Best Venue Ever: Giants Stadium
By Thomas HamillWhat is the best venue for the Dave Matthews Band? I imagine that many of the responses are going to be that fan's nearest venue, and my choice will be the same. The difference however will probably lie in my definition of a venue. A concert venue is much more than just the location, more than just the appearance, more than the sound.
The concert itself is an event that happens at a venue. It is about being the first in the lot at eleven in the morning for a show that doesn't start until eight. It is about being able to have some beers and grill it up before the show. It is about jamming with your friends for hours, whether it is one guitar and a djembe, or ten guitars and more bongos than you can count on your hand. Sure, we were off beat, out of tune, and probably in the wrong key most of the time, but those are the memories that linger. A concert venue is not just the stage where the band will play; it's not only thousands of seats waiting to be filled by scores of people young and old hoping to hear the one song that made them a Dave fan. That is where the magic of the experience comes into effect.
There are the younger fans waiting to hear their first Ants closer, and then there are the veterans of the scene who are hoping for a rarity in the set list, so that years later they can say they were at the show where the band busted out a cover of "Angel from Montgomery" and Boyd went nuts with his solo.
It is about catching a glimpse of what eighty thousand strong looks like with the explosion of the flash bulbs that accompany a Watchtower intro. The venue is merely the host to one crazy party, but the experience is these things and so much more.
I have been to shows up and down the east coast, I've flown to California, I've driven to Ohio, and even made it down to Bonnaroo. These places are not without their charm, but they simply cannot match the intensity and aura of Giants Stadium.