By Luke Matthews (No relation!)
Dave Matthews Band is nothing if not unpredictable.
In an age when many touring bands play the same setlist of songs night after night, it’s hard to be a big fan of an artist and not have a pretty good idea of what’s about to come in a live performance. This is not a worry of fans of Dave Matthews Band. The group has historically always changed up their setlist of songs each and every night of their tours. With ten albums of material (which includes a Dave solo record) from which to pull material, plus the occasional fan-favorite cover, there is little chance of two Dave Matthews Band shows ever being alike.
After twenty-eight years together, the DMB are to the point where they don’t even need a supporting act when they go on tour. Such was the case Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena where nearly 10,000 fans were greeted with the headliner taking the stage just after 8:00 PM.
“Thank y’all very much,” Matthews says, welcoming the crowd. “I hope y’all have a good evening.”
This would be about all Matthews would say all night. Granted, he would say something similar to it multiple times, it never came off as being aloof with the crowd. Matthews, for many years, has been a man of few words and mostly action. He leads his 6 bandmates with conductor-like precision, marching around during solos as if he were handing off a musical baton. At times, he would walk to lead guitarist Tim Reynolds who would dive into a blistering solo or make his way to bassist Stefan Lessard to let him stomp around and flick the strings of his bass. The floor would often be given to the wind section of the band, filled by Rashawn Ross and Jeff Coffin and even the newest member of the band, keyboardist Buddy Strong, was given his moment to shine.
When choosing songs to play at a show, you’d be hard pressed to get a more random sampling by shuffling a deck of cards. Despite having a relatively new-ish record to push (2018’s “Come Tomorrow”), only two songs from the album were featured in the show. The rest of the night’s 22 offerings ranged from some of the band’s earliest material (“Recently”) to their most recognizable hits (“Crash Into Me” and the Grammy-winning “So Much to Say”). It’s the unpredictability that makes a Dave Matthews Band show so engaging. The incredible musicianship of each band member certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Drummer Carter Beauford is among rock’s greatest talents. He’s arguably the heart and soul of the band. Many times, you could tell that he and his long-time friend Matthews were running like a well-oiled machine as they would exchange approving looks or the touching of fingertips following a particularly solid jam.
Speaking of jamming, it’s what the band does best. It’s not uncommon for the band to stretch some tunes past the 10-minute mark if they’re especially feeling the mood. Songs like “Crush” and “Typical Situation” often get the extended treatment and they certainly did on Tuesday night. It’s what the fans come to expect and they love it. It gives each band member a moment to stand out and often times gives Matthews himself a chance to dance and shimmy around the stage.
Upon speaking with DMB fans after the show, the feeling was that the band’s return to Des Moines after 4 years was well worth the wait. Long-time fan Jason Wells, who himself has seen the band over 100 times, said of the night’s show, “That was a show I expect on a weekend at Alpine (Valley), not a Tuesday night in Des Moines!” Wells’ reference was to the nearly annual trek that DMB makes to southern Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theater, a two-night affair that is often times the highlight performances of an entire Dave Matthews Band tour.
As the show approached the three-hour runtime, the band was on stage for their final number, a cover of the Bob Dylan classic, “All Along the Watchtower,” a song that the band has played for so long, they have a legitimate claim of partial ownership. The song was jammed out and extended to a point that it was hard to imagine the band still had this much energy on stage, especially Matthews who threw in some “Stairway to Heaven” lines for good measure. What transpired was an exciting and energetic reimagination of the Dylan classic that made even DMB’s version sound fresh.
If there truly is justice in the music world, the Dave Matthews Band are destined for the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Not a far-fetched idea for a band with legions of fans that will travel far and wide for marathon-length shows where they’ll get to hear their favorite songs stretched to twice their length. Then they’ll pack up their things, hit the road to the next town, and jam out with the band all over again.
SETLIST
Louisiana Bayou
Big Eyed Fish
Bartender
So Right
Do You Remember
So Much to Say
Anyone Seen the Bridge
Too Much
Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)
Crush
The Stone
Crash Into Me
Kill the Preacher (teased)
Why I Am
Recently
Funny the Way It Is
Typical Situation
You & Me
Everyday
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
Encore:
Sister
All Along the Watchtower
