After two amazing days of music, it was hard to believe that there was still a full day of music ahead of us. We started the day by perusing some of the fine shops along the boardwalk, and counting the number of massage parlors and psychic booths. Seriously, every block had the same exact stores. I never understood that. We were able to find a stylish t-shirt claiming Atlantic City as the "Ultimate Paradise", so overall it was a success.
Our goal was to arrive at Bader Field in time to see Dawes at 2:00, but we arrived a little early. So we set up shop and enjoyed the Pete Kilpatrick band who took the stage before Dawes. I have to say that we were pleasantly surprised. Of all the new music I heard this weekend, I think the Pete Kilpatrick Band were my favorite band I had never heard of before. They hail from Maine and have been named best musical act four times at the Portland Best Music Awards. Be on the watch out for another post about the Pete Kilpatrick band real soon.
Dawes took the stage next, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. I probably hyped Dawes up too much in my mind. I've read nothing but good things from friends and from music reviews, but their set seemed to be lacking something. Honestly, I ended up enjoying Pete Kilpatrick Band more. I should probably take some time to become more familiar with their catalog and give them another chance.
We left Dawes to catch the second half of Fitz & the Tantrums. This was the band that Teresa was looking forward to hearing most. If you're not familiar with Fitz & the Tantrums yet (I have a feeling you will be soon), they have a good bit of a 1960's soul feeling with a touch of 1980's charm. This Los Angeles based band also knows how to get the crowd involved. This included calling out anyone who wouldn't dance. The entire performance for lively and energetic, but they stole the show with their first single "MoneyGrabber" off their debut album Pickin' Up the Pieces. You'll be hearing more from this band, I'm almost sure.
After taking a break for dinner, our group had a decision to make. David Gray was playing on the main stage, and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals were playing on the Pacific Stage. Jan and I decided to take in David Gray, who put on a wonderful performance. I've been a fan of David Gray since 1999's White Ladder, but hadn't seen him perform live until August of last year. David is a great live performer! His songs, while outstanding on the studio records, are taken to a new level live. All I can say, is that if you're a fan of David Gray's music, you need to see him live. Highlights from his set included "Babylon", "Please Forgive Me", "Lately", and "Nemesis".
While we were enjoying David Gray, Teresa headed over for Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. She said they were outstanding, and I fully believe it. Grace Patter & the Nocturnals opened for The Avett Brothers last October and put on a great show. It was a shame their set overlapped with David Gray's.
In favor of staking out a good spot for Dave Matthews Band we missed out on Bassnectar and Michael Franti & Spearhead, but we could definitely hear Bassnectar from our spots. However, holding out for a good spot for a good idea, because this, out of all three nights, was the best Dave Matthews Band set of the weekend! The band opened with "Seek Up" which has been a favorite of Dave Matthews fans since the band's beginning. It typically clocks in well past 10 minutes, and usually only appears 10-15 times throughout a summer long tour. It's a great way to kick off a show.
Following a performance of "Warehouse" with a sweet salsa jam and "What Would You Say" came a real surprise with "Kill the King". "Kill the King" has only been played seven times prior to Sunday, and hadn't been played since 2006.
"Dive In" and "Raven" also made appearances which can be fairly rare. Following those songs the band broke into "So Much To Say", typically "So Much To Say" if followed by the interlude, "Anyone Seen the Bridge", however this time the band had yet another surprise in store. Instead of "Anyone Seen the Bridge" they covered Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion". Seriously, it's hard not to love a band that surprises diehard fans the way Dave Matthews Band does.
To close out the regular set, Stefan Lessard began his bass solo which could only lead into "All Along the Watchtower". The way they perform this song is nearly perfect. The first verse is slow and haunting, and then it ramps up from there into a fury of energy and excitement. Sunday night's performance didn't disappoint.
As if this third night of Dave Matthews Band couldn't get any better, they came out with a ridiculous encore. First Dave Matthews performed an emotional and solo performance of "Some Devil." Following "Some Devil" Carter Beauford began striking the snare drum, which typically leads into "Ants Marching" a usual show closer. Not tonight, instead it was an "Ants Marching" fake into "Halloween". "Halloween" is a pretty angry and emotional song. It was probably my favorite song of the entire weekend. It's amazing watching Dave Matthews scream the lyrics with such passion. As the song ended, the band entered back into "Ants Marching". Surely, this was the end of the weekend right? Not quite. Finally, they played the Sly and the Family Stone song "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)". This included crazed dancing by Dave and the entire crowd singing "I want to thank you/For letting me/Be myself again". It was truly awesome, and a perfect way to end the weekend.
What a great weekend! I had a wonderful time with my brother, his girlfriend, and all my friends. I got to enjoy a bunch of my favorite bands, and discovered new bands. And though I've been to over 20 Dave Matthew Band shows, they blew me away again this weekend. Including the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds acoustic set, they played 66 different songs this weekend! No repeats! Simply unreal. If you were thinking about catching one of the other Caravan events in Chicago, Governor's Island, or The Gorge, you should bite the bullet and buy the tickets. It's definitely worth it!
Hope you enjoyed the reviews as much as I enjoyed the weekend! Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label DMB Caravan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DMB Caravan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Concert Review: DMB Caravan- Night 2 @ Bader Field, Atlantic City, NJ- 6.25.2011
Saturday brought more great music and continued beautiful weather for day two of DMB Caravan. All weekend temperatures hovered around the 80 degree mark, and a nice breeze kept the crowds relatively cool throughout the event. Really, the weather couldn't have been better.
After grabbing lunch and walking around Atlantic City's shopping district, Jan and I made our way over to the field for our second day full of concerts. Coming into this weekend, Saturday's lineup was the most exciting for me. First up were Punch Brothers. No genre of music has grown on me quite as much as Bluegrass has over the last year. With bands like Avett Brothers, Frontier Ruckus, and Mumford & Sons moving steadily into the mainstream, it seems like Bluegrass is finding a niche in today's music fan's rotation. Chris Thile of Punch Brothers should be seen as one of the main reasons for Bluegrass' rise in popularity. The former Nickel Creek mandolinist has been playing music since he was five. At the age of 12 he won the national mandolin championship! In one form or another, Christ Thile has been a part of this movement of bluegrass music for nearly 20 years. Saturday's performance showed just how talented Thile and the rest of Punch Brothers really were. The audience was quite sparse as most concert goers were claiming spots for the upcoming Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds acoustic set. This made it easy for us to grab a good spot. The Punch Brothers put on a great set, strumming their way through a raucous set, the highlight of which was closer and fan favorite Rye Whiskey! Amongst all the music from this weekend, it's been this song that's been stuck in my head most often. Punch Brothers were a great way to start a solid day two.
Next up was likely the most widely anticipated daytime set of the weekend, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds' acoustic set. Since we took in Punch Brothers first, we didn't have much of a shot at claiming a decent spot for Dave and Tim. So we set up or blanket (best purchase of the weekend) on the outskirts of the crowd to just take in the music. I went to my first Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds concert last summer, and they blew away the crowed with 30 songs all done perfectly. Dave Matthews has always been known to say off the wall and ridiculous things at his concerts, but in an acoustic setting his stories are hilarious and more personal. While the set was short, it was very well done. The majority of Dave Matthews fans haven't seen him play in a setting such as this, as he only does it every so often, however, I think it's an amazing idea to have this as part of the Caravan experience. One of the greatest things about seeing Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds live, is Tim Reynolds' utterly first class guitar playing skills. The man can make so many different noises at one time using just his guitar. It's unreal. His solo performance of "Betrayal" was my favorite song of the set. Additionally, the duo played "So Damn Lucky" as the encore. The end of "So Damn Lucky" with the repeating rift played by Tim and Dave Matthews repeated "round and round" makes for a great finish. I think this performance was highlight of the weekend for many folks.
As Dave and Tim ended we headed over to the Pacific stage to watch Lisa Hannigan. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I'm just a little in love with Lisa Hannigan. I enjoyed her work with Damien Rice and now she is doing more than alright on her own. Also, I think she's adorable and has an angelic voice.... sigh. Anyway, I've seen Lisa Hannigan play before, and I could wait to see her play again. She seemed so composed and so thankful to the crowd that came out to see her. Favorite songs included "I Don't Know", "Venn Diagram", and her new song "Passenger." I think Lisa Hannigan is absolutely beautiful, but all kidding aside, she's a great performer is incredibly appreciative of her fans. If you haven't checked out her music yet, you really should. You're missing out.
Guster performed next. Guster is one of my friend Jan's favorite bands, so I was really glad they were along for the Caravan. Jan was an awesome sport about seeing some bands she had never heard, so it was about time there was a band she was psyched for. I had never seen Guster live before, but they drew a great crowd. Among the songs played was Jan's favorite "I Spy" as well as "Demons".
After Guster it was time for dinner which included absolutely the worst fish tacos I've ever had and a decent piece of pizza. We also watched log rolling at the Dos Equis tent. It's extremely entertaining to watch drunk people fall off the log. I could have stayed for hours. While we were laughing and trying to enjoy dinner we missed Damien Marley, but his set was extremely popular with Shane, Teresa, and Kati. I didn't hear much of it, but they had nothing but great things to say about his performance.
Night two of Dave Matthews Band just improved on an already solid night one. For me, this show was all about rare songs and guest performances. "Write a Song" a track that didn't make it onto Big Whiskey and the Gru Grux King made an appearance. Probably the biggest surprise of the night was the return of "Break Free" which hadn't been performed since 2006. "Break Free" like many Dave Matthews Band songs was never released on a studio album. It was one of my favorite songs that debuted in 2006, and has one of my favorite choruses of any Dave Matthews Band song, which says a lot.
About midway through the set Dave Matthews invited South African vocalist Vusi Mahlasela for a performance of "Everyday". Mahlasela actually contributed his voice to the studio recording of "Everyday" as well. Vusi Mahlasela has guested with Dave Matthews Band only five times. Through some stroke of good luck, I've happened to see him guest three times. He adds an element to a song, that without him isn't one of my favorites.
Two songs later came my favorite performance of the night. Yet again, Dave Matthews invited a guest on stage, this time Warren Haynes. Warren Haynes is part of The Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule. He's also been known to play a few good riffs on the electic guitar. Haynes performed on "#41" Saturday night, which is already in my list of favorite songs of all time. "#41" is known for it's extended outro full of instrumental solos. This performance included an electrifying solo by Haynes followed by him and Tim Reynolds trading riffs back and forth. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the crowd who didn't enjoy this performance. As if the night couldn't get any better, it was followed by "Blackjack", a song that made it's debut late in last year's tour that is becoming a crowd favorite.
The final song of Saturday night was an epic version of "Two Step". "Two Step" has always been a go-to closer for the band, but this performance was special. His conga drums throughout the song, paired with Carter Beauford tearing it up through the end of the song made this performance one to remember.
Two days down. Some outstanding bands, fun times, along with surprises and guest appearances... and there was still more of the same to come on Sunday.
After grabbing lunch and walking around Atlantic City's shopping district, Jan and I made our way over to the field for our second day full of concerts. Coming into this weekend, Saturday's lineup was the most exciting for me. First up were Punch Brothers. No genre of music has grown on me quite as much as Bluegrass has over the last year. With bands like Avett Brothers, Frontier Ruckus, and Mumford & Sons moving steadily into the mainstream, it seems like Bluegrass is finding a niche in today's music fan's rotation. Chris Thile of Punch Brothers should be seen as one of the main reasons for Bluegrass' rise in popularity. The former Nickel Creek mandolinist has been playing music since he was five. At the age of 12 he won the national mandolin championship! In one form or another, Christ Thile has been a part of this movement of bluegrass music for nearly 20 years. Saturday's performance showed just how talented Thile and the rest of Punch Brothers really were. The audience was quite sparse as most concert goers were claiming spots for the upcoming Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds acoustic set. This made it easy for us to grab a good spot. The Punch Brothers put on a great set, strumming their way through a raucous set, the highlight of which was closer and fan favorite Rye Whiskey! Amongst all the music from this weekend, it's been this song that's been stuck in my head most often. Punch Brothers were a great way to start a solid day two.
Next up was likely the most widely anticipated daytime set of the weekend, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds' acoustic set. Since we took in Punch Brothers first, we didn't have much of a shot at claiming a decent spot for Dave and Tim. So we set up or blanket (best purchase of the weekend) on the outskirts of the crowd to just take in the music. I went to my first Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds concert last summer, and they blew away the crowed with 30 songs all done perfectly. Dave Matthews has always been known to say off the wall and ridiculous things at his concerts, but in an acoustic setting his stories are hilarious and more personal. While the set was short, it was very well done. The majority of Dave Matthews fans haven't seen him play in a setting such as this, as he only does it every so often, however, I think it's an amazing idea to have this as part of the Caravan experience. One of the greatest things about seeing Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds live, is Tim Reynolds' utterly first class guitar playing skills. The man can make so many different noises at one time using just his guitar. It's unreal. His solo performance of "Betrayal" was my favorite song of the set. Additionally, the duo played "So Damn Lucky" as the encore. The end of "So Damn Lucky" with the repeating rift played by Tim and Dave Matthews repeated "round and round" makes for a great finish. I think this performance was highlight of the weekend for many folks.
As Dave and Tim ended we headed over to the Pacific stage to watch Lisa Hannigan. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I'm just a little in love with Lisa Hannigan. I enjoyed her work with Damien Rice and now she is doing more than alright on her own. Also, I think she's adorable and has an angelic voice.... sigh. Anyway, I've seen Lisa Hannigan play before, and I could wait to see her play again. She seemed so composed and so thankful to the crowd that came out to see her. Favorite songs included "I Don't Know", "Venn Diagram", and her new song "Passenger." I think Lisa Hannigan is absolutely beautiful, but all kidding aside, she's a great performer is incredibly appreciative of her fans. If you haven't checked out her music yet, you really should. You're missing out.
Guster performed next. Guster is one of my friend Jan's favorite bands, so I was really glad they were along for the Caravan. Jan was an awesome sport about seeing some bands she had never heard, so it was about time there was a band she was psyched for. I had never seen Guster live before, but they drew a great crowd. Among the songs played was Jan's favorite "I Spy" as well as "Demons".
After Guster it was time for dinner which included absolutely the worst fish tacos I've ever had and a decent piece of pizza. We also watched log rolling at the Dos Equis tent. It's extremely entertaining to watch drunk people fall off the log. I could have stayed for hours. While we were laughing and trying to enjoy dinner we missed Damien Marley, but his set was extremely popular with Shane, Teresa, and Kati. I didn't hear much of it, but they had nothing but great things to say about his performance.
Night two of Dave Matthews Band just improved on an already solid night one. For me, this show was all about rare songs and guest performances. "Write a Song" a track that didn't make it onto Big Whiskey and the Gru Grux King made an appearance. Probably the biggest surprise of the night was the return of "Break Free" which hadn't been performed since 2006. "Break Free" like many Dave Matthews Band songs was never released on a studio album. It was one of my favorite songs that debuted in 2006, and has one of my favorite choruses of any Dave Matthews Band song, which says a lot.
About midway through the set Dave Matthews invited South African vocalist Vusi Mahlasela for a performance of "Everyday". Mahlasela actually contributed his voice to the studio recording of "Everyday" as well. Vusi Mahlasela has guested with Dave Matthews Band only five times. Through some stroke of good luck, I've happened to see him guest three times. He adds an element to a song, that without him isn't one of my favorites.
Two songs later came my favorite performance of the night. Yet again, Dave Matthews invited a guest on stage, this time Warren Haynes. Warren Haynes is part of The Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule. He's also been known to play a few good riffs on the electic guitar. Haynes performed on "#41" Saturday night, which is already in my list of favorite songs of all time. "#41" is known for it's extended outro full of instrumental solos. This performance included an electrifying solo by Haynes followed by him and Tim Reynolds trading riffs back and forth. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the crowd who didn't enjoy this performance. As if the night couldn't get any better, it was followed by "Blackjack", a song that made it's debut late in last year's tour that is becoming a crowd favorite.
The final song of Saturday night was an epic version of "Two Step". "Two Step" has always been a go-to closer for the band, but this performance was special. His conga drums throughout the song, paired with Carter Beauford tearing it up through the end of the song made this performance one to remember.
Two days down. Some outstanding bands, fun times, along with surprises and guest appearances... and there was still more of the same to come on Sunday.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Concert Review: DMB Caravan- Night 1 @ Bader Field, Atlantic City, NJ- 6.24.2011
Just got back from Atlantic City. I'm exhausted, musically satisfied, and still a little bit dirty. To review all three days in one post, would make for a review that rivals the length of an epic novel. Therefore, I decided to review each day on it's own.
It's always fun to enjoy music in a new venue, especially when that venue lies far from home. Let me say this about Atlantic City, it makes sense as a host city for a music festival. There's casinos, shopping, and the beach to keep concert goers busy before and after the music. That being said, overall I was disappointed in the city. They seemed prepared. Police were out in full force to accommodate the massive amounts of pedestrian traffic. However, it seems that the city is in a depressed state. As a former Buffalonian, I can certainly sympathize. As this is the first event of this nature at Atlantic City's Bader Field, hopefully it brings similar events in the future that will help this city clean itself up and get back on it's feet.
Bader Field mirrored Atlantic City. It makes sense as a festival venue. I praise Atlantic City for using the space for something positive, as it had been an abandoned air field. The sound, considering there were three stages, was very well done. If you were there to see one band, you could not hear the others. The vendors and bathrooms were well spread out and not terribly over crowded. Brita had free water refill stations, which is a brilliant idea. However, there could have been more, as these had the longest lines throughout the weekend. The food and beverages were very overpriced, but really who's surprised by that. It was clear that a lot of work went into getting Bader Field prepared to hold the event. One of the steps necessary for getting the Field ready was burning the overgrown fields. The results contributed to a dirty, gritty, sand-like dirt that ended up everywhere. If you're going to a three day music event you shouldn't really expect to come up Scott clean, but for future events Bader Field may benefit from some freshly grown grass to cut down on the dirt.
On to the music (finally)! We arrived at the field Friday in time to catch the last part of G. Love & Special Sauce's set. He had the gathering crowd on their feet dancing, and was a great way to get the weekend started. At 5pm on Friday I headed to the Atlantic Stage for what was one of my favorite sets of the whole weekend, The Head and the Heart. I've been looking forward to hearing this band since if first heard them earlier this year. They didn't disappoint. The band had a whole lot of energy as they played favorites "Sounds Like Hallelujah", "Rivers and Roads", "Down In the Valley", and "Lost In My Mind" off their self titled album. I can see this band picking up quite a following as they continue touring the country. Teresa and I decided that we'll both be in attendance the next time The Head and the Heart is in the DC area. Of all the bands I saw live for the first time this weekend, they were my favorite!
Next up was Ray LaMontagne. I've seen Ray LaMontagne play live four times previous to this weekend, and each time he gets better and better. His music itself is outstanding as the lyrics are heartfelt, and no one has a voice quite like Ray LaMontagne's. Ray LaMontagne is notoriously shy and reserved. Early on it effected his performances. Not anymore. Ray LaMontagne has found his stage presence. What's ironic about seeing Ray LaMontagne is that most of his songs are quite and laid back, and while he does an outstanding job with these songs live, it's his feet stomping, harmonica wailing, raucous performance of "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's A Shame)" that blows me away every time. This song is what music is all about. From most everyone I attended Caravan with, this was among our favorite song performances. You can be looking for it be featured on the blog in the future.
After Ray LaMontagne, I headed back to Atlantic stage to watch Flaming Lips. This was the performance I was most curious about before the weekend. Flaming Lips has a reputation for having crazy, psychedelic concerts. On stage with the Flaming Lips were a group of girls dressed like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. There were giant balloons floating through the crowd. Most of the set consisted of songs from Flaming Lips album of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. During "Money" they launched huge balloons of money into the crowd. The set also consisted of songs from Wizard of Oz. Truthfully, and I hate saying this, but I think I would have enjoyed The Flaming Lips a lot more if I was a bit more drunk. I just wasn't into it. Part of it could have to do with the crowd who largely were under some kind of influence.
After Flaming Lips came the main attraction, Dave Matthews Band. I did have to miss the first part of the set. My good friend Jan had quite the adventure just getting to Atlantic City and unfortunately forgot her ticket back at the hotel, so we made a quick trip back and missed the first few songs. We made it back in time to hear "Corn Bread", a sure fire way to get a crowd into a concert. Now, I've seen Dave Matthews upwards of twenty times prior to this weekend, so my review can probably go on forever, but I'll just hit the highlights. The first highlight for me was "Jimi Thing" featuring David Ryan Harris who had played earlier in the day on electric guitar. Between him, Jeff Coffin on Sax, and Rashawn Ross on trumpet, this song was outrageous. Their solos carried the song to a new level.
Two songs after an outstanding "Jimi Thing" the band played "Buena" by Morphine, which was the first of three covers on night one. Dave Matthews Band always pulls out surprises, and this was certainly one of them. Next the band played a crowd favorite and fairly rare song "Shotgun". "Shotgun" is one of those songs that is has a really sad and depressing but has so much emotion that it connects to nearly everyone that hears it.
The final highlights came during the four-song encore. My favorite of the entire night was a Dave Matthews solo performance of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale". It was an absolutely beautiful rendition of a song I was unfamiliar with, and I can't wait to somehow get my hands on the version of this performance. The crowd was in a near hush to take in the beautiful lyrics and Dave's lone voice.
After a "Stay or Leave" and a powerful "Grey Street" the night ended with a third and final cover, "Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times". All three covers on night one were phenomenal. It never fails to impress me how this band can take songs from other bands and make them their own. This was a tremendous way to end the first night of shows.
Overall, day one was a huge success, but just a precursor to the excitement to come the next two days. Come back tomorrow for day two of DMB Caravan!
It's always fun to enjoy music in a new venue, especially when that venue lies far from home. Let me say this about Atlantic City, it makes sense as a host city for a music festival. There's casinos, shopping, and the beach to keep concert goers busy before and after the music. That being said, overall I was disappointed in the city. They seemed prepared. Police were out in full force to accommodate the massive amounts of pedestrian traffic. However, it seems that the city is in a depressed state. As a former Buffalonian, I can certainly sympathize. As this is the first event of this nature at Atlantic City's Bader Field, hopefully it brings similar events in the future that will help this city clean itself up and get back on it's feet.
Bader Field mirrored Atlantic City. It makes sense as a festival venue. I praise Atlantic City for using the space for something positive, as it had been an abandoned air field. The sound, considering there were three stages, was very well done. If you were there to see one band, you could not hear the others. The vendors and bathrooms were well spread out and not terribly over crowded. Brita had free water refill stations, which is a brilliant idea. However, there could have been more, as these had the longest lines throughout the weekend. The food and beverages were very overpriced, but really who's surprised by that. It was clear that a lot of work went into getting Bader Field prepared to hold the event. One of the steps necessary for getting the Field ready was burning the overgrown fields. The results contributed to a dirty, gritty, sand-like dirt that ended up everywhere. If you're going to a three day music event you shouldn't really expect to come up Scott clean, but for future events Bader Field may benefit from some freshly grown grass to cut down on the dirt.
On to the music (finally)! We arrived at the field Friday in time to catch the last part of G. Love & Special Sauce's set. He had the gathering crowd on their feet dancing, and was a great way to get the weekend started. At 5pm on Friday I headed to the Atlantic Stage for what was one of my favorite sets of the whole weekend, The Head and the Heart. I've been looking forward to hearing this band since if first heard them earlier this year. They didn't disappoint. The band had a whole lot of energy as they played favorites "Sounds Like Hallelujah", "Rivers and Roads", "Down In the Valley", and "Lost In My Mind" off their self titled album. I can see this band picking up quite a following as they continue touring the country. Teresa and I decided that we'll both be in attendance the next time The Head and the Heart is in the DC area. Of all the bands I saw live for the first time this weekend, they were my favorite!
Next up was Ray LaMontagne. I've seen Ray LaMontagne play live four times previous to this weekend, and each time he gets better and better. His music itself is outstanding as the lyrics are heartfelt, and no one has a voice quite like Ray LaMontagne's. Ray LaMontagne is notoriously shy and reserved. Early on it effected his performances. Not anymore. Ray LaMontagne has found his stage presence. What's ironic about seeing Ray LaMontagne is that most of his songs are quite and laid back, and while he does an outstanding job with these songs live, it's his feet stomping, harmonica wailing, raucous performance of "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's A Shame)" that blows me away every time. This song is what music is all about. From most everyone I attended Caravan with, this was among our favorite song performances. You can be looking for it be featured on the blog in the future.
After Ray LaMontagne, I headed back to Atlantic stage to watch Flaming Lips. This was the performance I was most curious about before the weekend. Flaming Lips has a reputation for having crazy, psychedelic concerts. On stage with the Flaming Lips were a group of girls dressed like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. There were giant balloons floating through the crowd. Most of the set consisted of songs from Flaming Lips album of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. During "Money" they launched huge balloons of money into the crowd. The set also consisted of songs from Wizard of Oz. Truthfully, and I hate saying this, but I think I would have enjoyed The Flaming Lips a lot more if I was a bit more drunk. I just wasn't into it. Part of it could have to do with the crowd who largely were under some kind of influence.
After Flaming Lips came the main attraction, Dave Matthews Band. I did have to miss the first part of the set. My good friend Jan had quite the adventure just getting to Atlantic City and unfortunately forgot her ticket back at the hotel, so we made a quick trip back and missed the first few songs. We made it back in time to hear "Corn Bread", a sure fire way to get a crowd into a concert. Now, I've seen Dave Matthews upwards of twenty times prior to this weekend, so my review can probably go on forever, but I'll just hit the highlights. The first highlight for me was "Jimi Thing" featuring David Ryan Harris who had played earlier in the day on electric guitar. Between him, Jeff Coffin on Sax, and Rashawn Ross on trumpet, this song was outrageous. Their solos carried the song to a new level.
Two songs after an outstanding "Jimi Thing" the band played "Buena" by Morphine, which was the first of three covers on night one. Dave Matthews Band always pulls out surprises, and this was certainly one of them. Next the band played a crowd favorite and fairly rare song "Shotgun". "Shotgun" is one of those songs that is has a really sad and depressing but has so much emotion that it connects to nearly everyone that hears it.
The final highlights came during the four-song encore. My favorite of the entire night was a Dave Matthews solo performance of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale". It was an absolutely beautiful rendition of a song I was unfamiliar with, and I can't wait to somehow get my hands on the version of this performance. The crowd was in a near hush to take in the beautiful lyrics and Dave's lone voice.
After a "Stay or Leave" and a powerful "Grey Street" the night ended with a third and final cover, "Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times". All three covers on night one were phenomenal. It never fails to impress me how this band can take songs from other bands and make them their own. This was a tremendous way to end the first night of shows.
Overall, day one was a huge success, but just a precursor to the excitement to come the next two days. Come back tomorrow for day two of DMB Caravan!
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