Whenever a Dave Matthews Band tour is announced in Australia – which has only been three times now in the band’s illustrious 23 year career – it’s often met with moments of confusion. A “why should we care?” sort of response is vocalised, especially when the tour coincides with a headline spot on a festival like Bluesfest. “But they’re not even popular in Australia, are they!?” Well, on record, they’ve never been particularly successful in Australia. And even the band admits that 2001’s Everyday wasn’t their best effort. But those “in the know” usually reply: “if you saw them live, you’d get it…” and they’d be right.
Because they have toured it relentlessly, through word of mouth and the sharing of official and unofficial live recordings, Dave Matthews Band have become one of the biggest bands in the USA, selling out stadiums all around the country every Summer (with the exception of a year off in 2011, which resulted in their 2013 album Away From The World). Though the albums were popular at home in their own right, and well received critically, it has always been on the live stage that the band has made a name for themselves.
But it’s not just about the band and their songs. As musicians, each member of the band – not unlike that of Springsteen’s E Street – is a God in their own right. Stefan Lessard is one of the most impressive bass guitarists you’ll ever see live, Boyd Tinsley on the violin is not-so-quietly spellbinding, and don’t get me started on drummer Carter Beauford. The man is a machine, one of the most respected in the industry and the setup he brings on the road is nothing short of epic.
OK, so you can probably tell by now that I’m a fan. I discovered the band when they released Before These Crowded Streets in 1998, an album which still holds up today as one of the band’s shining moments. Tracks like “Crush”, “Rapunzel”, “Pig” and “Don’t Drink The Water” remain a personal favourite of their repertoire, as well as a favourite amongst fans. It’s rare for at least one of these songs not to appear in their ever changing set*. But it was through their live recordings – of which there are dozens of official releases from the Live Trax series, which is about to release its 29th installment, to the iconic Live at the Gorge or Live in Central Park CD/DVD sets – that the band’s reputation grew.
And it’s not just the official releases that have spread the word of the band’s live prowess. Early on, the band encouraged the recording of their concerts to share amongst some of the earliest online cassette trading forums, which would eventually become digital trading platforms in later years. This means that, in one form or another, just about every DMB show ever has been catalogued, recorded and shared (something they even do themselves to some degree on their official website).
Through this, traditions were born. Calls and responses from Dave that were seemingly instantaneous in its initial incarnation would become an expected part of the set. Like Dave getting everyone to sing a moment of “Ants Marching”, or including a bit of scat during “Jimi Thing” – not to mention turning “Two Step” into an epic 15+ minute experience. Then there are moments where the audience will sing along to a song completely different to the original – such as “Hani, Hani, come and dance with me” during “Everyday”. Then there are things like the inclusion of the national anthem (on the bass guitar, no less) in the lead up to a much celebrated cover of “All Along The Watchtower”; one of the band’s many live-only moments that make their sets so talked about.
Then there are the special guests. When they were last in Australia, they invited their support act Xavier Rudd on stage to perform a couple of tracks with them on the didgeridoo. This time, we’ll no doubt have guitarist and support act Gary Clark Jr doing the same thing, which will be a pretty special experience. And we expect their closing performance of Bluesfest to be a star studded affair, as it often is. Remember Ben Harper’s a few years back? Bonnie Raitt joining Ben still ranks as one of my favourite moments…
Back to DMB, one of my personal favourite live moments occurred on the Live at Central Park DVD, when one of my favourite guitarists, Warren Haynes, joined the band, for a couple of songs, including a cover of the Neil Young gem “Cortez The Killer”:
So from that I’d hope you get the idea… It’s worth mentioning, too, that Warren will be at Bluesfest with his band Gov’t Mule, so we might be in for a similar treat up there! You can watch my chat with Warren Haynes at the 2011 Bluesfest here, where he talks about performing in Dave over the years:
With the band known for performing different sets every night, there will be plenty of hardcore fans from Australia and around the world following the group around the country so they don’t miss a moment of one of the band’s rare appearances in Australia; their first since 2007. And even in playing the festivals they are, and at venues like what was formerly the Sydney Entertainment Centre, these are still considerably smaller than what they headline back home.
Those who saw the band at the 2005 Bluesfest still talk about the performances, and have been hanging out for the bands return ever since – particularly after they had to pull out of the 2007 event. I am personally beyond excited to get to share a few nights with Dave Matthews Band next week, and you know what? You should be too. The only catch is that you’ll have to get yourself along to one of the shows to see what all the fuss is about…
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Fans in Australia can get excited for the shows next week by unlocking an exclusive new live track from the band! Go to http://4musi.cc/dmb and share it on Twitter to get your hands on it. And don’t miss the band at the West Coast or East Coast Blues n’ Roots Festivals, nor at their headline shows with Gary Clark Jr in Sydney and Melbourne!
Apr 13, Sun – Fremantle, Western Australia – West Coast Blues
Apr 15, Tue – Sydney, NSW – Qantas Credit Union Arena
Apr 17, Thu – Melbourne, Victoria- Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Apr 19, Sat and Apr 21, Mon – Byron Bay, NSW – Bluesfest
*They’re renowned for never playing the same set twice. Now watch this:
