The Evolution Of Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Warehouse’

By Andy Kahn Sep 6, 2020 2:13 pm PDT

When Dave Matthews Band played their first official show as part of a Middle East Children’s Alliance benefit on March 14, 1991 at Trax in Charlottesville, Virginia the group debuted seven original songs. The setlist that night featured “I’ll Back You Up” and “Cry Freedom,” which continued to be performed by the band, though less often in recent years. The other songs premiered at the first show became setlist staples: “Typical Situation,” “The Best of What’s Around,” “The Song That Jane Likes,” “Recently” and “Warehouse.”

Of all the songs debuted that night, according to DMBAlmanac.com, “Warehouse” has been played the most by DMB, currently at 829 performances. “Warehouse” has also made it into Dave Mathews solo setlists and performances by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.

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Regarding “Warehouse,” which appeared on the band’s 1994 debut album Under The Table And Dreaming, the DMBAlmanac states, “This song ranks near the top of the list in terms of all time fan favorites. It was played since the very beginning and has remained a highlight nearly every show it is played.”

There are dozens of videos of “Warehouse” available to view via the JamBase Live Video Archive (JBLVA). The earliest version currently in the database dates back to June 17, 1992, click below to watch:

ChesterCopperpot5 (See 598 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

“Warehouse” has continuously evolved over the years, as detailed by the DMBAlmanac. Take a journey through JBLVA to see and hear the evolution of “Warehouse,” guided by the DMBAlmanac’s entry for the song.

December 28, 1993 (Dave Solo)

DMBAlmanac: In the early days of 92-93, the song frequently featured a “Shortnin’ Bread” interpolation towards the end of the song.


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews (See 87 videos)

August 1, 1994

DMBAlmanac: After the summer of 1994, the last verse evolved beyond the mere repetition of “That’s my blood down there.”


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ChesterCopperpot5 (See 598 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)
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October 10, 1996

DMBAlmanac: Starting in 1995, a stop-time intro began to occasionally be played during full-band versions. After 1996, every full band performance of this song has included a stop-time intro.


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

February 19, 1999 (Dave & Tim)

DMBAlmanac: Dave and Tim versions have continued to contain the original intro, as well as a “Passion” intro where Dave interpolates the vocals from Peter Gabriel’s song “Passion.”


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds (See 230 videos)
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July 17, 1999

DMBAlmanac: This song has also been featured as a fake, in which the “Warehouse” intro is played several times before the band goes directly into “Ants Marching.”


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

August 2, 2000

DMBAlmanac: In 1999, fans from the original nancies mailing list began organizing to chant “Woo!” during the stop-time intro. By the summer of 2000, the “Woos” caught on and are now a standard crowd chant at the start of every “Warehouse.”


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

July 30, 2003

DMBAlmanac: Starting in 2003, the jam evolved into what has come to be known as the ‘salsa jam’ outro with a more celebratory ‘salsa’ vibe.


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Dave Matthews Band (See 211 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

August 15, 2009

DMBAlmanac: In 2007, the band began playing what we call a “UTTAD-style intro,” [Under The Table And Dreaming] where Dave sang an intro verse similar to the one found on the song’s studio cut. Since the chords Dave played during this intro are the same ones he plays during the Passion intro, some have also labeled this intro as “Passion;” however, this intro is completely unrelated to the Peter Gabriel song and is therefore distinct from the “Passion” intro.


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Copperpot-OEW5 (See 140 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)

Juy 14, 2010

DMBAlmanac: In 2010, the band began playing the intro exactly as it appears on the album, which we have labeled “UTTAD intro.”


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Dave Matthews Band (See 211 videos)
Dave Matthews Band (See 1,115 videos)
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