesville area.

Lots of ampitheaters are closing up shop or being replaced by much smaller venues. With the push of suburban sprawl, most of these places are now sitting on valuable land (when they once were in the middle of nowhere). Plus, the simlpe fact is that there aren't a lot of touring acts with the draw of a DMB to sell 25,000 - 30,000 tickets.

Luckily there's good ol' Riverbend -- built on a flood plane to ensure no one will want ever want the property for development reasons.

[Caseyfan21]

LeRoi Moore passed away one year ago today.

RIP to the GrooGrux King, we all miss you and love you.

[Caveat Emperor]

DMB's 2010 Tour kicked off tonight in style:

JTR
Seven
#27 [tease] »
Hello Again
Spaceman
Proudest Monkey »
Satellite
Funny the Way It Is
Rye Whiskey
Shake Me Like a Monkey
Busted Stuff
Kit Kat Jam
#41
Grey Street
You & Me
Dancing Nancies
Too Much
Ants Marching
-----------------------------------
Break for It
You Might Die Trying

For those scoring at home, that's 2 songs returning from 7 year breaks (Busted Stuff & Kit Kat Jam), 2 songs returning from 4 year breaks (JTR & Hello Again), and one song debuting, finally, after being sound-checked 4 years ago (Break for It).

I'm fighting the temptation to drive to New York for next weekend's show -- even though I have tickets for Cincy and Indy already in 3 weeks.

[Razor Shines]

Should be really great tour considering they're taking next year off. And I would think 2012 is going to be awesome as well.

[kbrake]

I've not been into DMB as much the last couple years but recently my parents were clearing some stuff out of their basement and all my cd's were down there. So the last few days I've been going back through and I'm loving it. I've got tickets for June 22nd in Columbus looking forward to it.