In support of his first solo album, Some Devil, Dave Matthews embarked on a brief tour of the East Coast. With an all-star band, including album collaborators Tim Reynolds, Trey Anastasio, Ray Paczkowski, Tony Hall and Brady Blade, shows were comprised of the typical two set format, though the first was an acoustic with Dave and Tim, before the second was full on electric with the rest of the band joining in.
Although the arena setting is rather overbearing on most barstool performances, the acoustic set was quite solid, highlighted by strong readings of “Crush,” “Typical Situation”, and crowd favorite “Dancing Nancies.” Reynolds explored each tune in his sublte way, and the energy during some of the intimate jams actually whipped up the early crowd, leaving us wanting more.
Opening with a strong “Dodo,” which is also the opening track on the album, the second set was a complete showcase fueled on all cylinders. Hitting it hard from the get-go, Anastasio jammed the outro of the opener, giving the non-Phishy portion of the audience a feel for what they were in for. As expected, most of the set revolved around tunes from Some Devil, with classic cover tunes filling in the holes. “American Tune,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “Solsbury Hill” all made their mark, though an emotional “Oh Sister,” that featured Emmylou Harris playing the part of Joan Baez was a true stopper.
A very strong showing, supporting an equally solid album, a sophomore effort with this lineup will be highly anticipated. And even though touring may not necessarily be an option, if they do choose to go out again in 2004, if you can get by Phishheads repeatedly screaming for “Divided Sky” and “YEM” between tunes, you can definitely enjoy yourself.
Photo by Jeff Child and Rudy Arias, courtesy of davematthewsband.com.
