Archive for June 3rd, 2009
Dave Matthews Band – Live from the Beacon Theatre
June 3rd, 2009
Posted in Uncategorized
In honor of the release of their seventh studio album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
A few things were different on this night, although very little changed in terms of their performance. First off, you have the venue in which they played. Known for packing arenas, stadiums and amphitheater’s full of people by the tens of thousands, this may have been the band’s first intimate gig since before their rise to fame in the early ’90s. Built in 1929, the Beacon Theatre seats over 2,800 on three levels, surrounded by thirty-foot tall Greek goddesses, eastern scenes and a neo-Grecian interior.
As far as the lineup goes, you may have noticed a few differences, however, these are changes that represent the post-2008 Dave Matthews Band and as far as we know, the future. Longtime friend and guitar virtuoso, Tim Reynolds, is back for another year on the road with the band, bringing his Hendrix and Santana-influenced killer riffs. It’s not all psychedelic rock solos from Reynolds however, as he can slow things down and play in any style including jazz, funk and soul. Trumpeter Rashawn Ross, formerly of Soulive, is back with the band again, although he never really left. Rashawn began touring with the band in 2005, and has become somewhat of an unofficial member of the band. A Berklee College of Music graduate from the Virgin Islands, Rashawn brings a New Orleans vibe to the band with his cool and bright style.
The biggest change in the band that I’m finding it most difficult to deal with, is with the loss of founding saxophonist member LeRoi Moore, who passed away last August from injuries sustained in an ATV accident. With Moore being one of the main reason’s I first fell in love with this band, I was simply crushed when I heard of his passing. While the band may never be the same again, they certainly can continue to move forward thanks to the addition of multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Coffin. Also a longtime friend of the band, Coffin is a well-trained and well-educated musical prodigy, specializing on instruments like the sax, clarinet and flute. Most famously known for his role in the Grammy Award-winning Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, given time, Coffin will come to fill the shoes of Moore quite comfortably. If there was ever someone who Moore wanted to succeed him, I think that he would’ve wanted it to be Jeff Coffin.
The band kicked things off with the first single from the new album, “Funny The Way It Is.” Funny how once again the third track on an album ends up as a single, following in tradition of songs like “Satellite”, “Crash Into Me”, “The Space Between” and “Where Are You Going.” It should be the first single though. Most likely the track was strategically placed in this spot on the album because it’s short, catchy and slick.
From there the band continued on with the new material, including the swampy jams of “Alligator Pie” and the Mardi Gras-inspired ”Spacemen”, before leading into an unreleased favorite from the past couple of years, “Cornbread.” They follow this up with the heavy, sexy and complex, “Seven”, before Dave quiets things down on the piano with the slow and sad “Out Of My Hands.” Just before going into “Why I Am”, Dave notes that this was a favorite of Roi’s as it was being written, which is obvious in the lyrics with the references of “dancing with the GrooGrux King…”
The band takes things back a bit over the next several tracks, including 1998’s beautifully composed “The Dreaming Tree”, 2005’s upbeat “You Might Die Trying” and the crowd sing-along “Everyday.” From there they once again quiet things down with “Sister” and “So Damn Lucky”, which heightens like a peak in a rollercoaster towards the end of the song, thanks to Tim Reynolds electric guitar playing.
They bring out another new track, “Squirm”, before hitting the climax of the show with the “Anyone Seen the Bridge?” jam leading into a tease of “Too Much” which ultimately ends up with one of their most famous and most played songs, “Ants Marching.” With the shows end nowhere near in site, the band goes on with my personal favorite, “#41″, the new track ”Time Bomb” which has the potential to be the next great show closer for the band, but after that they end the regular set with their best show closer, “Two Step.”
They come back for a three song encore, the first being Dave solo on the traditional folk song, “Rye Whiskey”, while they end with a couple of old favorites like “Don’t Drink the Water” and “Grey Street.”
During the slow season, otherwise known as winter, when the band typically doesn’t tour, I have to honestly say that I had my doubts about what was to come of the band. With all of the changes that sort of forcefully happened, I just have to find a way to accept these things and move forward. After watching this near three-hour performance, I realized that it’s in their blood to continue to make music and tour, no matter who’s in the band. I think LeRoi Moore would feel exactly the same way. I know he would’ve wanted to band to keep playing.
