Results tagged ‘ Dave Matthews ’

8-20-11 Charlottesville VA

Amy, Olivia and I went to Charlottesville VA over the weekend, as it was my last weekend of my summer vacation.  The original plan was for Amy and I to attend the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert and come back early the next morning, but we couldn’t secure a babysitter, so Amy and Olivia stayed in the hotel while I went to the concert.  Amy insisted that I go, even though I told her I wanted to sell the tickets if she wasn’t going to be coming.

It was my 50th Dave Matthews show.  I have seen the band perform 48 times, and Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds play acoustically twice.

As soon as I arrived in Charlottesville something was missing.

My other half.

It sucks to attend a concert by yourself.

Amy and I had spent a weekend in Charlottesville about 10 months and 30 pounds ago (before I started religiously hitting the gym to bulk up rather than lose weight)

In fact, in the background is the very pavilion that I would be at today.

I arrived about an hour before the gates were to open and listened to the soundcheck and took a picture of a monument that everyone writes on in chalk.

As for the concert, I was on the lawn – at the very front.  It was the first time in 50 shows that I ever actually watched a concert from the lawn.  I usually like to be down close.  However, since this venue was so tiny, there weren’t a lot of tickets available.  (The couple in front of me in line paid $580 for two lawn tickets).

This was my view.

I had my Song Bloggie with me, which really underperformed and took a lot of crappy blurry pictures.  The best picture was taken on my old Iphone 3G:

As for the concert itself, I would rank it in the bottom 3rd of all of the shows I’ve seen in terms of setlist.  I was expecting some surprises, but there were none.  It doesn’t help that I attended one of the best Dave and Tim shows of all time at Appalachian State University in Boone NC on 3.29.03.

The highlight of the night was hearing a new song that I’d never heard before, called Sweet.  It was the 159th different song I’d seen Dave play live.  Here’s a video of that which I filmed:

I also filmed some of the song Crush, which was the first song that Amy and I ever danced to:

Anyhow, the next morning, all three of us went back to Charlottesville, stopping at the spot where Amy and I watched the sunrise back in November

so Olivia could see the Blue Ridge Mountains for the first time.

Once we got to downtown Charlottesville, the place was like a ghost town.

Most of the stores were closed since it was a Sunday, so there wasn’t a lot of activity.  We posed at the bar where Dave Matthews got his start and met the musicians that he’d ask to form a band which would become know as the Dave Matthews Band:

And ate at Five Guys restaurant at 11:45 AM (and were the only customers there the entire time):

Then we made our way to the pavilion where the concert took place last night.  It was eerily deserted:

So I made my way up on stage with Olivia.

We also stopped to make our marks at the monument:

And then made our way home.  Amy had a great idea to stop and get our picture taken at the state welcome signs, but we ended up only stopping at the West Virginia one because I was in a hurry to get home.

That concert will be my only one of the summer.  The last time I only attended one Dave concert in a year…  2000.

9-5-10 The Gorge Amphitheatre

This was the finale of a three concert run at the Gorge Amphitheatre for the Dave Matthews Band.  Since DMB usually plays their best show during the last show of a run like this, I was pretty excited.  I had missed the Friday show due to work where the band had played many of my favorites such as The Last Stop, Crush, Write a Song, Grey Street, Loving Wings, and Dancing Nancies to name a few.

I arrived early and decided to pass the time before the gates opened by walking up to the camp ground in the distance.
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Folks were already lining up to get a decent spot in the middle of the lawn or the front of the pit.
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Here are my DMB concert statistics:

Shows Attended = 46
Different Songs Seen = 153
# Song Performances = 836
Venues Attended = 17
Tours Attended: (46 shows total)
Summer 2000 (1)
Spring 2002 (2)
Summer 2002 (2)
Fall 2002 (1)
Dave and Tim Spring 2003 (1)
Summer 2003 (4)
Dave and Friends Fall 2003 (1)
Summer 2004 (3)
Vote For Change Tour 2004 (1)
Summer 2005 (4)
Fall 2005 (1)
Summer 2006 (4)
Summer 2007 (4)
Summer 2008 (7)
Spring 2009 (1)
Summer 2009 (4)
Summer 2010 (5)

DMB @ Hershey & PNC Park 7-9-10, 7-10-10

Despite having tickets to two game in Washington DC for this week, I decided to take the week off from attending baseball games and eat the cost of the tickets.  I figured it would cost at least $80 per game to travel there, and if I didn’t go, I’d actually be saving myself money.

My decision to stay put this week was made easy because I had a weekend of Dave Matthews Band ahead of me.

I attended the concert on July 9th in Hershey PA at Hershey Park Stadium.  Since I’m a Warehouse fan club member, I got early admittance and ended up being in the front row.

Unfortunately, the battery of my phone was sapped after an intense game of Scrabble, and I only got one picture before my phone died.
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It was Dave Matthews introducing the Zac Brown Band:

I didn’t know much about the ZBB coming in, but they were really good.  Highlights were the songs Toes and Killing In the Name of (which Zac Brown cautioned parents to remove their kids due to the lyrics, which you’ll hear if you choose to watch the video below that I found on youtube:)

As for the Dave Matthews Band concert, it was decent.  It was my 43rd show, and would rank somewhere in the middle. 

Since it was a “one night stand” meaning only one show at the venue, I expected a bunch of songs off of their new album, as well as songs to please the ‘radio’ crowd (those that only know the singles).  Therefore, I had to lower my expectations a little and realize that I wouldn’t get songs that super fans like myself love.  Such as the Song That Jane Likes.

The setlist was rather different.  The band played more songs off of Dave Matthews’ 2003 solo album, Some Devil, than any other album.  That’s the first time that’s ever happened.

So, on to the highlights for me:
1) Warehouse – which at the end, Dave’s guitar fell apart with strings hanging off.
2) Say Goodbye
3) Pig

I looked around on youtube and found one fan who made a little montage of a few clips of the songs from the night.   You can see that here:

The next day it was off to Pittsburgh to see Dave Matthews Band once again at PNC Park.

I had early entrance tickets again, and like usual, none of the security guards knew what was going on.  There was one man screaming at everyone outside of the gate center field gate, “WAREHOUSE TICKETS ONLY, NO COOLERS, DRINKS… etc”   There were three lines that had formed at the gate, and it turns out that the line that I was in (the one that is the line I go into PNC Park at every baseball game) was for non-Warehouse members. 

I moved into the Warehouse line near the front, as I wasn’t going to go to the end of the line, which at this point snaked down the stairs and to the river.  I had been there long enough, I couldn’t help that the lines weren’t marked. 

When the gates opened, I ran in, cut to my left and under the left field bleachers.  The access points to the field were between every section in left field in the aisle ways.  Large decks with stairs had been built for people to walk up and over the six foot high left field fence and down onto the field.

There was a bottle neck at the first two entrance points between sections 138/137 and 137/136, so I ran down to an entrance closer to the foul pole that no one was using.  It was a smart move, as I ended up getting the front row again, in virtually the same spot as last night in Hershey.

After claiming my spot, I broke away for a bit to buy pretzels, water and cracker jacks.  (My spot was being saved).  I used this time to take some photos:

Before leaving to go to the concession stand looking in towards home plate:
Dave Matthews Band PNC Park 7-10-2010.jpgThe highlight of the concert for me was the song I’ll Back You Up, which was the first time in I’d ever seen it in my 44 shows.  As a side note, this was the first song Dave Matthews ever wrote.

Found the performance on youtube:


I would rank the show somewhere in the middle of all of the shows I’ve seen.  The show was pretty long, clocking in at 2 hours and 31 minutes of song time (not including gaps between songs).  It was the 40th long DMB concert of all time.

I didn’t really care for PNC Park as the venue though.  The general admission crowd was beyond annoying.  I was surrounded with drunk people and folks trying to sneak their way up to the front.  I even ended up with a nice bruise on my hip from pressing my weight up against the fence to keep the drunks from trying to get past me.  I was pretty much 90 degrees against the rail, as everything I cared about was to my left anyway.  Three of the completely drunk girls behind me threw their underwear towards the stage, one falling short, one narrowly missing a security guards face, and one actually making it.  I had never seen that kind of behavior at a DMB concert, but then again, those type of folks are usually out on the lawn, where I have never sat.

I’ll be out of action from baseball this Friday, and maybe Saturday too.  My next game may not be until next Monday, but who knows.

I plan on attending at least two more Dave Matthews Band concerts this year, which may be my final ones for some time, as the band has announced that they are taking 2011 off – the first year ever since their inceptcion that they will not tour.

STATISTICS: (from DMBAlmanac.com)

Shows Attended = 44
Different Songs Seen = 148
# Song Performances = 797
Venues Attended = 16
Hershey Show: 20 songs
PNC Park Show: 20 songs

Dave Matthews Band @ PNC Park in 2010

What are two things that I love?  Baseball and the Dave Matthews Band.

I just got word that Dave Matthews Band is likely to play PNC Park on July 10th, 2010.  This would break from recent tradition of playing their Pittsburgh Area shows at the Post Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown.

The last time DMB played a stadium show in Pittsburgh it was at Three Rivers Stadium in July of 2000.  I was there, and it was my first DMB show.  Rather fitting that 10 years later, almost to the day, they would return and deliver another stadium concert.

It’s not uncommon for DMB to play stadiums, as in the past few years they’ve held concerts at such venues such as Fenway Park and Busch Stadium.

This will not be one of those cheap 70 minute concerts that follow a Pirates game.

No, this will be an actual full length concert that has nothing to do with a promotion to get fans to come to a baseball game to see a free concert and fireworks.

The question is now, will Pirates season ticket holders be able to purchase tickets before the general public?

6-19-09 and 6-20-09 Post Gazette Pavilion

I spent Friday and Saturday taking in the Dave Matthews Band at the Post Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown PA, which is about a half hour or so outside of Pittsburgh.

I wish I could follow DMB everywhere.  According to my concert attended list, these were my 38th and 39th shows that I’ve been to.

What concerts have I been to?  Maybe we’ve been to the same ones:
DMB 2000-07-03    Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
DMB 2002-04-05    Bryce Jordan Center – Penn State University, University Park, PA
DMB 2002-04-24    Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
DMB 2002-08-02    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2002-08-03    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2002-12-22    MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
D&T 2003-03-29    Holmes Center – Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
DMB 2003-06-18    Germain Amphitheater, Columbus, OH
DMB 2003-06-21    Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
DMB 2003-06-26    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2003-06-27    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
D&F 2003-12-12    Bryce Jordan Center – Penn State University, University Park, PA
DMB 2004-06-24    Germain Amphitheater, Columbus, OH
DMB 2004-06-26    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2004-06-27    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2004-10-01    Bryce Jordan Center – Penn State University, University Park, PA
DMB 2005-06-04    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2005-06-05    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2005-06-15    Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
DMB 2005-06-25    Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA
DMB 2005-12-06    Bryce Jordan Center – Penn State University, University Park, PA
DMB 2006-06-07    Germain Amphitheater, Columbus, OH
DMB 2006-06-10    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2006-06-23    Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA
DMB 2006-08-02    Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
DMB 2007-08-07    Tweeter Center at the Waterfront, Camden, NJ
DMB 2007-08-08    Tweeter Center at the Waterfront, Camden, NJ
DMB 2007-08-10    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2007-08-20    Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
DMB 2008-05-30    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2008-05-31    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2008-06-17    Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY
DMB 2008-06-18    Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DMB 2008-06-27    Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA
DMB 2008-07-30    Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
DMB 2008-08-07    Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
DMB 2009-04-18    John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
DMB 2009-06-19    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
DMB 2009-06-20    Post-Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA

Anyway, what’s the baseball connection you might ask?  Well, I was sitting in Sec 6 Row E, directly behind a former MLB player’s box: (scroll down slowly and see if you can guess who he is)  He’s wearing black in the picture:
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Can you identify him?

I’ll give you a hint, 3 time All Star first baseman.  Played for the Indians, Reds, Pirates, Tigers and Red Sox.  C’mon….

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Its Sean Casey!!

When he walked by, I tapped him on the shoulder, “Sean, what’s up man!  Great to see you!”

He acted like he knew me.  “No way man, what’s up dude, how’ve you been.”  Then he asked my name.

I told him I was a big fan when he played for the Pirates in 2006. 

Throughout the night, I proceeded to get 5 more unsolicited high fives or handshakes from Casey.  No wonder they call him the mayor and he was voted by fellow players as the “friendliest player in baseball,” in a Sports Illustrated poll.

No one else around me knew who Sean Casey was.  Not even the security guard in the yellow recognized him.  He checked his ticket at least 3 times when Casey was coming and going.

Pretty awesome.

The second night, 6-20-09 was better.  5th row, center. 
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An amazing concert.   It was without a doubt the best concert experience ever.

Another baseball connection?  Guitarist Tim Reynolds wore a Pirates hat.

Check this review:
From antsmarching.org:
The June 20 at Star Lake outside Pittsburgh, PA was certainly one for the ages. On paper, it looks like the best show in 10 years. Yes, 10 years. But concerts aren’t played on paper, they’re played in venues, and in front of people watching the setlist on AntsLive!. Fans at the show seem to justify the reaction by those watching the setlist as it appeared. Fan reaction from those at the show justifies it as one of the best shows in a while. Reports of the band sounding sharp, energetic, and having a lot of fun are common themes in describing the show. Our own Joe M, who has now officially seen more DMB shows than Dave Matthews himself in 2009, put it at the top of his list of shows for this year a scant few seconds after Halloween ended the show. And it’s no coincidence that there were no Everyday or Stand Up songs either. If you go back to the Hartford show, Night 2, up to the June 21 show, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better run by this band in over 12 years. Really.

If given the choice of attending a DMB concert or going to a baseball game, I’d pick DMB.  Sorry, but I would.

4-18-09 PNC Park

I could only attend batting practice at today’s game because I had Dave Matthews Band tickets for later tonight.

Since today’s game was to begin at 12:35, I feared that there would be no batting practice.  Usually on day games after night games, there is no batting practice.  However, when I was walking to the Center field gate, I could see this. 
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I got to the gates at 9:45 AM, 15 minutes early, and was third in line.  There were two non-ballhawks in front of me, so I felt pretty confident about being the first person into batting practice and claiming any Easter eggs.

I was the first one to the early entrance point, but the season ticket scanner wasn’t there.  A few other security guards came and said we had to wait until the scanner showed up.  I showed them I had season tickets and I even flashed my season ticket card.  They said no one could enter until the scanner showed up.  In the mean time, there were three fans with visitor passes in the bleachers. 

Ryan Doumit crushed a homerun that landed in the bleachers.  All I could do is stand helplessly and watch one of the visitor fans walk over and pick it up.  One missed opportunity.  Doumit hit another ball that hit near the bullpen.  It bounced off a bleacher and rolled down to the front row.  Luckily, the visitors didn’t see this one.  When the employee who scans the early entrance finally showed up 6 minutes late, I ran in and claimed the Doumit HR ball.  It was ball #1.

I asked Nyjer Morgan for a baseball, but he ignored me. 
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STATISTICS:
Game:  6 Balls  (3 hit, 3 device)
Season:  26 Balls  (12 hit, 9 thrown, 5 device)
Games:  6 Games (5 with BP/ 1 without)
Average:  4.33 Balls per Game
Career:  192 Balls
Attendance:  20,755

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