During some downtime away from his main band, guitarist Dave Matthews put together an all-star crew for a major Dave Matthews & Friends tour throughout late 2003 into 2004. Among those Friends were DMB guitarist Tim Reynolds, bassist Tony Hall (Dumpstaphunk), drummer Brady Blade, pianist Ray Paczkowski (Trey Anastasio Band), and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio.
Though that band has only played a handful of times since then, the run of shows from November 2003 through January 2004 remains a moment in time music fans would love to revisit. Almost two decades later, we look back at the final stop on the band’s tour with a show at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA on January 16th, 2004.
One of the many highlights from that night was a ripping version of “Sweet Up And Down”. Thankfully, a fan-shot video of Trey’s solo during the unreleased DMB original has circulated for years. It’s moments like this that Phish fans have come to expect and love about Trey whenever he performs, as the guitarist gleefully glides up and down his instrument to help turn the energy up for the song’s conclusion.
Relive the band’s performance of “Sweet Up And Down” from the final show of the Dave Matthews & Friends 2003–04 tour below.
Dave Matthews & Friends – “Sweet Up And Down” – 1/16/04
[Video: Copperpot Landfill]
[Originally published 1/16/17]