|
By: Brian Heisler
Dave Matthews Band :: 11.30.05 :: Assembly Hall :: Champaign, IL
Dave Matthews Band |
It's that time of year again - the holiday season, which in turn, means the second big touring session for Dave Matthews Band. And while each year we seem to count down the days to New Year's Eve, what we have come to expect with DMB over its 14 years of evolving has put a new turn on those long-awaited nights. It has been seven years since the band began touring with a large repertoire of fresh material (Before These Crowded Streets, April 1998) and we were given a hint of things to come.
The vibe before the show still looms, but it might be the best part these days. Crazed screaming filled the uniquely round room of Assembly Hall, always a great place to catch a large concert. Taking a few minutes to get situated on stage and to reunite themselves with the Illinois crowd, the warm smiles of these old friends stared as if to say, "It's good to see you again too." The first note of show opener, "What Would You Say?," lit up the stadium, announcing the full, familiar sound of DMB. After seeing them the previous night in Madison, I knew I was in for a less than impressive gig when the opener was a repeat from the Madison setlist. In fact, eight songs were repeated from Madison to Champaign, an uncharacteristic feat from a band that had once strived to create a unique experience every show. Leaving out the segues these days, the several minutes between songs were again filled with cheers as the band ran through three more sweet old tunes, "#41," "Grey Street," and "Seek Up," with the new-school "Everyday outro" on "#41" and the only actual old-school "jam" on "Seek Up."
Dave Matthews by Jeffrey V. Smith |
Far and away the highlight of the night was the ten-minute-plus jam found in "Seek Up," but one wouldn't know it by watching the crowd. The mind-blowing musicianship of the quintet (plus Butch Taylor) was given the chance to peek its head out as Leroi Moore took his classic statue stance with his sax, complete with the usual shades, and delivered the solo performance that granted them the stage 14 years ago. Becoming somewhat of a legendary drummer, Carter Beauford was given time to shine as always, but what was once a seamless night of musicianship has become more of a wait to hear popular songs engagement. "Stand Up" was the first song of the night from the latest album. A usually quiet Stefan Lessard on bass seemed to pour possibly a little more passion into the new songs as he rocked from left to right. It is clear that the band enjoys performing the new material, which helps the mood when the crowd of more than 20,000 has difficulty coming up with lyrics.
The sound of "Crash (Into Me)" opened up the screaming once again, as well as eye-rolling for those who were not within arm's reach of a significant other. The set closer of "Stay (Wasting Time)" was a breath of fresh air in its first appearance of the tour and is always an appeasing cliché to end a set. After the band's signature extended wait for the encore, the festive season brought out the fan favorite "Christmas Song" with Carter and Stefan subtly backing-up Dave's story to the audience. Yet the excitement of the great song seems to lose its luster as it is predictably repeated for eight nights and counting, including back-to-back Madison Square Garden shows. Likewise, the Champaign crowd was treated to the original DMB closer of "Ants Marching," which has again become a consistent piece of the winter setlists. Nonetheless, what we have come to expect at DMB shows has certainly changed over the years. Many concertgoers have decided to forego this new side, while some of us have tried to change with the band and to get our seasonal fix of our old friends with new ambitions.
JamBase | Champaign
Go See Live Music!
|
