REVIEW: Dave Matthews Band @ TD Garden 12/07
By David Taylor
Dave Matthews Band brought their Fall 2018 tour to TD Garden and delivered the music like only DMB can. The jam-band pioneers kicked off the night with fan favorites “Everyday”, “Funny the Way It Is”, “That Girl Is You”, and “Granny.” Mixing old songs with new (including a great cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”), the show never lulled, remaining energetic, alive, improvised, and electric. They let loose and experimented, breathing new life into their songs that are now nearly two decades old.
As always, the jam interludes were long and fast. The band played off each other, complementing and highlighting one another’s skills. The band’s drummer, Carter Beauford, proved why he is ranked number 41 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.” His drumming was great in every song, but when he got the stage to himself to introduce “Say Goodbye,” watching him solo was as magical as watching Eddie Van Halen play “Eruption.” He is ridiculously talented, and he never stopped smiling. You could almost hear the joy radiate through his drums.
The entire band looked like they were having as much fun as the audience. Throughout the night, Matthews bounced around the stage doing his wacky dance that looks like he’s stomping on a bunch of bugs. Stefan Lessard (bass) did his baby head-bob. And Tim Reynolds (lead guitar) stayed his steady self, letting his fingers do the dancing. Reynolds, like Beauford, is an especially talented musician, though his work with an electric guitar is second to his work with an acoustic. To really appreciate him, one should watch his work with Dave Matthews on the Dave & Tim shows. Here, he and Matthews play acoustic sets apart from the band, and Reynolds compensates for all the missing instruments (drums, bass, brass section, keyboards, violin, etc.) with one guitar — it’s amazing.
Aside from the individual members’ talent, the band as a whole drew the audience in. Their music gripped us. It got inside of us and lit a fire. We felt Matthews’ raspy howls, Coffin’s saxophone, Beauford’s drum. Fans new and old felt the raw emotion in the band’s set, with Matthews’ full, powerful voice at the core of the music.
DMB gave the crowd two great surprises in their encore. First, they played a stripped down version of the seasonal “Christmas Song,” this being the song’s first appearance in 334 shows and only the second time played live since 2012. Second, while closing out the show with Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” the band broke into a cover of Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and they covered it well! Not surprisingly, Reynolds shredded Page’s solo (which nevertheless did sound rather strange backed with a brass section). But surprisingly, Matthews did a really good job covering the high screams of Robert Plant. I cannot imagine two voices that sound more different than Dave Matthews’ and Robert Plant’s, but somehow he was able to pull it off.
Still, even with all the positivity, there were certainly elements that the show lacked. First, the setlist was on the weaker side. No DMB set is ever the same, and given the band’s deep catalog of music, it’s unrealistic to expect them to play your favorite song. Regardless, it could have been better. No “Two Step”, no “Ants Marching”, no “Satellite”, no “The Stone” (though “The Stone” is played less frequently than the former three). It left me wanting more. Second, the band has a major hole to fill without former-member Boyd Tinsley on violin. Earlier this year, Tinsley released a statement saying that he needs a break to rest and be with his family. However, after NPR and Rolling Stone recently publicized the sexual allegations made against him, Tinsley’s break will likely be permanent. Without him, songs with a heavy violin section like “Warehouse” and “Grey Street” felt incomplete, so the band needs to find a way to compensate for their loss. It will be exciting to see what they do next.