This past weekend, thirty-nine bands gathered for three days in Atlantic City for the first ever Dave Matthews Band Caravan. The festival, which will travel to Chicago, New York, and George, Washington in the coming months, features three days full of folk, rock, and electronica concluded with a three-hour Dave set every night. Graced by the backdrop of the beach and AC’s famous casinos, the Caravan provided thousands of fans with the unique opportunity to hear a variety of bands new and familiar with the pleasure of knowing that Dave Matthews and his incredible showmanship would culminate every evening. Here were ten highlights of the first stop of the DMB Caravan:
1. Bader Field, Atlantic City
While you might not think of Atlantic City as a place for thousands of music fans to congregate, in fact it was the venue that helped make this festival so memorable. Just a ten minute walk from the beach and many of AC’s most famous casinos, Bader Field provided a perfect place for the festival attendees to gather and celebrate their love of music. In the morning, fans could hanging out on the beach before the festival started and because it ended at 11 pm on Friday and Saturday, the many casinos, clubs, and bars provided perfect late-night entertainment for fans who were ready to party.
2. G. Love and Special Sauce Cover “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road”
Rootsy rocker G. Love played the bluesy Beatles song in the middle of his set on Friday afternoon. The whole performance was lively and spirited with moments of real heavy blues and melodious harmonies. This cover showcased G. Love’s great vocal range, his ability to apply his reggae-esque rhythmic feel to a well-known song, and the endurance of the Beatles songwriting in today’s musical culture.
3. The Flaming Lips Perform Songs from “The Wizard of Oz”
Before the set began, frontman Wayne Coyne explained to the crowd that the band was going to perform “Dark Side of the Moon”, the famous Pink Floyd concept album with songs from “The Wizard of Oz”. This was undoubtedly a reference to the practice of watching both the film and listening to the album at the same time as a stoner pastime, and roused an already excited crowd. The show also featured dancers dressed as Dorothea, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion as well as balloons, streamers, and video screens.
4. The Crowd
Fans from all over the country drove to Atlantic City to see their favorite band perform for nine hours over three days. Such a dedicated fan base is rare these days, especially for rock bands, and it was refreshing and amazing to see people so devoted to Dave Matthews Band. There were hundreds of people with DMB tattoos, many of the famous “Dancing Nancies” symbol, and thousands with every variety of Dave Matthews T-shirt imaginable. The moment he started singing during any of his sets, everyone immediately sang the words along with him, which created a communal feeling comparable to a Dead show.
5. The Punch Brothers Bring Class Back to Atlantic City
Dressed in three-piece suits, the Punch Brothers performed their unique bluegrass tunes early on Saturday. The band, which consists of the typical bluegrass instruments banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and upright bass, played classic tunes that perhaps the more rock oriented fan base was unfamiliar with. From their original tunes to their cover of “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”, the show was a display of consummate musicianship and love of music.
6. Thievery Corporation’s Myriad Lineup
DC’s Thievery Corporation kept their set fresh with a variety of performers featured on each song. Their hour-plus show featured the founding duo of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza as well as sitarist Rob Myers and a changing group of female vocalists, which gave the set a tremendous amount of variety, spontaneity, and excitement.
7. The Sax is Back
While the saxophone has made brief appearances in rock history, by no means is it as ubiquitous as the bass or guitar in contemporary bands. Thanks in part to Dave Matthews himself, the sax has made a triumphant return and several of the bands featured the instrument this weekend. From Big Gigantic, the electronica drum/sax duo, to OAR to Warren Haynes, there were saxophonists galore adding this signature sound to their live performances.
8. Dance Parties
Walking through the crowd during several sets this weekend, the field felt much more like a packed club than an outdoor music festival. Whether it was the dub step of Bassnectar, the DJ-with-live-instruments of Big Gigantic, or the reggae beats of Rebelution, fans were incredibly enthusiastic about the music they were hearing and showed it with their dance moves.
9. Alberta Cross’ Petter Stakee Is A Rock Star
Hours before Dave Matthews took the stage on Sunday night, international rockers Alberta Cross warmed up the crowd with their classic rock-esque songs. Lead singer Petter Stakee’s incredible stage presence invigorated the songs and certainly won him fans. Recently signed to Dave Matthews’ own ATO records, Alberta Cross’ hard rock made for one of the best performances of the weekend.
10. Dave Matthews
It is no exaggeration to say that Dave Matthews is one of the most uniting rock stars ever. To play for three hours, three days in a row is an incredible feat. To then bring together three days worth of bands and thousands of fans to one place just to share in the beauty and splendor of music is quite another. His infectious zest for life and appreciation for his fans made the festival unforgettable. From his performance with Tim Reynolds as Dave & Tim to his three nights of performing with his own band, Dave consistently played varied sets that both pleased fans and took them to new musical places. Very few artists today, especially rock artists, could have accomplished such a weekend, and we are glad that Dave Matthews did.
Photos courtesy of dmbcaravan.com
