Dave Matthews Band’s latest Milwaukee show brought multiple changes. There was a new venue, new songs and most noticeably, no new violinist to replace departed band member Boyd Tinsley. Here’s how Sunday’s Summerfest set went down:
Five minutes before the band was scheduled to start, the line into the American Family Insurance Amphitheater stretched nearly all the way back to the interior box office just inside the southern entrance.
Once inside, the flow of traffic was forced to travel one way instead of splitting off like usual into two ramps.
And one of the men’s restroom was completely out of paper towels – before a single note was played.
When Matthews first spoke at length to the audience Sunday, the first thing he did was poke fun at the confusion.
But as is the case at Alpine, any annoyances quickly evaporated once the soulful jams started going.
The venue wasn’t the only thing different about this DMB experience.
This is the first tour without longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley, who was fired from the band in May after a lawsuit was filed accusing Tinsley of sexual misconduct.
Dave Matthews Band decided not to hire a new violinist, and it was strange not hearing the instrument that has long been so integral to the mix.
The band does have a new player, though: keyboardist and organist Buddy Strong, who showed off his flashy bona fides at the tail end of a country rocking “Hello Again,” and jumped into a funky follow-the-leader jam with guitarist Tim Reynolds for finale “Jimi Thing.”
In addition to a new member, there were new songs. A lot of them. Arguably, too many of them.
They’re from last month’s “Come Tomorrow,” an album defenders may call mature but others, myself included, would say is sluggish, even more so in concert. For the show’s first half, DMB would jump back and forth from a fan favorite to a newer tune like an acoustic “Here on Out” or a soggy “Virginia in the Rain,” killing the momentum and triggering widespread sit downs and beer runs.
What really resonated were those familiar songs going as far back as the '90s — an interesting circumstance considering how much the fan base relishes DMB’s freewheeling jams and it’s “no show is the same” calling card.
But the musicians seemed to love them just as much. With blustery trumpet Rashawn Ross soared during the salsa portions of “Warehouse,” a fan favorite what also slipped into crunchy rock and Memphis soul. Jeff Collins kept topping himself with one flashy sax solo after another near the end of show finale “Jimi Thing.”
Tim Reynolds commanded “Corn Bread” with tangy Texas slide guitar, and Matthews – as soulful and emotive a vocalist as ever – sang the fiery finish of “You Might Die Trying” like his life depended on it.
No doubt there were fans who would have preferred to experience those tunes at Alpine surrounded by the pretty rolling hills, and preceded by a tailgating party in the parking lots.
But there was one clear advantage to Summerfest once Sunday’s three-hour show ended. When people headed back to their cars at the end of a rainy day, they didn’t have to walk through any mud.
THE SET LIST
1. "Again and Again"
2. "Satellite"
3. "Hello Again"
4. "Here On Out"
5. "Lie in Our Graves"
6. "Virginia in the Rain"
7. "The Song That Jane Likes"
8. "Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)"
9. "You Might Die Trying"
10. "Warehouse"
11. "Can't Stop"
12. "You and Me"
13. "#41"
14. "So Right"
15. "Sister"
16. "Come On Come On"
17. "Don't Drink the Water"
18. "Corn Bread"
19. "So Much to Say"
20. "Louisiana Bayou"
Encore
21. "Jimi Thing"
MORE FROM SUMMERFEST
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WPXI
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