Dave Matthews Band Loads Tour Opener In Las Vegas With Cover Debuts

Dave Matthews Band started what is gearing up to be a busy 2024 on Friday night in Las Vegas with a concert at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The septet went heavy on fan favorites and debut covers of classic rock songs in Sin City.

The group kicked off their 20-song performance with “Virginia In The Rain” off their 2018 LP Come Tomorrow. After performing “Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)” from 2005’s Stand Up, DMB paired “Madman’s Eyes” and “Looking For A Vein.” Both tunes are featured on the seven-piece’s latest album, 2023’s Walk Around The Moon. The beloved “Satellite” then led into the Dave Matthews Band’s first version of “Will It Go Round In Circles.” Billy Preston’s 1973 smash was previously performed by Dave Matthews & Friends seven times between 2003 and 2006.

Next up was “Spaceman” ahead of a “The Last Stop” that bled into a partial rendition of “Immigrant Song.” The “Last Stop”/”Immigrant Song” sequence was initially pulled off at Madison Square Garden on November 18, 2023. Friday’s second cover debut came a few songs later when Dave Matthews Band put on their red shoes and romped through the David Bowie 1983 chart-topper “Let’s Dance.” Guitarist Tim Reynolds shined on the premiere by working powerful riffs and solos into the cover.

The rest of Dave Matthews Band’s 2024 tour opener was packed with such fan-favorites as “Grey Street,” “Space Between,” “Jimi Thing” and “Warehouse.” Oldie “Jimi Thing” frequently spawns other songs towards the end and in Las Vegas the band selected ZZ Top’s “Cheap Sunglasses,” yet another debut. DMB paused for a moment in between songs before Matthews helmed the Texas-based trio’s 1979 hit. “Warehouse” wrapped the main set complete with a wild intro and jam on the Kingsmen-popularized “Louie Louie.”

Dave Matthews took the stage by himself to start the encore on Friday. Matthews let Hazel Dickens’ “Pretty Bird” fly for the first time at a DMB concert as he previously played the song a handful of times during Dave & Tim shows in 2017 and 2018. “Pretty Bird” was dusted off during the duo’s recent destination event in Cancún, Mexico on February 18, 2024. Dave Matthews’ bandmates returned for the evening’s “Dancing Nancies” finale.

Watch more audience-captured video from DMB’s 2024 tour opener in Vegas below:

Dave Matthews Band will soon embark on their first tour of Europe in five years. The trek begins in Amsterdam on April 2 and runs through May 5. An extensive North American tour follows starting on May 22 in Tampa.

Setlist (via DMBAlmanac.com)

Set: Virginia in the Rain, Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back), Madman’s Eyes, Looking for a Vein, Satellite » Will It Go Round in Circles*, Spaceman, The Last Stop » Immigrant Song [partial], Lover Lay Down, Straight Shot, Let’s Dance**, Grey Street, The Space Between, Jimi Thing » Cheap Sunglasses^, Gravedigger, Why I Am, Warehouse

Encore: Pretty Bird^^, Dancing Nancies

• * – First Time Played (Billy Preston)
• ** – First Time Played (David Bowie)
• ^ – First Time Played (ZZ Top)
• ^^ – Dave Solo, First Time Played (Hazel Dickens)