Entertainment

September 23, 2009

Dave Matthews Band review

Brad Patton

IN CONCERT

WHO/WHAT:  Dave Matthews Band

WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain

THE SHORT WORD: Dave Matthews Band closed out the summer at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain Wednesday with what had to be the finest performance of the season. Saving the best for last, indeed. The massively popular group -- now consisting of main quartet Dave Matthews (acoustic guitar and vocals), Carter Beauford (drums), Boyd Tinsley (violin) and Stefan Lessard (bass) with ample support from touring members Tim Reynolds (electric guitar), Rashawn Ross (trumpet) and Jeff Coffin (saxophone) -- was in top shape from the concert’s opener “Proudest Monkey” (from 1996’s “Crash”) onward. Whether it was one of the newer numbers from latest album “Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King” or one of the band’s classics, each song was met with the same thunderous ovation as the crowd danced and sang along all evening long. Pedal steel guitar wizard Robert Randolph & The Family Band opened the show with a knockout 45 minutes of its own, highlighted by “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” and “I Don’t Know What You Come Here To Do.”

THE HIGHLIGHTS: The DMB set was stellar from start to finish, especially a spectacular version of “Dancing Nancies” which finished up the group’s first hour, and new songs “Funny The Way It Is,” “Why I Am” and “Seven” from early in the set. “Satellite” and “Crash Into Me” were also highlights.

FAST FACTS: DMB’s latest album was the band’s fifth consecutive album to debut at No. 1. The disc released on June 2 is a tribute to founding member and saxophone player LeRoi Moore, who passed away in August 2008 from injuries sustained in an ATV accident. The group was formed in Charlottesville, Va., in 1991, and has sold over 30 million albums. The band received a Grammy for “So Much To Say” in 1997 (Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group), and Matthews got one in 2004 for “Gravedigger” (Best Rock Vocal Performance – Male). (Neither song was performed on Wednesday.)

THE CROWD: The attendance figure was not available at press time.

UP NEXT: Upcoming concerts for DMB include Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, and Saturday in Tinley Park, Ill., with Willie Nelson and Family. Wednesday’s show was the last of the summer season at Montage Mountain.

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