Thursday, October 29, 1998
Before this crowded forum
MUSIC: There’s something special about the decidedly ordinary
Dave Matthews Band
By Lonnie Harris
Daily Bruin Staff
Now that the nation has entered a decidedly down time in popular
music and fans are looking to new movements such as swing or
electronica to fill the gap, Dave Matthews Band finds an odd space
on the pop landscape.
The band’s laid-back folk sound, accompanying standard rock
guitar with violin and saxophone, really doesn’t do anything bold
or experimental with sound, like other current favorites Marilyn
Manson or the Beastie Boys. It really doesn’t embody any particular
message like spiritual rockers Radiohead or aggressive grunge band
Hole. In fact, perhaps the most unique thing about Dave Matthews
Band is that they don’t do anything different.
Sometimes, however, a bit of traditional rock music is just what
is called for, and in their sold-out performance at the Great
Western Forum on Tuesday, the band delivered just that  two
hours of fun, fast, uncomplicated rock music.
It’s not hard to figure out why the band connects so well with a
college crowd. It’s the perfect music to listen to while drinking a
beer and trying not to think too hard about anything. No one ever
accused the band of challenging their audience, and Tuesday’s show
was no exception.
Unlike past performances, though, Dave Matthews Band seems to be
taking their live performances in a different direction. Long
associated with jam bands such as Phish and even the Grateful Dead,
the six-man outfit concentrated much more on playing the songs and
much less on excessive solos and grandstanding. But while this
allowed them to fit in a incredible amount of their impressive song
catalog (including radio favorites such as "Ants Marching" and the
current hit single "Stay"), it left some of the older fans wishing
for the return of the band they knew and loved.
It can’t be easy keeping up such a high level of enthusiasm
among fans now that Dave Matthews Band is so popular. Yet the
sellout crowd at the Forum seethed with jubilance at lead singer
Dave Matthews’ every action. Ever the enthusiastic frontman,
Matthews bounded on stage like a manic Kerri Strug and immediately
dove into he band’s first single from their newest album, "Before
These Crowded Streets," the Native American-themed "Don’t Drink the
Water." Unfortunately, apparent technical difficulties after this
number delayed the show for about five minutes, which killed the
momentum for the entire opening set of three songs.
However, an extremely loud, rocking version of the band’s
stalwart "Warehouse" put the show back on track.
Because this tour is merely to maintain record sales and is not
directly promoting a new album, Dave Matthews Band opted for almost
a greatest hits collection of songs, drawing tracks from all four
major studio albums, including some deep covers that the band
hasn’t played in concert since 1995. This kept the crowd dancing
and the show moving along.
It’s no surprise that Dave Matthews Band, after nearly 10 years
of steady touring, has become known as one of the nation’s best
live acts.
While some performers merely go on to stage and play replicas of
studio tracks, Dave Matthews Band really comes alive in front of a
crowd, giving new life to their admittedly simple tunes, and
filling their performance at the Forum filled with good cheer.RCA
Records
Dave Matthews Band played an intense two and a half hour show at
the sold-out Forum, combining songs from both their new and old
albums.
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