So Damn Lucky: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Return To Irving Plaza

Images by: Adam McCullough

Words by: Scott Bernstein

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds :: 1/28/2018
Citi Sound Vault @ Irving Plaza :: New York City

The 60th annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City and the return of the music industry’s most prestigious night to the Big Apple led to a number of events surrounding the ceremony itself. Irving Plaza is an NYC venue owned by the Polish Army Veterans Association of America that hosted the future Pope John Paul II in 1976 two years ahead of its turn into a 1,025-capacity club. Over the course of January 24 – 28, Citi and Live Nation teamed up to bring acts that could fill huge venues to Irving Plaza for a series of intimate Sound Vault concerts. The Citi Sound Vault series came to a close on Sunday night with a performance from guitarists Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.

Dave and Tim focused on Matthews’ most well-known songs during a 25-song concert that took place at Irving Plaza while the Grammys were given out about one mile north at MSG. The duo had last performed at the venue way back on November 7, 1994; which was Matthews’ most recent concert at Irving Plaza following four Dave Matthews Band concerts played between a set opening for The Samples on April 21, 1993 and a show focusing on material from Under The Table And Dreaming that took place on July 28, 1994 – nearly two months to the day before DMB’s breakthrough LP was released.

While, as previously mentioned, Matthews and Reynolds filled the set with fan favorites, there were a few exceptions including the opener. Dave Matthews debuted “Do You Remember” on September 16, 2017 at Farm Aid in Burgettstown. The song dates back to an improvisation before “Why I Am” played by Dave in Hartford on May 25, 2012. Matthews started the show by his lonesome with just the third rendition of “Do You Remember” and then treated the small audience to the traditional “Rye Whiskey,” a song most associated with Pete Seeger.

Reynolds emerged to huge applause from the rambunctious audience. Dave and Tim jammed a bit before lighting into a “Warehouse” that saw many in the crowd sing “Louie, Louie” – an interpolation often played during DMB live versions of the Under The Table & Dreaming classic. The energy remained high with a frenetic “Grey Street” before Dave and Tim took it down a notch with “Trouble” from Matthews’ Dave & Friends days. “Trouble” had disappeared from Matthews’ repertoire after 2006 until the pair busted it out earlier this month at their Riviera Maya destination event.

“Two Step” was one of the improvisational highlights of the night thanks to Reynolds’ slick and incredibly fast riffing during a lengthy solo. Next up was “Samurai Cop,” a song debuted by the DMB at the band’s 20th anniversary hometown concert in 2016. “Samurai Cop” fit nicely within the set and is well on its way to joining the list of Dave classics. The always intense “Don’t Drink The Water” led into the first of the evening’s two Tim Reynolds solo numbers. From there, “Lying In The Hands Of God” gave way to the show’s other jam-heavy tune – “Lie In Our Graves.” Dave and Tim took the jam “out there” before ending “Lie In Our Graves.”

Dave discussed how he had arrived in New York City after a hiking trip in his native country of South Africa. Matthews admitted he was tired but noted it was “a good kind of tired,” though his energy was lower and the banter was more infrequent than at his recent Radio City Music Hall set. While the crowd belted out nearly every song along with the guitarists, the audience was so loud during “Satellite” it was hard to hear what Dave and Tim were playing. “Save Me,” another stand out from the Dave & Friends days, came next along with a standout rendition of “Crush” and Tim’s second and final solo number of the concert.

Sunday’s main set ended with “So Damn Lucky,” one of the best tracks from Matthews’ 2003 solo debut, and then five fan favorites. “#41” was followed by “Tripping Billies” and both songs featured the talents of Ben Golder-Novick, a.k.a Brooklyn-based musician and frequent Dave collaborator Ben The Sax Guy. The guitarists then took it down a notch with the tender “The Space Between” before setting the crowd ablaze with “What Would You Say” and “Dancing Nancies.” If Dave and Tim left after the “Cornbread” encore, fans would have left well satiated, but there were two more encores in store. Matthews and Reynolds pulled from their mid ’90s output for a second encore of “Ants Marching” and “Crash Into Me.” Dave made sure the crowd gave it up for Tim before Matthews returned with an electric guitar for a third encore and finale of “Some Devil,” the title track and the concert’s fourth song off his 2003 solo debut.

Only a little over 1,000 music fans witnessed Dave and Tim’s return to Irving Plaza. While the Grammys may have stolen the spotlight, those in attendance at Irving Plaza witnessed a wonderful concert from a pair of world-class musicians. Matthews and Reynolds spent most of Dave Matthews Band’ late 2016 – early 2018 hiatus focusing on acoustic duo shows, yet for now Sunday’s show stands as the last scheduled Dave and Tim concert. The Dave Matthews Band dips its proverbial toes into the water with a Saturday night show in St. Paul, Minnesota. DMB then hits the road for real starting near Houston on May 18 and will continue the tour through early September.

Photos by Adam McCullough

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Full Show Video (Captured by tambourineDMB)

Setlist

Set: Do You Remember*, Rye Whiskey*, Warehouse, Grey Street, Trouble, Two Step, Samurai Cop, Don’t Drink The Water, Tim Solo Song #1, Lying In The Hands Of God, Lie In Our Graves, Satellite, Save Me, Crush, Tim Solo Song #2, So Damn Lucky, #41**, Tripping Billies**, The Space Between, What Would You Say, Dancing Nancies

Encore1: Corn Bread

Encore2: Ants Marching, Crash Into Me

Encore3: Some Devil

* – Dave Solo, ** – w/ Ben The Sax Guy (Ben Golder-Novick) on saxophone