#17: Raleigh, N.C. (4/29/2001)

It's impossible to say I've been to a "bad" Dave Matthews band concert. But I have walked away from a show or two and said, "I'm done with DMB concerts for a while." On April 29, 2001, in Raleigh, N.C., that was the case. Thus begins my experiences of worst to best DMB concerts.

This was one of those shows that would have been better if I had gone to the previous day's concert. I would've gotten a "#41" opener, a mid-set "All Along the Watchtower" and a "Tripping Billies" closer. Instead I got this, which isn't too bad I guess:

One Sweet World
When the World Ends
Angel
Don't Drink the Water
Warehouse
Satellite
If I Had It All
Crash Into Me
Jimi Thing
Anyone Seen the Bridge? ...>
Too Much
Everyday
The Space Between
What You Are
I Did It ...>
Ants Marching
Encore:
Angel From Montgomery
JTR

Dmband.com road notes from this show: "Just got done with our second show in Raleigh. The band played a great show mixing some old standards with a bunch of new material. Boyd had an exceptional night steppin' out front on a few tunes as well as leading a rarely heard "Angel From Montgomery.'"

What made this concert my "worst" is a combination of things. On paper this looks OK, but I was highly disappointed in the encore. At the time, I had never heard either song, but to this day I still think "JTR" is not a good closer. It's a great opener or a mid-set song. Not a closer.

The biggest problem with the show might come from what happened personally. I went with my friend Liz, who showed up to my place late. We had a two-hour commute, we sat in traffic close to the venue and then had to wait in line for the bathroom. When we got to the top of the lawn, it was impossible to get very close. All my other lawn experiences had been to sit fairly close, so I was very disappointed in the view. Interestingly enough, this would be the last of my lawn experiences.

Music wise, this concert was early in the tour, so the new "Everyday" songs hadn't evolved yet. Many fans will say some of these songs never evolved, but I beg to differ. I think it was just a mistake to go to a show so early in the tour of a CD release year. I hadn't really learned the songs either, so much of what I was hearing was kind of foreign to me.

But like I said at the beginning, it's tough to say I've been to a "bad" DMB show. This was my first show since September 1999 and sixth full-band show, so I think I was just hoping for something better. Interestingly enough, I didn't go to another show for more than a year after my experience in Raleigh. That's for another post likely not too long from now ...