Storm clouds were threatening, but that did not keep back the over 14,000 fans that maxed out the Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center Sunday night. It looked as though the lawn seats were going to be a muddy mess, but somehow the sun broke through and gave us all some welcome relief. Despite the weather issues, no one seemed to care because what they were able to witness was an amazing night of brilliant music.
It was common to hear afterwards, in the swarming clouds of people exiting, “Dave Matthews voice never sounded better” and “without the large musical sets of the Dave Matthews Band, we truly got to hear the magic that is Dave.” And it was of course not only Dave that was magical, but Tim Reynolds. The two complemented one another and yet each stood out as a unique individual with musical talents we could only dream to have.
The concert began very simply; just Tim and Dave casually dressed with minimal guitars and minimal set. They had stools and microphones and stage hands ready to pass them a different guitar but that was about it. It did not start as a light show or with loud raucous songs, but with the short and sweet “Little Thing” and not even played to finality. It was a tiny tease that settled the crowd into what was to be a long night ahead. Of course when they next broke into the radio popular and fan favorite “Funny the Way It Is,” the crowd was ready and singing along happily. Tim and Dave stayed in their own musical “world,” every now and then looking at each other and then back down at their guitars. They were relaxed, calm and cool and almost motionless except for Dave’s unique expressive face as he sang.
As the evening continued, Dave and Tim’s music intensified. This was aided by the video and lights that gradually were added until at about 2/3 of the way through the show, there was full video and brightly colored lights directly behind them. The video was a “funky” look at the two artists, sometimes full body, sometimes just their hands on their guitar strings, or sometimes a closeup of their faces singing. The crowd was already mesmerized after Dave’s plucky “Cornbread” song was played and I hardly doubt any special lighting effects were completely necessary, but I have to say it made the concert all the more ethereal. Many of the songs spoke to individuals in the crowd; from “Crush” to “Save Me” to the glorious “You and I,” which made me want to spontaneously dance and sing to my sons who had come along for the ride. For someone like myself, no Dave expert, it was so plainly obvious why both he and Tim are so popular. Their music, no matter what a person’s age or ethnicity or economic status, spoke to us. Perhaps we all interpreted their lyrics in our own personal way, but their music transcended far beyond what some of the most famous musical artists could achieve.
Of course, Dave and Tim’s personalities were infectious. “Don’t Drink the Water” was an obvious crowd fave and everyone seemed to pause from food purchases, bathroom breaks and such to run over and chant along with them. Tim was having too much fun during his song and solo “You Are My Sanity” and Dave couldn’t help but poke fun at the venue which tried to signal that he needed to end his performance soon. “Ah, ah, ah,” he chuckled in his own peculiar way and then winked to the audience before continuing onto another song. The audience of course was thrilled and they continued even after finishing with not one but three amazing solos; wrapping up with a magnificent version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower, ” with both Dave and Tim hitting the strings with such power and skill leaving the crowd not speechless but roaring for them to return as soon as possible.
I don’t think there was a person in that crowd that wouldn’t have paid to see the show again and again.
Set List:
Little Thing (Dave Matthews Band cover)(partial)
Funny the Way It Is(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Oh (Dave Matthews song)
Bartender (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Save Me (Dave Matthews song)
Crush (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Grace Is Gone(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Cornbread(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Mercy(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Jimi Thing (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Betrayal(Tim Reynolds song)(Tim solo)
Out of My Hands(Dave Matthews Band cover)
Stay or Leave (Dave Matthews song)
Gravedigger (Dave Matthews song)
Grey Street (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Beach Ball (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Lie in Our Graves (Dave Matthews Band cover)
You Are My Sanity (Tim Reynolds song)(Tim solo)
Don’t Drink the Water (Dave Matthews Band cover)
The Space Between(Dave Matthews Band cover)
#41 (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Raven (Dave Matthews Band cover)
You & Me (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Dancing Nancies (Dave Matthews Band cover)
Encore:
Some Devil (Dave Matthews song)(Dave solo)
Two Step (Dave Matthews Band cover)
All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)
We would like to thank Kim Allen from Dixon Schwabl for her assistance in helping BackstageAxxess in covering the show.
