Dave Matthews band made their first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in four years with two nights to close out their Summer tour on the 19th and 20th. Last year DMB played the Five Point Amphitheater in Irvine, CA. The show lasted nearly 2.5 hours with a total of 21 songs. The two setlists were very different and night one began with “#41.” The third song was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain,” however the song had actually never been performed live by them, however in 2005 Robert Plant performed with Pearl Jam and Jason Bonham has played it live with his Led Zeppelin Experience. DMB has played it a few times on this tour and Carter Beauford plays it flawlessly, being one of the most difficult songs to play live. DMB is Dave Matthews (Guitar Vocals), original members, Carter Beauford (Drums), and Stefan Lessard (Bass), Tim Reynolds (Guitar), Jeff Coffin (Sax) who replaced original member LeRoi Moore after his passing in 2008, Rashawn Ross (Trumpet), and Buddy Strong (Keys) who joined in 2018. There were a few surprises as well.
The set included hits like “Satellite,” “You & Me,” and “Jimi Thing.” A small orchestra was brought out for four songs starting with “Squirm” and was followed by “When the World Ends,” “Steady as We Go,” and “What You Are.” After the orchestra departed, DMB played the only Dave Matthews solo song of the night “Stay or Leave.” For the final song before the encore violinist Anne Marie Simpson came out and it was clear what song would be played. Following Boyd Tinsley’s firing in 2018 there has not been a permanent replacement. It was none other than “Ants Marching,” which is DMB’s second most played song on Spotify with nearly 75 million plays. The encore was Tex Ritter’s “Rye Whisky” and “Grey Street.”
It has been four years since the band’s last release Come Tomorrow which was a number one following six other number one albums. DMB’s first release Under the Table and Dreaming went 6x Platinum followed by Crash which went 7x Platinum. This was followed by Before These Crowded Streets which went 4x Platinum and was the first of seven consecutive number one albums. DMB has also had a number of live albums including venues such as Red Rocks, The United Center, Wrigley Field, and the Hollywood Bowl. Fans can expect a new album in the future as Dave Matthews stated in an interview with American Songwriter “I think we have a great record. I was like, we finished, for now, the recording and then we were mixing and my friend, Rob Evans, who’s been really the force behind getting it done and been a great, you know, it wouldn’t have happened without him and it’s been fun to work with him. And so essentially we have to just put it in the bag and send it out into the world.”
