Laura KasavanThere is something electric about watching your favorite band or artist live. As you hear the familiar strains of beloved music in person, songs take on an almost incandescent quality.
Such was the case Sept. 29 as I rocked out to the Dave Matthews Band at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif.
As a listener of DMB for three years, this was my second concert. And I’ll be honest: this show blew the first one completely out of the water.
I started off the night tailgating with two of my friends. We met up with a group of Ants (members of the DMB fan forum www.antsmarching.org) in the parking lot and ate our Chipotle dinner curbside.
As my friend played us some pre-show music on his guitar, I asked some of the Ants how many shows they had been to. Compared to concertgoers who had been to 30 or 40 DMB shows, I was unseasoned.
Soon enough, it was show time. I landed a sweet seat about 25 rows from the stage in the lower level of the amphitheatre for face value ($65).
Stephen Marley opened the evening with several of his energetic reggae pieces. He followed them up with “Could You Be Loved,” a song made famous in 1980 by his father, Bob Marley.
After a quick stage adjustment (and a vacuuming!), DMB came on. Dave Matthews opened with a solo tease of “Sugar Will” that was followed by “A Dream So Real,” a new song for the 2007 tour.
Next up was a rousing 13-minute version of “Two Step,” the fifth and final single from the 1996 album “Crash.” With an extended jam session, the song absolutely came alive.
The crowd gained energy from the band’s momentum and a dazzling light show that matched the pulse of Carter Beauford’s drum beats.
With the lyrics “celebrate we will, for life is short but sweet for certain,” the extended “Two Step” was the perfect way to start the celebration.
This was just one of many moments in the show when I was torn between wanting to drink in all of the action, and wanting to simply close my eyes and listen. I ended up doing both.
The band then launched into “Eh Hee,” another new song for 2007 that can be described as sneering, funky and completely different from the band’s recent sound. “Eh Hee” led into a run of eight classics, including “The Dreaming Tree” which had essentially disappeared from tour since 1999, and “Sister,” released live in 2006. The encore led to a Dave Matthews solo of “So Damn Lucky” and ended with “Ants Marching,” which Dave Matthews has referred to as the band’s anthem and is the all time most played set closer in band history.
Music brings people together like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s a special feeling to be surrounded by 20,000 people who all love the same thing you do.
Next time you have a chance to check out a band or artist live, take it. You might find that a concert is one of the best things around.