Dave Matthews Band

[liebzz]

Yup.

I am going to have a few more things hopefully to contribute next week. We are slowly heading to the finish line.

[AndySlash]

i don't really enjoy big whiskey as a whole all that much and the oversaturation of those songs in live sets after the album tour cycle and even after away from the world came out i think is the point where i finally really started losing interest. i don't ever want to hear shake me or seven again. that said, time bomb IS a great song and the clear pinnacle of that record to me. there are other good moments - squirm, alligator pie - and i don't mind seeing why i am live or an occasional lying in the hands of god or funny the way it is.

[AndySlash]

dreaming tree just debuted on this new tour for the first time in years and that may be enough to push me to go to alpine valley later this year to see this version of the band for the first time. that song was so rare for so long (or what seemed like so long back in the early and mid 2000s), that i feel like i should make sure to see a show or two when it is in tour rotation.

[liebzz]

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live in Las Vegas

This is the last of the trio of Dave & Tim shows I will be covering in this journey, and all of them have been remarkable. I know I have said this repeatedly the last few weeks, but Tim is amazing in the manner he fills the gaps in these solo acoustic shows despite seeming at times like an unnecessary distraction in the full band shows. The stripped down nature of the shows suits both of them, and no matter the era of song that they play, they deliver renditions that hold their own against the best of the full band. That instrumental cover of Kashmir here is a beast.

[warehouse]

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live in Las Vegas

This is the last of the trio of Dave & Tim shows I will be covering in this journey, and all of them have been remarkable. I know I have said this repeatedly the last few weeks, but Tim is amazing in the manner he fills the gaps in these solo acoustic shows despite seeming at times like an unnecessary distraction in the full band shows. The stripped down nature of the shows suits both of them, and no matter the era of song that they play, they deliver renditions that hold their own against the best of the full band. That instrumental cover of Kashmir here is a beast.

i just listened to this. jesus christ. tim reynolds is like a magician. the weird percussive stuff, the wild loops, this fact he is playing this on an acoustic! is it fair to say he's one of the best guitarists alive? its a shame he's overlooked kinda as dave's side kick. i dunno if he's super popular among serious musicians, but he's absolutely amazing. the sounds he make with a guitar are out of this world.

[oasisfan35]

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live in Las Vegas

This is the last of the trio of Dave & Tim shows I will be covering in this journey, and all of them have been remarkable. I know I have said this repeatedly the last few weeks, but Tim is amazing in the manner he fills the gaps in these solo acoustic shows despite seeming at times like an unnecessary distraction in the full band shows. The stripped down nature of the shows suits both of them, and no matter the era of song that they play, they deliver renditions that hold their own against the best of the full band. That instrumental cover of Kashmir here is a beast.

If Tim or TR3 ever come 'round the area I really couldn't recommend going to the show more. This isn't my footage as I sent my miniDVs out to get authored and never got them back but this was the first electric Stream and goddamn so awesome.

Those two together are just magic to me. I know you aren't there chronologically yet but the '17 live debut of Do You Remember is one of my favorite performances by these two.

i just listened to this. jesus christ. tim reynolds is like a magician. the weird percussive stuff, the wild loops, this fact he is playing this on an acoustic! is it fair to say he's one of the best guitarists alive? its a shame he's overlooked kinda as dave's side kick. i dunno if he's super popular among serious musicians, but he's absolutely amazing. the sounds he make with a guitar are out of this world.

He has gotten exposure from every guitar focused music mag and I feel is quite well regarded in the industry. The odd thing might be that he is one of the most laid back and funny individuals in music and just hasn't given much of a damn. His output is a lot of fun and really all over the place stylistically and yet he can play it with ease.

edit: there has always been something about Tim's playing that was exuberant to me and then after meeting him and talking with him at shows over the years it all made perfect sense.

In Your Eyes
Kashmir on the 12-string

[liebzz]

Live in New York City

I found this to be a very enjoyable show. In particular, the opening sequence of The Stone, Warehouse, One Sweet World, Funny the Way It Is, and Seek Up is a real stellar beginning. Once the show settles in, it never quite reaches those highs again, except for the very different but good Two Step. The show kind of glides through quickly, like a knife through softened butter, which makes very little really stick out. Tim Reynolds is used much better in this show than some of the shows prior, but it seems the horn section took a bit of a backseat here, and mostly I get drums and strings on this one. It was still quite easy to listen through.

[liebzz]

Live at Wrigley Field

Spotify has the second of the shows available from this set, so that’s what I am covering here. It is a good show, with probably the most remarkable run being #41 and Tripping Billies back to back. Also the run from Grey Street, Jimi Thing, Time Bomb, and Two Step was also great. Corn Bread and the Last Stop also excellent. This is the last live release I am covering on this journey, so I will note here I think Dave Matthews Band did a great job picking their official releases and I am sure to one day dive a bit more into the LiveTrax, but they stuck to really good shows to highlight as live albums.

[Stickman]

[liebzz]

Away From the World

I remember when this album came out I was really impressed by it. But I didn’t remember now was that it is a much mellower album. It starts hot with Broken Things, Belly Belly Nice, and Gaucho - all fantastic - in the first four songs, but the entirety of the middle of the album is a bit slower though no less highlights of the album. You can really feel the impact when it picks up again with Rooftop and the slow build of Snow Outside. This one also ends fabulously with Drunken Soldier. This may be a natural successor from Big Whisky, but no less quality. A really solid album from them.

[liebzz]

Come Tomorrow

The most recent album finds the band I think simplifying their sound a little more than they already had. The songs are mostly solid here, though you can’t help but sense that as a creative force, it seems the band is largely past their prime. Nevertheless there is plenty to enjoy here, especially in the first half of the album. Samurai Cop is good. Can’t Stop and That Girl Is You are the top highlights. She, The Idea of You, Come On Come On, Do You Remember and Come Tomorrow are solid. This one doesn’t quite hit the mark as well as Big Whisky and Away From the World in this different phase of the band, but it still is pretty good. Now four years out from this, perhaps they are due for the next chapter.

[oasisfan35]

Were you still attending a show this summer liebzz?

[liebzz]

Yes. 6/28 at Jones Beach

[Kalevi]

I think come tomorrow shows some signs of creativity waning within the band but I still think it is excellent and away from the world is even better.

[warehouse]

i think 'away from the world' shows enough growth after 'big whiskey', but feels much calmer and quiet. it's still too up and down to even compare to 'big whiskey', though. 'gaucho' is great and dave seemed to be writing these really weird riffs again. how do you have two songs with the word 'belly' in them? lol. i think 'if only' is great too w/ a classic dave matthews riff. drunken soldier is the obvious highlight. i don't like the lyrics but it's hard to not like that song, the shifts from quiet to the sound of horns blaring like an army charging into battle. and then it turns into part of a pink floyd song at the end. its great.

[AndySlash]

I think come tomorrow shows some signs of creativity waning within the band

well, it is mostly made up of previously written material.

come tomorrow was a real let down after away from the world. lillywhite just brings out the best in the whole band, even if that album wasn't quite as strong as their previous work with him. it is their strongest of the post lillywhite sessions albums, imo. and i don't think i'll understand how longtime band fans would prefer big whiskey over aftw, but whatever. *shrug*

come tomorrow does have virginia in the rain, which is just a fantastic band song. stefan's playing on that track is great.

[oasisfan35]

I really enjoyed Away from the World when it was released, the amount of content we got with the release was great as well. As far as albums go I listen to it far more than any other that came out after BTCS. That said, I don't feel the songs fit the post-Big Whiskey touring machine. I suppose it is a bit apparent as the songs are seldom in setlists since the 2012 summer/winter tours.

Come Tomorrow is an abomination of an album as far as I'm concerned and the fact that it eschews any cohesion is maddening. The multiple producer angle is simply a reflection of, what I feel, is the current state of the band in general. I have respect for them to carry on but they've evolved to a point where I do not particularly care to listen.

I'm also in no way saying the band sounds 'bad' overall, in fact the Raven they recently posted from '21 hearkens back to early renditions plus Tim is playing well and mixed even better, Rashawn playing a muted trumpet works. But the keys in place of the violin fall flat. Jeff, as talented as he is, plays over the mood of the song in the bridge. Carter's scaling back a bit is appreciated though I would have loved for it to happen a decade ago.

[warehouse]

'big whiskey' has more of an emphasis on horns, imo. that's why i love it more than 'away from the world'. i think recording in new orleans had a huge influence on the sound of the album. i also think they were fueled by losing roi and made a record he would have been proud of.

[AndySlash]

'big whiskey' has more of an emphasis on horns, imo. that's why i love it more than 'away from the world'.

sure, i can see that, but much of the horns on that album are loud, brash, and hardly subtle, and i feel like leroi was the opposite of that sound with his playing. the song grux stands out on its own on that album because it doesn't sound like the rest of the record - that one minute solo track is natural, fluid, and stoic in its own way. but if that's your bag, then that's your bag, and i definitely agree the new orleans influence is all over that record.

agreed with oasisfan, too, that the lack of aftw in live sets of the last 10 years (...jesus christ...) is indicative of those songs not fitting with what dave matthews wants to do with his band. i especially like aftw because it does bring back some of the classic sound (like, there's violin!), and does it well, while still reflective of the current lineup, but matthews has been pushing himself away from that sound since 2000 so his subsequent rejection of that material isn't surprising at all. as a fan, though, it sucks.

[oasisfan35]

'big whiskey' has more of an emphasis on horns, imo. that's why i love it more than 'away from the world'.

sure, i can see that, but much of the horns on that album are loud, brash, and hardly subtle, and i feel like leroi was the opposite of that sound with his playing. the song grux stands out on its own on that album because it doesn't sound like the rest of the record - that one minute solo track is natural, fluid, and stoic in its own way. but if that's your bag, then that's your bag, and i definitely agree the new orleans influence is all over that record.

Angel from Folsom Field was just starting as I walked in the door from work today, it is far from a revered song but the simple electric riff allowing LeRoi to comfortably solo over... I adore it.