Dave Matthews Band has welcomed an impressive mix of guest performers to jam with them during their 2018 fall area tour thus far. Warren Haynes, Jon Faddis, James Casey, and Eric Krasno have all been welcomed to the stage to play alongside Matthews and his group since the tour began in late November. DMB continued that trend during the first of two shows in their original hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia on Friday, where they welcomed the show’s support act, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, to join them for a mid-set performance of “That Girl Is You” from their new studio album, 2018’s Come Tomorrow.

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.

Dave Matthews Band – “Sweet Emotion” (Aerosmith cover) – 12/14/2018

[Video: DMB4041]

The band’s mid-set collaboration alongside the Preservation Hall Jazz Band came 10 songs into the show. Their performance of the newer song 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. You can watch a video of the Preservation Hall sit-in below:

Dave Matthews Band with Preservation Hall Jazz Band – “That Girl Is You” – 12/14/18

[Video: Brandon Gorall]

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”. 

The tour will come to a close with a second performance at the John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday night. Dave Matthews Band will look to pick up where they left off starting with a run of European concert dates next spring. Tickets to the band’s upcoming performances can be found on the official DMB 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