opinios

Before This Crowded Theatre

The Dave Matthews Band concert was awesome.

Even though we were sitting near the back in the upstairs section of the Palais theatre, we still had a decent view and and spent more time dancing in the aisle than sitting in our seat.

One thing that really blew me away was how obvious it was that every band member is a true master of his instrument. This isn't any old band - this is a group of 5 maestros at the pinnacle of musicianship, who feed off each other when playing live to create a really unique musical synergy. This was highlighted by the amount of time the band spent just jamming, as every song morphed into an almost entirely different sound, and each member gave a solo that demonstrated their mastery and their roots in jazz and improvisation.

Drummer Carter Beauford has a massive kit that almost dwarfs him (he is not a small guy) and as a result is able to produce a spectacular array of sounds at an amazing rate and with incredible energy; LeRoi Moore manages to belt out those smooth sounds on the sax that make you shiver (not in a Kenny G kind of way); Boyd Tinsley plays his violin either like he is at a hoedown,
or by his side like a rhythm guitarist. And when bassist Stefan Lessard isn't jumping around, slapping and popping his bass to steady the melody, he is plucking beautiful notes that combine to make a sound one would think was impossible with a bass guitar. And I'm not sure who the keyboard player was but it provided an extra welcome dimension, with a solo that I have to say reminded me of Billy Joel, which wouldn't normally be a good thing but it definitely worked.

And then there's Dave.

Mr Charisma's vocals were a little soft in my opinion, but I figure that's the sound engineers' fault, not his. However he didn't fail to disappoint in his ability to really rock out for tracks like Drive In Drive Out and All Along the Watchtower; he delivered his own special touch of crazy as he pranced around like a funky chicken during Everyday, and never missed a beat on slower, softer ballads such as the beautiful Cry Freedom. It was a treat to finally see live a band that I have been following for so long.

The highlight for me was definitely Jimi Thing, a rockin' track that evolved into a 15 minute marathon medley of sounds and reminded me of why I enjoy seeing live shows and got me wondering why I hadn't been to see any live music for more than 18 months. The set list was a tad eclectic, so there were a few tracks that I was hoping to hear that didn't get played. But when you look at the massive back catalogue I guess it is a big ask to be super choosy; plus I get the feeling that every DMB show is different, and this was one show I will never forget.

Another comprehensive write-up of the show over at 35 Degrees.