Dave Matthews Band on Saturday headed to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on the grounds of the original Woodstock to kick off its 2025 summer tour.
The lively show touched on every corner of the deep DMB songbook, from beloved classics to recent standouts songs to surprising cover interpolations to a fresh cover previewed last month at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Highlights of the performance included an extended “Warehouse” in the three-slot; an excellent “You Never Know” featuring a Carter Beauford drum intro; trumpeter Rashawn Ross leading the band through its second-ever rendition of Cameo’s “Word Up!” on lead vocals; an exploratory “Typical Situation”; and a top-notch, mid-set stretch featuring a moving “Looking for a Vein” (with Matthews on electric guitar), a Buddy Strong-sung soul stomp through The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing”, and a searing “Why I Am” (with Matthews on a different electric guitar).
In fact, the words Buddy sang during the Isley Brothers cover seemed to sum up the energetic, varied, creative, and fun-filled tour opener: “It’s your thing. Do what you wanna do.”
The energy ramped up consistently as the end of the set approached, culminating in a powerful one-two punch featuring a pair of contrasting interpolations: a gorgeous “Lie in our Graves” featuring a nod to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and a manic “Don’t Drink the Water” preceded by the rumble of Tool’s “Forty Six & 2” courtesy of bassist Stefan Lessard. A “Rye Whiskey” / “Grey Street” encore finally put a cap on an excellent opening night.
Dave Matthews Band is set to spend the next several months on the road, hitting amphitheaters around the country throughout June, July, and August. Find tickets and a list of upcoming Dave Matthews Band tour dates here.
Below, check out a gallery of photos from the Dave Matthews Band summer tour opener at Bethel Woods via Bahram Foroughi and a selection of crowd-shot videos from the show via YouTube user NY Gig Trippers.
Dave Matthews Band – “So Much to Say” – 5/24/25
Dave Matthews Band – “Tripping Billies”, “Looking for a Vein” – 5/24/25
Dave Matthews Band ft. Buddy Strong – “It’s Your Thing” (The Isley Brothers) – 5/24/25
Dave Matthews Band – “You & Me”, “Lie in Our Graves” – 5/24/25
Dave Matthews Band – “Madman’s Eyes”, “Gravedigger” – 5/24/25
Setlist [via dmbalmanac.com]: Dave Matthews Band | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | Bethel, NY | 5/24/22 | Photos: Bahram Foroughi
Set: Dancing Nancies, When the World Ends, Warehouse [1], Walk Around the Moon, You Never Know, So Much to Say > Anyone Seen the Bridge > Too Much [fake intro] > Word Up! (Cameo) [2], Tripping Billies, Looking for a Vein, It’s Your Thing (The Isley Brothers) [3], Why I Am, Typical Situation, Madman’s Eyes, Gravedigger, You & Me, Lie in Our Graves [4]
[1] with “Louie Louis” (The Kingsmen) interpolation
[2] Rashawn Ross on vocals
[3] Buddy Strong on vocals
[4] with “Wonderful Tonight” (Eric Clapton) interpolation
[5] with “Forty Six & 2” (Tool) interpolation
