For my first return of the 2013 season, not a better way to kick it off then with the Dave Matthews Band and a sold-out show of 25,000 fans for the first of a two-night stand at the Susquehanna Bank Center.
        The DMB hit the stage at 8:25 and for the next three hours and a 23-song set list, every song was met with cheers and fans singing word for word. They opened with "Louisiana Bayou' with Dave Matthews on electric guitar, and "Save Me", with Dave switching to acoustic. Now asking the crowd, "how's everyone doing tonight? I'm glad you’re all here!" This would be pretty much all he said except many thank you's after most songs. Next, "The Idea Of You", with half circled light rigging now moving up and down and the video screen illuminated with a phychedelic array of colors. Next up was "Belly Belly Nice", and  "If Only", two of the three songs played tonight from his most recent album, 2012's Away from the World. And as at most DMB shows, he always throws in cover songs and tonight he brought out Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper", which I've never heard him play before. The band played "Big Eyed Fish", with scenes of waves and water on the video screen, before segueing into "Bartender", turning a sing-a-long into a lengthy jam that included Jeff Coffin on pennywhistle and Tim Reynolds on slide guitar. Man, one good thing about this band is they change their set list every night. The hits kept the crowd going with "Rooftop", the third song of his latest release, "Too Much", "Recently", "Crash Into Me", "Funny The Way It Is", and "Lie In Our Graves", another jam session bringing Boyd Tinsley on violin to the forefront, weaving and bowing like a mad man on steroids, and Rashawn Ross on trumpet. To round out their opening set they finished with "The Space Between", "Kill The Preacher", "Don't Drink the Water", and "Pantala Naga Pampa,” segueing into "Rapunzel" for a two- and a half-hour opening set. At most shows, I've been on my way home by now but I have to sit and wait and see what their encore brings.
        As the band returns to the stage they open their encore set with “#34 (tease),” "Granny" and "So Right", before ending this night with "Shake Me Like a Monkey", before sending the crowd out to fend for themselves on their way home. I have now shot and seen this band quite a few times and since their tradition of never performing the same show twice, and mostly a three-hour show, you cannot get a better bang for your buck nowadays. The band has a couple dates close to us in late July or check out their website at www.davematthewsband.com I hope to catch them again in Virginia Beach. On a personal note: Tony from The Angler, enjoy them at the Jiffy Lube Live.
– Gary Crouthamel, concert photojournalist