Dave Matthews Band

Listener Supported

In The Spotlight...

Review Score:

(10/10)
So, what makes this album different from the other albums where you can already hear the majority of these songs? Well, a lot, actually. First of all, each new track that had not yet been released is good enough. But, for more convincing reasons, the other versions of already-released songs from both studio and live albums display how some tunes have truly evolved, and how you can make new sounds come out of old songs. And, of course, there is wanting to hear your favorite tunes from the latest studio album, "Before These Crowded Streets", performed. To top it off, the base-quintet invite some friends to jam with them and give the songs a little more punch than you'd expect on a live performance.

A mellow little intro, with just the band plucking away at their instruments at what seems to be an improvised piece, begins the album. As it fades away, the excitement of the crowd is quenched as they play the forty-second lick called "Pantala Naga Pampa", which segues into "Rapunzel". These two are both from their most recent studio attempt. They move right through with "Rhyme & Reason" and "The Stone". The only lack with this latter song is the interpolation Dave tends to use on acoustic performances from "Can't Help Falling In Love", originally performed by Elvis Presley. "#41" turns into an almost ten-minute jam, another worth-while reason to get the record. "Crash Into Me" is always great, this time performed with a little sample of the old country tune "Dixie Chicken". "Jimi Thing" is just simply fantastic - a fourteen minute song with an extended instrumental jam. Simply great. "#36", despite its lack of a drum intro by Carter Beauford, has a nice feel as The Lovely Ladies (as Dave calls them) appear to sing back-up vocals. "Warehouse" is always great. "Too Much" is another classic that never gets too old.

Then comes something new - violinist Boyd Tinsley steps into the spotlight to sing lead vocals on a self-written song called "True Reflections". This performance also has The Lovely Ladies singing back-up. What can one say about the new intro-verse added to "Two Step"? It's just fantastic! And, the extended jam at the end (including a solo by guest musician, keyboard player Butch Taylor), making it a fourteen-minute piece just makes it worth playing a second time. Another un-released on studio song, "Granny" is played. Although it appears on the Dave/Tim acoustic album, this version has much more punch as The Lovely Ladies return once more to sing back-up. Very soul-filled, gospel-like feeling to it. And, there's "Stay" - where the women sing as on the studio album.

The band returns to the stage (after a few minutes of the crowd screaming) to play several encores. The beautiful, but short, "#40" quiets the fans down and leaves a nice memory of the show. Another quiet tune, a cover of Johnny Cash's country-classic "Long Black Veil" is performed again with the Ladies on back-up. As it fades out, the silence is broken with new-song "Don't Drink The Water", like "The Stone", without the sample of "This Land" usually heard on acoustic performances. Finally, we hear a minute long bass solo by Stefan Lessard. Once again, the excitement of the crowd has returned with a fervor. Soon comes Dave playing a few chords, with the audience still perplexed by the tune. Cheers soon follow as he sings the opening lines to Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower". And, in the end, the band walks off stage with the fans screaming for more. But, they'll have to wait until the next show they attend to hear more...

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