As I made my trip back to the SB Center for yet another stellar concert performance, The Dave Matthews Band also made its way into town for two nights of sold-out concerts. Aside from the $25.00 parking fees (thanks to Charlie’s lot for free press parking), $13.00 24oz beers, $4.50 pretzels, $4.00 bottle water, etc., this band, for a $75.00 concert ticket, gives you a serious bang for your ticket buck! This summer they are touring with no opening act, but breaking the show into two parts with the first set being acoustic and the second being electric. At 7:30 Matthews walked onstage first, followed by drummer Carter Beauford (on a stripped down drum kit), guitarist Tim Reynolds, bassist Stefan Lessard (with an upright bass), fiddler Boyd Tinsley, and brass players Rashawn Ross and Jeff Coffin. Their eight-song, one-hour acoustic set opened with "Two Step", "Good Good Time", "I'll Back You Up", "Ant's Marching", "Snow Outside", and "Recently", after which he said a few words to the crowd. Besides saying, "Thank You Very Much" after most songs, Matthews does not talk a lot; they just keep jamming as they are known to be a jam band. After a band intro he did say that, “you people out there are smelling really good tonight” from that not Marboro Lights smell waffling throughout the venue. Next was a cover of Sixto Rodriguez' "Sugar Man", referring to him as being as huge a musical figure as Bob Dylan, and then closing their set with "What Would You Say."

After a half hour intermission, they returned to a stage that had been transformed from a few drapes and spotlights to a massive full-sized arena production with a video screen that stretched across the entire back of the stage, metal light towers and a ton of colored lights and lazers shooting all over the venue. They opened their 18-song, 2plus-hour electric set with "Squirm", "You Might Die Trying", and "So Much To Say," with just about everybody in the house singing word for word (as is the case at every DMB show) and the lawn people dancing about. They kept the jam pace going with "Anyone Seen the Bridge", "Too Much" and "Proudest Monkey" before slowing things down, and I'm sure to give the band a little rest from those opening songs. For this they played "Satellite", and "Kill the Preacher;" and then told the crowd that he has a sister named Jane so he wrote the next song for her - "The Song That Jane Likes" and "Raven". Now picking up the pace again, "Seven" is where Tinsley shows off his violin talent engaging in a violin / guitar duel face to face with Matthews as he gives his traditional grin and his chicken-dance moves with his feet. This song seems to go on and on forever but with great crowd appreciation expressed with their thunderous applaud. To close out their electric set, they finished with "If Only", "Dancing Nancies", "Warehouse" and an always fan favorite, "Tripping Billies".

After a short, but much needed break, Matthews came back on stage alone and opened with "Some Devil", from his 2003 solo album of the same name. The rest of the band joined him onstage to finish the night with "Pig", and my always favorite DMB covers, Bob Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower."  These are ace musicians which they proved at this Friday night concert, and as they continue to prove year in and out. If you can play live, I don't see them stopping anytime soon and, like I said, they definitely give you your bang for your buck. Their tour is still going on and there are a few dates still close to us if anyone would like to make a road trip. Check the schedule at davematthewsband.com

– Gary Crouthamel, Concert Photojournalist