![]() The whole thing culminated in a garish, comically over-the-top cover of "All Along the Watchtower," which included some embarrassingly on-the-nose flourishes (like some "mwah-ha-ha" laughter after the line "life is but a joke"). They're still a party band, and the show had all of the elements you'd expect from a raging kegger: "Crush" was like a sloppy make-out with an ex "Funny the Way It Is" offered the stoner philosophizing of the dude on a "we live in a society" rant and "What Would You Say" was the drunken group sing-along. The evening's upbeat mood proved that, despite some lineup changes over the years - founding saxophonist Leroi Moore died in 2008, and violinist Boyd Tinsley was ejected in 2018 amidst sexual misconduct allegations - DMB's modus operandi has stayed much the same. The frontman didn't say much, but his mumbling thank-yous were greeted with enthusiasm from the faithful. ![]() Yet even when the songs disappointed, the band performed them with gusto: ever-smiling drummer Carter Beauford doled out fist-bumps between tunes, keyboardist Buddy Strong duetted with the crowd on "Everyday" (which was mashed up with fan fave "#36"), and Matthews performed his signature bow-legged dance moves at every opportunity. The schmaltzy acoustic ballad "Sister" sucked the life out of the audience, and a woman sitting in front of me began watching Ellen videos during the ponderous "Seek Up." The night included just one song apiece from DMB's definitive mid-'90s albums Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash. Early career highlight "Recently" was a joyful mix of sunny riffs and hiccup-y, yodelling declarations of love.īut the set list began to drag as the nearly three-hour performance wore on. A scorching version of "You Might Die Trying" blew its studio counterpart out of the water, with duelling horns and a technically masterful shred solo from guitarist Tim Reynolds, while "Do You Remember" was a sweetly nostalgic pop tune on a night dominated by jazz-rock jams. Sometimes, this approach yielded surprising treasures. ![]() This peculiar opener set the tone for a bizarrely paced performance it was as if DMB had put their entire discography on shuffle, pulling out deep cuts without the slight regard for "playing the hits." It was an unassuming start that built to a giddy crescendo, complete with funky jamming and Matthews' falsetto howls. With the sun setting over the Budweiser Stage, the seven-piece arrived unceremoniously, milling around with their instruments before easing into the "That Girl Is You" from last year's Come Tomorrow. The vibe was cargo shorts, vocal scatting and deeply earnest revelry. Between a prominent song placement in Lady Bird and an art-damaged tribute album by Ryley Walker, Dave Matthews Band have undergone something of a reappraisal in the last couple years.ĭespite the band's sudden cool-adjacent status, their latest Toronto show didn't offer even the faintest trace of hipster detachment or self-aware irony.
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