Dave Matthews Goes Solo For Intimate SiriusXM Concert In New York City

Dave Matthews Band frontman Dave Matthews played a rare solo show last night at the cozy confines of New York City nightclub Irving Plaza. The Dave Matthews: Live & Acoustic concert put on by SiriusXM and broadcast live on Dave Matthews Band Radio saw Matthews perform 18 songs over nearly two hours.

Matthews is no stranger to Irving Plaza having brought DMB to the 1,200-capacity venue four times between April 21, 1993 and July 28, 1994 before graduating to bigger rooms. He also played a Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds show at the club on November 7, 1994 and returned with Reynolds on January 28, 2018 for the Citi Sound Vault series. Matthews discussed how Irving Plaza appeared “huge” back in the day and noted a number of improvements that have been made since his last visit.

Dave’s show came in celebration of Walk Around The Moon, a studio released by Dave Matthews Band on May 19. The 56-year-old musician played five of the LP’s 12 tracks last night at Irving Plaza.

“Monsters” sounded particularly good in the solo format, while “Break Free” thrived from Matthews utilizing his baritone guitar and “Walk Around The Moon” took on new meaning after Dave revealed its psychedelic origins. Both the latter and “Looking For A Vein” had never been performed by Dave solo before last night. “Something To Tell My Baby” was the fifth Walk Around The Moon tune featured in Wednesday’s setlist.

On Wednesday morning Dave Matthews appeared on The Howard Stern Show. His first visit to the SiriusXM program since making his Stern Show debut in 2018 made it a long day for Matthews. Dave noted multiple times how tired he was. Thankfully his fatigue didn’t come through in his performance.

The Johannesburg, South Africa-native, who was introduced by SiriusXM’s Ari Fink and comedian Nikki Glaser, also went heavy on songs from his lone solo album. 2003’s Some Devil was represented by the “So Damn Lucky” opener, “Save Me,” “Gravedigger,” “Stay Or Leave” and its title track, which kicked off the evening’s three-song encore. Additionally, Matthews fit in plenty of classics including “#41,” “Grey Street,” “Crush” and a set-closing “Don’t Drink The Water.”

The biggest surprise came halfway through the main set when Matthews trotted out “Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back),” a song DMB has yet to play this summer. Dave transitioned into his first-ever solo version of Before These Crowded Streets gem “Pantala Naga Pampa.” The crowd was attentive at times and unbelievably chatty at others. Free laminates were distributed at the beginning of the show and audience members walked away with a free poster.

Dave Matthews followed “Some Devil” with the beloved fan-favorites “Crash Into Me” and “Dancing Nancies” to wrap up the night. Matthews revealed he “mischaracterized” “Crash Into Me” just because he “felt like it,” noting it was a “straight up love song” when he wrote it. Other “DaveSpeak” included in last night’s festivities were Matthews talking about getting high at Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Concerts, the smoky skies thanks to Canadian wildfires and how much he enjoyed chatting with Howard Stern.

Matthews will stick around in the Big Apple as Dave Matthews Band makes their Forest Hills Stadium debut tomorrow, Friday, June 9. Tune in to SiriusXM’s Dave Matthews Band Radio for a live broadcast as part of the Friday Night Concert Series.

Setlist (via DMBAlmanac.com)

Set: So Damn Lucky, Looking for a Vein, Save Me, #41, Walk Around the Moon, Stay or Leave, Something to Tell My Baby, Grey Street, Monsters, Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back) » Pantala Naga Pampa, Gravedigger, Break Free, Funny How Time Slips Away, Crush, Don’t Drink the Water

Encore: Some Devil, Crash Into Me, Dancing Nancies