Who: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
When: July 6, 2010
Where: Constellation Performing Arts Center/ Canandaigua, NY
With: Supposed to have been Steph but she wasn't feeling well, so it was just me
Of Note: such a convenient concert experience!
Dave & Tim announced a mini tour for mid-summer 2010 and had a date in Canandaigua. This was exciting news...and I managed to get tickets. I was supposed to go with Steph, but she backed out pretty last minute. I had worked from the Rochester office that day so I couldn't drag anyone from Buffalo. I sold the extra ticket on my way in to the concert, so it was no big deal.
As I've gotten older, I've come to value convenience as an attribute of a successful live music experience. I'm not quite as mellow about traffic, drunk idiots, long lines, gross bathrooms, etc. as I was when I was younger. In addition to seeing Dave & Tim (Squee!), this was one of the most convenient concert going experiences ever. I left the ROC office and drove out to the lake. As I approached the venue there was...no traffic back-up because they had efficient traffic patterns. Parking was not an issue. I made short work of selling my extra ticket on my way in. Bottled water was not astronomically expensive. I found a convenient spot on the lawn. Recognizing that I was excited about these things made me realize that I am getting crotchety with age.
I had missed the Dave & Friends tour when I was in school, but loved Dave's solo album and accompanying bootlegs (how great was EmmyLou Harris on those recordings?!) so much that I knew this night was going to be a treat.
The difference between a DMB show and a Dave & Tim show is not the songs - Dave & Tim played a lot of DMB songs and so much of Dave's solo album has become standard at DMB shows that it all seems to blend together. The difference between a DMB show and a Dave & Tim show is the atmosphere. Also, Tim is a guitar God. But seeing the two guys together on stage, completely acoustic, with Dave telling lots of stories between each song...it felt like you were at a college open mic or a backyard BBQ where someone grabbed a guitar. Except you were in an amphitheater listening to one of the highest grossing live musicians ever. It was kind of surreal.
The setlist was incredible - so many songs that I love. Highlights included, 'Oh', 'Funny The Way It Is', 'Lie In Our Graves' (that was my JAM once upon a time), 'You & Me', 'Cornbread'...there was not a bad song in the set. The sound was so much smaller than a usual DMB set (no horns or percussion, obviously), which allowed you to really focus in on the guitar riffs and the nuance of Dave's delivery. Everything felt less like a song and more like a story and the concert as a whole almost functioned as a narrative.
Dave kept reiterating how excited he was to be there, and what a treat it was to play with just Tim, after so much time on the road with the whole band. He talked about how he had ridden his bike from Pittsford to Rochester and back. He mentioned that if he was rusty at any of the songs he hadn't played in a while, he was really sorry. He talked about how hot it was. The crowd was attentive and enthusiastic. I made friends with some people around me on the lawn. Plus, you could feel the breeze from the lake and the sunset over the hill was breathtaking.
For as much as the audience didn't want the show to end, it seemed like Dave didn't want it to end either - the first encore was five songs long! And then, there was a two song second encore. I snuck out after the first few lines of the last song - 'Don't Drink the Water' (I know, I know...but it's not my favorite song by a longshot and I had to get back to BUF) - zipped right out of the parking lot and drove home (SO convenient!). As I drove home, I remember feeling like I had left a gathering of friends.
When: July 6, 2010
Where: Constellation Performing Arts Center/ Canandaigua, NY
With: Supposed to have been Steph but she wasn't feeling well, so it was just me
Of Note: such a convenient concert experience!
Dave & Tim announced a mini tour for mid-summer 2010 and had a date in Canandaigua. This was exciting news...and I managed to get tickets. I was supposed to go with Steph, but she backed out pretty last minute. I had worked from the Rochester office that day so I couldn't drag anyone from Buffalo. I sold the extra ticket on my way in to the concert, so it was no big deal.
As I've gotten older, I've come to value convenience as an attribute of a successful live music experience. I'm not quite as mellow about traffic, drunk idiots, long lines, gross bathrooms, etc. as I was when I was younger. In addition to seeing Dave & Tim (Squee!), this was one of the most convenient concert going experiences ever. I left the ROC office and drove out to the lake. As I approached the venue there was...no traffic back-up because they had efficient traffic patterns. Parking was not an issue. I made short work of selling my extra ticket on my way in. Bottled water was not astronomically expensive. I found a convenient spot on the lawn. Recognizing that I was excited about these things made me realize that I am getting crotchety with age.
I had missed the Dave & Friends tour when I was in school, but loved Dave's solo album and accompanying bootlegs (how great was EmmyLou Harris on those recordings?!) so much that I knew this night was going to be a treat.
The difference between a DMB show and a Dave & Tim show is not the songs - Dave & Tim played a lot of DMB songs and so much of Dave's solo album has become standard at DMB shows that it all seems to blend together. The difference between a DMB show and a Dave & Tim show is the atmosphere. Also, Tim is a guitar God. But seeing the two guys together on stage, completely acoustic, with Dave telling lots of stories between each song...it felt like you were at a college open mic or a backyard BBQ where someone grabbed a guitar. Except you were in an amphitheater listening to one of the highest grossing live musicians ever. It was kind of surreal.
The setlist was incredible - so many songs that I love. Highlights included, 'Oh', 'Funny The Way It Is', 'Lie In Our Graves' (that was my JAM once upon a time), 'You & Me', 'Cornbread'...there was not a bad song in the set. The sound was so much smaller than a usual DMB set (no horns or percussion, obviously), which allowed you to really focus in on the guitar riffs and the nuance of Dave's delivery. Everything felt less like a song and more like a story and the concert as a whole almost functioned as a narrative.
Dave kept reiterating how excited he was to be there, and what a treat it was to play with just Tim, after so much time on the road with the whole band. He talked about how he had ridden his bike from Pittsford to Rochester and back. He mentioned that if he was rusty at any of the songs he hadn't played in a while, he was really sorry. He talked about how hot it was. The crowd was attentive and enthusiastic. I made friends with some people around me on the lawn. Plus, you could feel the breeze from the lake and the sunset over the hill was breathtaking.
For as much as the audience didn't want the show to end, it seemed like Dave didn't want it to end either - the first encore was five songs long! And then, there was a two song second encore. I snuck out after the first few lines of the last song - 'Don't Drink the Water' (I know, I know...but it's not my favorite song by a longshot and I had to get back to BUF) - zipped right out of the parking lot and drove home (SO convenient!). As I drove home, I remember feeling like I had left a gathering of friends.
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