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Dave Matthews Band with Neil Young and Crazy Horse and Soulive |
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Scott Stadium
Charlottesville, Virginia
04.21.01 |
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review
There was probably more pressure on the Dave Matthews Band Saturday night than they had ever felt before. As veterans of countless stadium shows, not much fazes the members of this platinum-selling act. Certainly, the kick-off show of a summer tour brings the usual hassles, as the group prepares for months of grueling hard work and the repetitive lifestyle of traveling from town to town. This particular opening show, however, had its own lovely complexities, as it marked the band's triumphant return to Charlottesville, where DMB had not played in more than six years, as well as the first rock concert in the history of University of Virginia's Scott Stadium. What's more, one of Dave's musical heroes, Neil Young, was opening for him. When taken all together, it becomes clear why this might have been such a nerve-racking gig. Think it's tough to get up and perform in front of a crowd? Try doing it in front of thousands of friends, family, acquaintances, fan club members, national press, locals, and fans from every corner of the U.S., all connected in one way or another with your long struggle and eventual rise to the top. Now you get the idea. It may have been a surreal, celebratory evening for the Dave Matthews Band, but it definitely wasn't an easy one.
Early afternoon rain scared plenty of folks, but the clouds eventually dispersed, giving way to an absolutely perfect Virginia evening. The streets of C-ville buzzed with people, from large gatherings of fans at local hot spot Miller's (where young Dave bartended and performed before becoming a star) to the streets surrounding the stadium, which were filled with concertgoers, partying students, and gawkers peeping the scene. Opening act Soulive, who are slated to play several more shows with DMB this summer, got going around 5:45, just as people left their parking lot parties and filtered in to find their seats (i.e., more than half of the huge crowd missed the trio's performance). Soulive's funky sound—which is far more effective in a smoky club than in a 50,000-seat stadium—still managed to come across fine, providing a jazzy, jamming intro to a long night of music. To wrap things up, the three-piece was joined by saxophonist Sam Kenninger for a rendition of the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing." Soulive—drummer Alan Evans, organist Neil Evans, and guitarist Eric Krasno—seemed mostly unaffected by their stadium debut, but unfortunately forgot to mention that they were playing in town at Starr Hill Music Hall the following night.
Much to the crowd's delight, Dave Matthews stepped out after a short break to humbly introduce Neil Young, who Dave described as "one of my heroes." In a line-up that included organ-driven funk and the jazzy rhythms of DMB, Neil Young and longtime cohorts Crazy Horse provided the distorted, all-out rock 'n' roll attack for the evening. Neil, looking every bit the 55-year-old musical genius and guitar god in an unpretentious straw hat and sideburns, instantly tested Scott Stadium's sound system with "Sedan Delivery" and "Hey Hey My My (Into The Black)" from Rust Never Sleeps. Young's hour-long set included a crowd-pleasing and extra-crunchy "Cinnamon Girl," "Rocking In The Free World," "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," and two songs from 1991's Ragged Glory—"Love And Only Love" and "F*!#in' Up." The time constraints of an opening slot may have saddened some diehard Neil Young fans, however, as the band played intense, but obviously shortened versions of "Cortez The Killer" and closer "Down By The River." Ever the supporter of new talent, Neil even gave a shout out to a band playing outside the arena at a local party. The party inside the venue, however, was starting to get very interesting.
Considering all the hype leading up to this show, the Dave Matthews Band had put itself in a tricky situation. Rumors had Carlos Santana making an appearance, but even if Neil Young, Santana, Phish's Trey Anastasio, and Prince had converged on stage, the overwhelming anticipation surrounding this event would have rendered the performance anticlimactic. Strolling on to a set decorated by enormous pornographic mushrooms (fallopian tubes? phalluses?), Dave, drummer Carter Beauford, bassist Stefan Lessard, saxophonist LeRoi Moore, and fiddler Boyd Tinsley looked alternately humbled and excited by their surroundings. The quintet kicked things off with some old favorites, including "Two Step," "So Much To Say," and "Too Much," each of which included the requisite extended jam from various members of the band (including a massive drum solo from Carter, who donned UVA defensive back Ahmad Hawkins' jersey for the occasion).
What was curious from that point on was how much DMB pulled from its new album, Everyday. It makes perfect sense for a band with a new record to give it plenty of set time; after all, the group is hoping to sell lots of albums to fans hearing the material for the first time. It just wasn't expected for this particular hometown gig, which most imagined would include loads of rare songs and old favorites. Needless to say, it did not. Switching to electric guitar, Dave led the band through the hit "I Did It" and "When The World Ends." "Sleep To Dream Her" and "Everyday"—which was sandwiched in the middle of an extended version of "#36"—were the best of the new material, with "Everyday" buoyed by backing vocals from "The Lovely Ladies" (Tawatha, Cindy, and Brenda) and inspired rhythmic work from Beauford and Lessard.
The centerpiece of DMB's performance, and the evening's musical climax, came halfway through the set when Neil Young joined the group for a slowly building "All Along The Watchtower." Dave smiled broadly as he established the tempo and worked up the power of the song on his acoustic, while Neil kept pace with increasingly noisy guitar runs. Though its inclusion was inevitable once it was announced that Neil Young would be opening the show, Dylan's masterful tune had a freshness and energy that surprised and awed the audience. After Neil left the stage, there was a several song lull, as if too much energy had been expended on that incredible moment. Boyd then took over lead vocals on the gospel-soaked "True Reflections" and Dave worked through some more new material ("Angel" and "What You Are"), before the band really pulled together again for an impressive set-ending "Ants Marching." One encore, featuring "If I Had It All" and "Stay," capped the night, much to the chagrin of the audience, who were waiting for three more encores and another four hours of music if they could get it.
For the Dave Matthews Band, homecoming is finished and the group can now concentrate on the familiar summer grind that has made it one of the biggest live acts in the world. In the end, the return home felt more like a normal tour opener than the once-in-a-lifetime experience it could have been. Let it be said that the Dave Matthews Band handled the pressure of this gig very well, and if the five-piece outfit ever gets another chance to play Scott Stadium, expect a more relaxed and expansive jam from these local boys who made it big.
By Lem Oppenheimer (with additional reporting by Paul Rosner)
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