James
Great show! I think it was just as good as the first night even though both shows were completely different. Boyd was rocking the stage dancing from corner to corner. And i loved when boyd and dave were jamming together, Dave doing his goose head dance, awesome! the place was loud and crazy. couldnt have been a better homecoming for the guys in such a great arena.

i hope the Live Trax comes out of this! there are plenty of ppl that didnt go that would love to hear it!

Andy D.
I saw that crazy mothertrucker outside the venue and thought maybe he was just there to sell tickets, but apparently he wasn't. Despite his shananigans, still a great show... a 12 minute Loving Wings(w/out WAYG) and a mid set Billies. Butterfly was great too but again Joe Lawlor stole the show with a nearly 10 minute If I Had It All...

make Joe the 7th man...

Rene O.
the show was great i thought. obviously not as intense as the first but in ways they were both equally great. i don't see why people rip them playing 2 songs on back to back nights. they've donw that quite a few times before. not to mention the fenway shows which ppl liked. and last year at red rocks, they played louisiana bayou 4 straight nights. the band was great, the atmosphere couldnt have been better. They need to make it into a live CD quick!!

Erik
The band completely let me down at the end tonight. Playing Stay at the end was the worst possible thing they could have done in my opinion. They played it to end at both other Virginia shows(Bristow and Va Beach). Plus they were supposed to play LAST STOP!! The guy was bringing out the guitar in drop D tuning and the actual setlist had last stop listed as the song. Dave went right into Stay and the guy with the guitar turned around..i guess it was because of the guy that came on stage but still I am extremely upset. Other than that I thought the show was pretty good..not nearly as good as night one though. Although, Shotgun and Butterfly were unbelievable. I'm also not sure why they had to play Hunger and Bayou both nights. This show had so much potential, and I just really think they made a huge mistake by changing last stop to stay.

Dave
This was a solid show. Very mellow opening with "One Sweet World" and "Seek Up," but the crowd was digging it. The energy really jumped with "Grey Street," "Don't Drink the Water," and "Shotgun." I was really impressed by "Shotgun" - a solid new tune. The energy was hopping for "Tripping Billies" - a big tune from the old days.

The band stayed onstage for a long time - close to three hours prior to encore - and they raised the bar at the end of the set. I was sure that they would end it after "Dancing Nancies." Then I was sure they would end it after "Warehouse." And then they brought out the pedal steel and Robert Randolph ripped it up on "Smooth Rider" and "Louisiana Bayou." That brought the house down.

Encore was okay - very intimate "Butterfly," followed by the intro to "American Baby," complete with a sit in by an addled dude in a long coat, and a standard "Stay."

My only complaint - why the two repeats? Why play "Louisiana Bayou" and "Hunger For The Great Light" two nights in a row at the same venue. Sure, they were both great, but couldn't they have thrown in something else? That always perplexes me - why does the band repeat on multi-night runs.

All in all, I was very happy with the show. Thanks for coming home, boys. Let's try to make it more often than once every five years.

Corrie
Whatever. Two repeats. No rare song pulled out from the vault which is plenty full of amazing stuff. Nothing special to comment on, well, when it comes to the music. HOWEVER, two funny/strange things did happen last night.

#1 RR kicking his chair out from under him during LB and falling over it moments later.

#2 The creepy ass dude clothed in what appeared to be desert fatigues(spelling is wrong I am sure) who crawled out from under the curtains behind the stage, and slowly walked towards Dave. His eyes were totally fixated on Dave. I watched as a big, monster of a stage hand beat the crap outta this dude. His massive hands slammed into this creepy dude's chest and then he carried the creepy dude to the stairs where the creepy dude ended up falling down. The creepy guy was later seen being taken away while screaming up to the heavens something to the effect of father why are they doing this to me?!?! Hello? Cuz you are crazy maybe?

C-ville is a beautiful town with good eats and the downtown mall is cool. I also was happy with the amount of WH people to hang out with.

Chris P.
Well, it was a decent good show, honestly nothing amazing. Highlights were Shotgun (very nice version) with an excellent intro, Loving Wings, Seek Up, Warehouse. Some definate letdowns were the way that One Sweet World was played. I enjoy older versions of this tune, mainly due to Carter's strange time signature now. He played this very strange last night, as he has lately. Hunger could have been dropped, Smooth Rider was a slow burner that burned wayy too slow, Louisianna...? Why again? Mix it up some, it's the last show of the tour. it's at home, have some fun with the setlist. Where was Rawshawn Ross. I attened the VA beach and Bristow dates of this tour and enjoyed his prescence in tunes like Smooth Rider, he adds quite alot, and I feel like he was barely there last night. Whether that's beacuse of mixing, or just not being given as many solo's, i don't know, but I for one missed his solo's in many of the nights tunes. Dreamgirl? What has happened to this song? Everything that made it excellent when played earlier this year was gone last night, no intro, no jam at the end, and just an overall awkard playing of this tune. It was a hit or miss night, If I Had it All was brilliant, Joe Lawlor's playing next to Robert Randolph's was the hungriest of the night and I was very impressed with what he brought to the fold with this song. The band fed off him, and this was one of the most successfull renditions of the night. There was so much more that could have been done with this setlist... cough cough (last stop, hallowwen, The Stone, Cry Freedom, etc.) The encore started very nice with Butterfly, and then went straight to crap witht the mindless American Baby intro, I don't count that as a song and felt slightly ripped off, then of course Stay, whaich was played tired. ABI is just too repititive for my tastes "She Say's... She Say's... She Say's" I love it as an intro segue jam, but to be credited, and played as a seperate song as it has many times this tour just doesnt make sense to me. It's lyrics are ameture to those found in other songs like Seek Up, and the music goes no where. Last Stop would have been much more appropriate, and would have ended the night and tour right. In the end I think last night was a tired DMB, the effort was there (they played for 3 hrs) but the energy just wasnt.

Patrick P.
In the words of Jon Bon Jovi, “who says you can’t come home?” While the Dave Matthews Band often includes stops in their home state of Virginia (four stops this summer tour), an actual show in their hometown of Charlottesville, VA come once in a blue moon- the last appearance dating back to 2001. With a tour ending stop in C’ville you could of expected the hoards of nearby DMB fans to take the to streets outside Miller’s in preparation of the show- I know I did. A tour ending show in the band’s hometown had the expectation to be a great one. And the band made good promise on it.

As the band took the stage for their final show of the tour in the John Paul Jones Arena on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; they faced a packed crowd of new and old fans. Coming off a show where a lot of the mainstream favorites (Too Much, Crash, Ants, etc) where played- the fans were anxious to hear some real gems that Dave had left in his pocket. Dave delivered with the first chords of One Sweet World- and the crowd’s reaction was in agreement. The band followed up with Seek Up, a rarity for this tour, and Grey Street. As Dave said at the start, “We’re going to start off with some easy songs…” After the set was underway he pulled out some newer works with Shotgun and Loving Wings. Both pieces were well done and reflected a maturity that both songs underwent after many shows of development. Tripping Billies, Crush and Dreamgirl got the crowd going and dancing in the seats. The true highlight of the set in my eyes was Dancing Nancies that followed into Warehouse. The classic pairing from the UTTAD album came to life on stage with the same energy and cohesiveness. Robert Randolph came on stage after Warehouse to lend his talents on Smooth Rider and Louisana Bayou. His style of keyboard, funk, and even dancing enhanced both songs. Robert displayed true focus on “the funk” that resulted in his tripping over a chair that he himself kicked to the back of the stage.

The encore featured Butterfly, a song he dedicated to his children, and a jam packed American Baby Intro. Up until this point the crowd’s demands for Last Stop were very strong- you could hear the chants for the song throughout the set. It appears that Dave wanted to make please his fans by including the song in the encore- but a drunken man in a trenchcoat snuck on stage and caused a security scare that caused the set to end early with Stay. Despite the interruption the Dave Matthews Band ending the tour in style with a set that appealed to the true DMB fan. Let’s hope that the next tour will include less interruptions.

Megan D.
This was my 33rd show and my first in Charlottesville. I thought it was for the most part a very good show. Although it was pretty predictable the jams were very good. There were a few wonderful suprises Seek up, Nancies into Warehouse was very appropriate for a hometown show. The jam on the end of Smooth rider was a bit excessive what with an intoxicated (i think) Dave wandering around the stage. Two songs in my opinion were missing from the set list, Halloween and The Last Stop. Between almost every song the crowd chanted Halloween begging for it to be played. Instead we got a hum drum encore of a beautiful rendition of Butterfly and American Baby Intro and then the completely overused Stay. Stay has been the last song three out of four shows in Virginia this year. I personally think that's ridiculous especially for being the home state. I know that Dave's voice was fading fast but seriously give me a brake. The girls that were behind me left as soon as they started into the song because they felt the same way.

Anniesmiles
All I can say is I had THE BEST time all weekend. These shows were 33 and 34-ish for me (I know I have at least that many tickets, but who hasn't lost a ticket or two on tour, so i don't know for sure :-D) and I just had a BLAST all weekend in C'ville. The band was having the best time and you could totally tell, the acoustics were simply amazing (cause, let's be honest, it's all about the SOUND, people) and the John Paul Jones arena was a beautiful venue with a friendly staff just working their way through college. The downtown mall was bumping and everywhere people were smiling and having a great time. What more could I want from a road trip?

I don't care that they repeated songs or that they had to skip "Last Stop" (because though I would have liked to have heard it, from my SPECTACULAR seat on the left side of the stage, first row (WHOO!), I saw the whole thing happen and that dude was CREEPY and wearing a trenchcoat for crying out loud. total weirdo and i would have bugged out too if i were the band and that due got that close).

Oh, and also, their whole families were there watching the show right under us(didn't see Stella and Grace, but Dave's mom was there and he dedicated Butterfly to her - awwww) and they were just beaming. It was a good end for them and I am so happy they had such a great time. I couldn't have asked for anything more than for them to have a better welcome home time then they had the last time they played in C'ville (where the tension was obvious and sad). Good for the band, and good for the fans who made the pilgrimage down there. See you all at winter tour!

Nena
First time visiting Charlottesville and what a lovely town! We saw the warehouse and visited Millers – although I don’t think they expected such a crowd for the weekend because the service wasn’t so great.

It was still cool experiencing the town and what a charming town it was! Went to both shows and agree mostly with the other reviews. I think most fans were expecting some surprises and especially “the last stop” as an opener or encore.. but all and all DMB put on a great show! I must admit that I too wanted to hear Halloween and Last Stop in the worst way – and even sat down in amazement when Stay started but I just have to be grateful to see the last show of the summer tour- of the best band ever!

Steve W.
quick overall weekend review. the version of rapunzel to open the weekend was almost worth the 900 mile drive for me. rhymne & reason and two step were unreal. i'm not the most religous person to ever walk the earth, but carter just might be god. boyd completely owned saturday night. find a copy of this show just for tripping billies, crush and dancing nancies. how anyone can complain about hearing louisiana bayou on back to back nights (especaially the saturday version) is beyond me. a couple of disappointments on the weekend. no halloween, last stop, grace is gone or spotlight. question of the weekend has to be was anyone aware that mark david chapman appearantly has a brother?

Barry
So this show was really cool mostly because it was my first time to Cville and it was a treat to see that town / eat lunch at Millers / etc.

The setlist wasn't too bad, I liked the mellow beginning with some classics and then the whole place erupting with Grey Street. Robert Randolph is pure energy and entertainment and I enjoyed seeing him with the band. You know someone is way into it when he trips on his chair. Although things got wierd at the end with the aformentioned psycho guy, it was a good show. Was hoping for more super old / rare stuff but you can't always get what you want. Seems like anymore there is so much stuff that it's really hard to hear all the old favorites. Cheers!

Terrance P.
There was heavy anticipation that led to this weekend and its performances. I've been to a few shows(this was 21 and 22) but I haven't felt or heard this type of energy emitted from the crowd. There wasn't a song played that I didn't hear constant singing and volume from those voices of praise. The arena was fair. New, but sort of disconnectedly constructed. The sound was off in night one but got remedied during the second night. It was amazing how close one needed to perch and duck while in the concession lines just to read the menu. The abundance of older heads and far-away-excursioners made this set of shows so worthwhile.

Night one had its share of highlights including a very vocal crowd for Everyday, a great IOY, TS, and Jimi. The addition of Joe and John added much to the performances. The battling of Robert and Carter was amazing. Being a percussionist myself, Carter defines amazing. He and Boyd ran away with these two shows. Night two was a bit different than I had expected. I typically sense that the 1st night of a two concert set or the 2nd of three or more tend to be mid-tempo to mellow in delivery. Usually that last night is when the roof has been set ablaze by these incredibly talented musicians. The beginning was great right up until the first repeat of the night. Our section(107) remained standing and enjoyed it nonetheless. Loving Wings and Billies were awesome. Then that's when the air started to seep out of the crowd a bit. Although IIHIA had a great extended outro, it seemed to progress slowly. Crush is one of my favorites, however it seemed to, along with IIHIA, encapsule 25 minutes of laid back tempo that needed to be revived soon thereafter. Then came Dreamgirl. That song just doesn't do it for me, live or otherwise. It sounded okay, but now we were being rocked to sleep for a good while now. Nancies-Warehouse was sort of expected. It was well done. Then came the next two repeats from the previous evening. Did anyone notice that badass Carter and RR playing Sade's "Sweetest Taboo" during the outro and jam portion of Smooth Rider? I wish everyone else in the band had caught on and joined in. RR added much flavor to LB, but it pales in comparison to Nissan '05. Butterfly was a great suprise, because I love that song(kinda has that stay or leave feel) Just when I thought Dave's voice had folded, he bellowed and screamed away during AB intro(a song that probably shouldn't encompass an encore) and it was well received by the cheering faithful. Stay was expected. Once getting home and reading about the abrupt interruption of Boyd into Stay(it happened previously during SR into LB) I wasn't nearly as disappointed with the encore. We received 3.5 hours of our favorite combination of stellar musicians. There were plenty of fans that weren't able to make this trip and be in attendance this weekend. For those of us that went and got the opportunity to witness such musical genius on stage, we are forever greatful. Of course there are songs I'd much rather had heard, however this was an amazing weekend in a charming little town. Thanks DMB for yet another memorable summer. Can't wait 'til the winter! Until we dance again...or shall I say: until we trip and fall over our chair!

BigWill
I'm not gonna spend this review complaining about not hearing Last Stop, despite how much I TRULY wanted to hear it. Instead, I'm gonna share my sincere feelings about a great weekend. I knew this weekend would be better than the debacle that occurred at Scott Stadium..anything could have surpassed that. I live in DC and the excitement for this weekend was palpable the second the Nissan show ended and the boys didn't disappoint.

Night one was solid. The guys gave us a few distinct highlights: 1)Carter beating down RR during the best TS I've ever heard; 2) Rhyme and Reason getting extremely blues-y with the guest guitarist; 3)Proudest Monkey, etc...I could go on, but the point is made. Plenty of guests tonight and From section 102 tonight, it was really nice to see the band's families sitting behind the soundboard, taking in a great show.

Night Two: SEEK UP! First time hearing this since my first show back on 8.22.98. This along with a strong Grey Street, Loving Wings, and RR set (complete with Dave wearing a UVA cavalier hat and Boyd's shades) made for a strong night. I almost lost my mind when Carter broke out the beat for Sweetest Taboo and Boyd hopped in. But I guess not enough of the guys dig Sade like that. Thanks to the city of Charlottesville for dealing with a few thousand strangers carousing their streets, hotels, and bars for a weekend. It was amazing. Do get a copy of this show, if for nothing else, it was sweet redemption for that long night 5 years ago when the future of the band was clearly in question.