Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Sweet Up & Down’ Comes Back Around In New Hampshire

Dave Matthews Band broke out a long-lost song for the second night in a row on Wednesday at BankNH Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire. One night after performing their first “If I Had It All” since 2019, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band rewarded fans with the return of “Sweet Up & Down.”

The latest bust-out in a summer full of liberations came towards the end of DMB’s main set on the second and final night of their stand at BankNH Pavilion. “Sweet Up & Down” was removed from the “Liberation List” maintained by fansite DMB Almanac, joining previously revived songs “If I Had It All,” “Come Tomorrow,” “Snow Outside,” “Kit Kat Jam,” “Cha Cha” and “Broken Things.”

Dave Matthews Band debuted “Sweet Up & Down” on June 19, 2000. While the frenetic rocker never made it onto a studio album, the song became a fan favorite. “Sweet Up & Down” has been played in waves by DMB, as it appeared frequently in 2000, 2007, 2010 and 2021 but only three times otherwise leading into last night.

The “Sweet Up & Down” performed in Gilford was the band’s first since May 21, 2022 — a span of 239 shows and 1,516 days. The extended absence showed little, if any, effect on the performance.

Watch Dave Matthews Band bring back “Sweet Up & Down” in Gilford courtesy of Concertvids34 and taper Jason Johnson:

Earlier in the night, Dave Matthews Band continued a run of different openers each show of the now 21-show-old tour by kicking off the evening with “The Stone.” The septet stacked the rest of their main set with a bevy of classics, including “Satellite,” “Everyday,” “Where Are You Going,” “Gravedigger,” “Crash Into Me” and “Best Of What’s Around.”

Frontman Dave Matthews has opened nearly every encore this summer with a solo performance. He broke from that pattern in Gilford by performing both “Peace On Earth” and “Kill The Preacher” alone before the full band returned for “Why I Am.”

Stream official audio of Dave Matthews Band’s second night in Gilford below with a nugs subscription:

Setlist (via DMBAlmanac.com)

Set: The Stone, The Last Stop, Satellite, Everyday, Where Are You Going, Cha Cha, When the World Ends, Gravedigger, Looking for a Vein, Dancing Nancies, Spaceman, Sledgehammer, Virginia in the Rain, Sweet Up and Down*, Crash Into Me, The Best of What’s Around, Lying in the Hands of God, American Baby

Encore: Peace on Earth^, Kill the Preacher^, Why I Am

• * – Last time played May 21, 2022
• ^ – Dave solo