Concerts • The
Dave Matthews Band — LeRoi Moore,
Carter Beauford, Boyd Tinsley, Stefan
Lessard and Dave Matthews—played
two shows at the Home Depot Center
in Carson this weekend. RCA
Dave
Matthews Band ends summer in Carson
Concert
review
By
Austin Lewis
Daily Forty-Niner
Managing Editor
The Dave Matthews Band (DMB) rocked Southern California with shows in Carson
Saturday at the Home Depot Center and Sunday at the soccer stadium at Cal State
Dominguez Hills. Just like last year, DMB’s Carson show took place the
last weekend before the start of fall semester; what a way to end the summer.
The band, currently on the road in support of their sixth full-length studio
album, “Stand Up,” played 33 different songs over the course of
the weekend. DMB played a total 12 songs from “Stand Up,” split
between the two shows, repeating only three of them the second night.
Saturday’s show began with “Everyday,” the title track from
DMB’s 2000 album. The band was in fine form from the start. Dave Matthews,
guitarist and lead singer, scatted through the verses, and his ad-libs were
perfectly accented by drummer Carter Beauford.
The song came to an end with a solo by violinist Boyd Tinsley, followed by
a sing-along with the crowd.
Up next were “Don’t Drink The Water,” which featured screaming
and more scatting from Matthews at the song’s conclusion, and “American
Baby Intro,” an improvisational piece featuring an energetic solo from
Tinsley.
The songs that followed showcased the talents of LeRoi Moore, who plays a variety
of instruments ranging in size from a pennywhistle to a baritone saxophone. “Dreamgirl” — with
an extended ending — and “Grey Street” featured soprano saxophone
solos from Moore. “Say Goodbye” began with a drum solo that provided
backing for flute solos from Moore, and “Bartender” ended with
his pennywhistle solo.
The band then went into three songs from 2005’s “Stand Up.” The
album’s first single, “American Baby,” built up to an energetic
ending, complete with more scatting by Matthews. “Out Of My Hands” and “Smooth
Rider” followed; these were among the slowest songs of the set, but were
still well-received by the crowd.
DMB’s next song, “Dancing Nancies” — and its fittingly
frantic Tinsley solo — drew one of the biggest audience reactions of
the night. The band then delivered solid versions of two crowd favorites, “Granny” and “Too
Much.”
The main set came to a close with “Lousiana Bayou,” which included
a guest appearance from Robert Randolph on lap steel (Randolph’s band
opened for DMB five times earlier this summer). Randolph, Tinsley and Moore
each took solos, and the song ended with a combined solo by Randolph and Moore.
Saturday’s encore consisted of “The Best Of What’s Around” and
a stellar 19-minute version of “Two Step,” which began with a solo
from bassist Stefan Lessard and an ad-libbed prelude by Matthews. The song
progressed into a solo by keyboardist Butch Taylor, complimented by syncopated
drum fills from Beauford. Another solo from Lessard led back to a Beauford
drum solo that continued to the end of the song.
Sunday’s show began with “Pantala Naga Pampa,” which segued
into “Rapunzel.” DMB’s effortless transitions between the
song’s complicated time signatures showed they had no intention of slowing
down the pace they’d set the previous night. DMB’s third song was “What
Would You Say,” a crowd favorite.
Matthews alone started “One Sweet World,” and was soon joined by
the rest of the band. Beauford’s drum pattern during the song’s
intro was oversimplified in contrast to the complex lines played by the other
members of the band. Average versions of “When The World Ends” and “Stand
Up” followed.
A 15-minute version of “Lie In Our Graves,””was the first
high point of the night. The song featured a calm and relaxing Tinsley solo
that slowly built into a Taylor keyboard solo. Behind everything, Beauford
treated the song as if it were a drum solo.
Another high point of the night was the song “Warehouse,” featuring
a guest performance by percussionist Leon Mobley and an extended salsa jam
section. It really stood out among the four “Stand Up” songs in
the set; while the crowd liked the “Stand Up” songs, it became
obvious at this point that older songs such as “Warehouse” still
have special something.
The band then delivered a solid version of “Ants Marching,” with
fills from Tinsley and Moore scattered throughout the song and an extended
solo from Tinsley. “Stolen Away From 55th & 3rd,” another song
from “Stand Up,” brought the energy down a bit, but then Tinsley’s
solos in “You Might Die Trying” and “Tripping Billies” brought
the crowd back into the show.
Sunday’s set ended with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along
The Watchtower,” including an extended jam with guests Randolph and Mobley.
After a 10-minute encore break, DMB came back and played “Old Dirt Hill
(Bring That Beat Back)” and “What You Are.”
The crowd loved the songs, but they did not come anywhere close to the energy
level present during the previous three songs of the main set.
Opening both shows were the John Butler Trio and Jason Mraz.
Introducing the John Butler Trio on Saturday, Matthews said, “I will
predict that every single person that listens to this band will become a fan.” The
venue was still mostly empty during the John Butler Trio’s set, but Matthews’ introduction
held true nonetheless.
The John Butler trio played the same 40-minute set both nights; the highlight
of which was “Ocean,” solo piece played on acoustic guitar by John
Butler. Also impressive were the solos from bassist Shannon Birchall and drummer
Michael Barker during “Betterman.”
Mraz played an hour-long set after the John Butler Trio. His performance Sunday
was the better of the two; his set flowed better and he seemed more relaxed — he
was joking with the audience and security between songs.
These concerts were a great end to the summer; those who weren’t in attendance
missed amazing shows. DMB will most likely be back next year — you should
be there, too. |
