The gospel according to Dave (Matthews, that is)

By Kevin Polowy
State Press Magazine

Now that the semester is almost two weeks old, we are finally free to move past the "How was your summer?" stage and onto bigger and better things. You all know what I'm talking about. What's the first thing you or anyone says after spotting an acquaintance on campus: "Hey, How was your summer?"

We can now abandon the small talk, sit down and share detailed accounts of all the fun and exciting things we did to pass time the past three months.

Okay, like most people, nothing that exciting happened to me this summer.

But ... on two separate occasions this past summer I did re-discover true bliss, or aural ecstasy, or maybe even temporary inner peace ... at a Dave Matthews Band show.

If you've never seen Dave and company live before, you probably cannot relate to the bold statement I'm about to make: The Dave Matthews Band is the best live act around.

If you've been to a DMB show then you know there is no sensation more enjoyable than watching and hearing the five-man crew jam for a couple of hours on a cool summer night. I had the pleasure of seeing my sixth and seventh DMB concerts this summer and was reassured that there is no comparable coterie of talented musicians like these guys.

I feel as though I've been enlightened ... and now I want to spread the gospel to my fellow students.

The typical Dave experience starts in the parking lot. Thousands tailgate -- drinking, eating and being merry in anticipation for the show. DMB usually has an entertaining opening act (this summer both The Roots and Santana opened select shows), but still many prefer to squeeze every last minute out of the tailgating party until Dave goes onstage.

DMB usually performs in amphitheaters (like Desert Sky Pavilion) but his recent growth in popularity has spawned consecutive sellouts in venues like Giants Stadium and Veterans Stadium.

Regardless of the venue, the atmosphere is almost always utopian (unless you're in Hartford, but I'll get to that in a minute). It's a peaceful setting where all are civil to one another -- and if you're lucky, sharing. You can kick back on the lawn (in amphitheaters) or move your butt to the music like there's no tomorrow.

One of the most amazing aspects of DMB shows is that you can follow the group for months and never see the same show twice. You don't know what songs to expect from DMB because they compose a sporadic set list shortly before they take the stage.

Concertgoers who don't know all of DMB's songs are sometimes disappointed if they don't play the more commercialized tunes like "Crash into Me" or "Crush." But it seems as though whether they play every radio hit they've had or not a single one, they always put on an incredible show.

Dave never fails to assemble a balanced mix of thunderous jams like "Tripping Billies" and mellow love ballads like "Say Goodbye." He'll play feel-good songs like "Two Step" and send political messages like in "Don't Drink the Water". He'll play tunes you've heard a million times like "Ants Marching" and songs you may have never heard before like "Angel from Montgomery."

On stage behind Dave is an unbelievable core of talented musicians. Drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley, saxophonist Leroi Moore and bassist Stefan Lessard round out Dave's melodic supporting cast. What fans that've only heard their albums and never attended a show miss out on is their ability to instrumentally jam for 10 to 15 minutes in a song like "Lie in Our Graves" in almost perfect harmony. Electric violinist Tinsley, who must be the most animated performer ever to play the fiddle, is probably the fan favorite.

Then there is the encore, which at almost every show ends with DMB's amazing version of "All Along the Watchtower" (yeah, the same song Dylan and Hendrix made), which makes an ideal finale to a perfect night.

It's too bad that some morons stuck in post-Woodstock hysteria decided to riot outside two Dave shows in Hartford at the end of their summer tour. Like MTV's Carson Daly asked, "What is the world coming to when they riot at a Dave Matthews show?"

If you missed DMB this summer, you'll probably have to wait another year to see them again. But you can get a taste of what their shows are like if you tune in to PBS this fall. On September 11, PBS will shoot "An Evening with Dave Matthews Band and Friends" from their show in East Rutherford, NJ for future airing. Also, DMB is planning on releasing another live album shortly before or after the New Year.

It's too bad ASASU doesn't realize how popular The Dave Matthews Band is among our age group -- because I bet a few more of us might attend a DMB show than go watch the one-hit wonders Reel Big Fish. DMB for Spring Fest?

Just a suggestion.

kevin polowy, a disciple of dave, is a junior studying journalism and can be reached by phone at 480/965-1695 or by e-mail at kpolowy@imap4.asu.edu