On December 14th and 15th, 2018, Dave Matthews Band played a two-night homecoming run at Charlottesville, VA’s John Paul Jones Arena, bringing their first North American fall tour since 2012 to a close. A previously unreleased live recording of the show from December 14th is now available to download for fans who have purchased tickets to DMB’s upcoming 2019 summer tour.
The Friday night concert at Charlottesville’s John Paul Jones Arena began with a pair of tunes from 2002’s Busted Stuff, with “Big Eyed Fish” transitioning smoothly into “Bartender”. They continued with another older fan-favorite in “Satellite” before turning to one of their newer tunes, “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)”. “#41”, “Again and Again”, and “Everyday” all came next before the band charged into a cover of Aerosmith‘s 1975 anthem, “Sweet Emotion”, which has become a recurring setlist staple throughout much of the fall tour.
The band’s mid-set collaboration alongside the Preservation Hall Jazz Band came 10 songs into the show. Their performance of the newer song, “That Girl Is You”, started with plenty of fresh energy thanks to the unapologetic tone and presence of NOLA outfit’s horns. The song took plenty of time to open up and develop, with the members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band playing away on their trombones, trumpets, and saxophones while a smiling Matthews strummed along on with his acoustic guitar.
The second half of the show saw the band continue with performances of “Louisiana Bayou”, their go-to cover of Peter Gabriel‘s “Sledgehammer”, “Don’t Drink The Water”, and “So Right”. The set came to an end following performances of “Why I Am”, “You & Me”, “Dancing Nancies”, and “Grey Street”. They would return for a two-song encore of “Christmas Song”, which recently made its way back into the setlist after a four-year break, and their cover of Bob Dylan‘s “All Along the Watchtower”, which included a verse from Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway To Heaven”.
DMB summer tour ticket holders can head here for more information on how to access the show recording.
For a list of Dave Matthews Band’s upcoming tour dates, see below. For ticketing and more information, head to the band’s website.
Setlist: Dave Matthews Band | John Paul Jones Arena | Charlottesville, VA | 12/14/2018
Set: Big Eyed Fish > Bartender, Satellite, Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin), #41, Again and Again, Everyday, Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith cover), Minarets, That Girl Is You*, Louisiana Bayou, Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel cover), Don’t Drink the Water, So Right, Why I Am, You & Me, Dancing Nancies, Grey Street
Encore: Christmas Song, All Along the Watchtower** (Bob Dylan cover)
* with Preservation Hall Jazz Band
** with “Stairway To Heaven” verse