Even
though they played the same songs that they always do, there is something
about watching DMB live that fascinates me. I think part of it is the fact
that they enjoy their work. Dave and Carter are always smiling and enjoying
the music, even though they have played the same songs over and over hundreds
of times.
The
best part of this performance, in my opinion, was "Two Step". It
was very energetic and Dave added some lyrics to the beginning of the song,
speaking about the farmers situation and how it was going "down, down,
down." They jammed the hell out of the song which I personally liked.
Some people don't like when they jam the songs out for a long time, but
I feel this is great because it just keeps the vibe flowing and simply
makes the concert longer. I went to a LIVE concert in the summer
and while they were great performers, they played straight through many
of their 3-4 minutes songs, without any jamming. The concert lasted
only 90 minutes and I walked away dissappointed and feeling like I had
not heard enough music for my money. This never happens with Dave Matthews
Band shows.
Another
great part was the jam between "SMTS" and "Too Much." They have been
using this bridge for a while, but Dave was doing some cool guitar licks,
Carter was grooving like a madman, and even Roi got in with the bari sax.
To me it was a happening groove that night.
Crash...set
an all time record that night...being the shortest ever. Dave skipped
the the entire ending, but that was obviously due to the Farm Aid time
constraints.
Of
course they ended with Ants, which was hyped as usual. Boyd extended
his solo part near the end of the song but what kind of annoyed me was
the fact that he was waaay out of tune on the two notes that they repeat
about five hundred times (you know what I'm talking about)..I mean they
have probably played that song more than any other and he is still out
of tune. C'mon Boyd, get those ears checked.
Well
that's about it for Farm Aid '97. I think it is great that the band
takes the time to do benefits such as this, LIFEBEAT, and the San Francisco
benefit coming up at the end of the month. This says a lot about
the class of the group and where their hearts really are. I commend
Dave Matthews Band for this great display of compassion for the less-fortunate.
