dec.07.2005

Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY
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Graph of songs performed, by album
Opening Band: Soulive
One Sweet World *
#41 *
Don’t Burn The Pig
Hunger for the Great Light *
Granny
Recently *
Old Dirt Hill
Louisiana Bayou *
Dreamgirl +
Minarets
Crash (Into Me)
American Baby Intro *
Stand Up *
Where Are You Going?
Stay *
Encore:
Christmas Song
Ants Marching

* Rashawn Ross on trumpet
+ Eric Krasno on guitar

Jeff
Considering how bad the copyright-protected monstrosity known as "Stand Up" came out to be, I'm pleased to report that those songs, when played live, are somehow awesome. Carter, you rock my socks!

It was cool to hear #41, even though the jam could have been longer. I still don't know how I feel about the Everyday outro.

Louisiana Bayou really rocked, as always, especially with Boyd going bonkers. I never get sick of hearing that one at a show.

Hunger for the Great Light was short, energetic, and fun. I always sing and dance along with it.

I kind of sighed when they started Recently but then I was pleasantly surprised when they did that end jam that they do on Remember Two Things. I was under the impression that the jam had kind of disappeared into oblivion, so it was definitely nice to hear it. The addition of Rashawn Ross in that song and throughout most of the set was a good move.

Dream Girl was...meditiative, definitely an awesome (and different) song live and it was good to see them jam it out. What was up with Eric Krasno's solo? It never stopped. The fade out seemed to take longer than it should have.

Of course, being alone when they bust into Crash isn't as fun as it could be, but it was played well anyway.

Old Dirt Hill: Yawn.

I had no idea Minarets was such an awesome song. Since I'd never heard any live recording of it before, I was shocked when the song just went nuts at the end. Carter for president! There were so many different flavors in it. Definitely a highlight of the night. I don't know why such a good song is so rare.

American Baby Intro: (I really wish this song had a different name, because it's really sad when the "intro" is better than the song itself). Anyway, four chords over and over again somehow works really well here. Of course, it was all Carter's doing, and Dave's yelling too I guess. Very high energy.

Christmas song was really special to hear. It made me feel all fuzzy inside, except for all the off-key audience members who sang along. Yikes! Don't ruin an amazing song with your tone-deafness!

Stay, Ants, and Where Are You Going were, well, the same as always pretty much, but they were still awesome, so I won't complain. Overall it was a really sweet night. Kind of a strange setlist in that most of the songs were either from Remember Two Things or Stand Up and there was very little from the other albums. I was disappointed with the unenthusiastic crowd, but the energy of the music was high enough that it didn't matter. Great show. Happy Holidays.
Dec.08.2005
Michael N.
First and foremost what a great opening band in Soulive; First time I've seen them live and there fantastic. Eric Kranos is a solid guitarist.

Let me just first apologize to all the out of towners, and to the Dave Matthews Band and crew for the crowd. It felt like I was at a high school party or a frat party. People throwing glow sticks is just uncalled for, and for the person who threw the one on stage and almost hit Boyd, you should be banned for life.

Outstanding show top to bottom. Amazing version of LB, and Minarets. It's just amazing how every time I see them they just get better and more tighter. Boyd was hitting all the notes, Carter was well, being Carter, and even with the rude crowd, DMB was hitting on all notes. Great show.
Dec.09.2005
Jeremy
The only thing to say is WOW!! What an amazing show. Being from Rochester I really love when they come and rock it. This was my twelvth show and so far...the best.

One sweet world worked well as an opener. Followed by a nice version of #41. I can't get enough of that song. Followed by yet another great, what I would consider, oldie...PIG. Never heard it live so that was a nice suprise.

I really enjoyed Recently. It was great to hear an old familiar version like the one the boys played this night. Felt like a ho-down at one point. Loved the vibe.

Granny was another wonderfully orchestrated piece. That is such a great song. Especially live.

The whole show was top notch. But I really got into it when Lousiana Bayou started. Dreamgirl, Minarets, Crash, Where are You Going?......WONDERFUL!!! They all fit very nicely together. There were no dissapointments tonight. The only songs I wanted to hear going into the night were Stay, Ant's, & The Christmas Song. And I got my Christmas present early this year. The three I just needed to hear, all in a nice little row.

On a final note.....

Like I said, I've seen them twelve times, and through all those shows I never got to hear the one song I've always wanted to live.....Ant's Marching. I went into the night praying for it, but trying my best not to expect it. But sure enough my prayer found their attention. A pretty standard version from what I've always heard, but nonetheless...I couldn't be more satisfied.

Overall....amazing. I have only one regret.....

Not being able to hear what she was saying, when the beautiful girl next to me was saying when she was trying to give me her number. But I will find you and we shall dance next time too.

See you all in the spring/summer. I'm more pumped to see them again than I've ever been. After a show like this though....Is there any room to go up?
Dec.09.2005
Sara
This was #11 for me, and it gets better everytime! I have successfully heard OSW at 8 of my 11 shows, the other 3 are SPAC and not played each night. But enjoyable non the less. Bayou was great, I really enjoyed that. Hunger for the Great Light was perfect. Thats my fav song on the new disc. Minarets was the best. That was the highlight of the show. I forgot how much i love that song, and hearing live was a treat and it just made the 3 hour drive in the cold worth it. #41 was nice too. Dave in brown pants and Boyd going crazy were extremely entertaining. the only issue i had with the show was Dreamgirl. I heard it at Darien and loved it, but i didn't like it this time. I think they tried to do to much with it, and the song had too much bass for inside. The beginning of the song is absolutly amazing, but they just jammed to long. All in all it was a great show and i had lots of fun. And am looking forward to next year!
Dec.09.2005
Eric F.
Great show in my oppinion. Setlist was extremely good. Great venue. The other time I saw them at Blue Cross was for Dave and Friends which was AMAZING,but this was a good show also. The only downfall was Dreamgirl, which went a little too long. Best song I thought was Minarettes. Cool end to the song. Highly recomend Blue Cross to see a show. Not really a bad seat in the place and awesome song. Another downfall was the encore. Not that it was bad, but the songs were predictable.
Dec.10.2005
Matt
Not a bad song in the setlist, only a questionable one with dreamgirl and they were a little off in Old Dirt Hill. I loved Minarets, it was the first time I heard it live and it was just phenomonal, same goes for Don't Burn the Pig. No matter how many times I hear Granny live, I'll never get tired of it. Boyd is out of his mind, disgusting solo in Bayou that I wished had never ended. He was jammin HARD with the band and everyone was goin nuts. Also a sick solo for Carter in #41, which is another of my favorites. All around pretty good show.

Only complaint is why would you throw things a band that you love? It makes no sense, if I was them I would have left stage and never come back to Rochester. Lucky for us, they're a little more understanding of a few dumb/high kids. At least I hope so, I want them to keep coming back.

Great show, can't wait to see them at Darien this summer or maybe I'll make the trip to Red Rocks!!!
Dec.10.2005
Rob S.
A very fun night at Blue Cross Arena. You have to love the smaller venues. I thought DMB's energy tonight was probably around 8 out of 10, which means lots of energy. The setlist was unique with a lot of R2T. OSW is always a nice opener. In this area we seem to have this in the setlist almost always (except for '05 Darien Lake). It sets a nice mood for the night though. Hard to disagree with the message. Pig seems to becoming more of a staple. Great message here too. #41 is a classic that I always love. Recently was a great surprise with great jamming. The highlight for me was Minerets. It came out of nowhere (I didn't realize at the time they had played it the night before) and just blew me away that I was hearing it. I've been to almost 50 shows in the last 10 years and I can't remember the last time I was at a show when this was played. Maybe the late 90's? Anyway it was fantastic. The American Baby intro is a new fav of mine. Some kind of hypnotic yet energizing groove that to me is DMB. Lot's of other good tunes. Songs from Stand Up translate well into a live show. Christmas Song was very cool. Tis the season.

Here's my DMB "state of the union". Musically the band is as tight as ever. To me it seems that they realize how lucky they are to be doing what they love & have passion for. They never seem to take for granted that they have a lot of people that spend a lot of $$$ to be apart of what DMB has going on. It is not just a show, it is somewhat of a community environment for many. It's a scene that is continually evolving from what I have seen.

My hope is that DMB continue to evolve & try new things, as they have to this point. Criticism can be harsh when you are putting yourselfs out there under such a giant microscope. Them being so dynamic is what really keeps it interesting. Ants, Twostep, Jimithing & Crash Into Me are all classics for sure, but hearing their diversity like Pay For What You Get, Sugar Will, Hello Again,You Never Know & Louisana Bayou is what makes this band so interesting.
Dec.12.2005
Matt K.
Caught more of Soulive than I did in Toronto - they are pretty solid, but I wish the crowd had shown them a bit more love. The Beatles cover got the crowd going, but that was about it. I believe folks were still out drinking! One Sweet World was the best I've ever seen it, which is odd... this was an indoor show, and I find it to be a very nature-inspired song. Amazing lights during the opening song! Never seen such timing between lights and music at a DMB show before. 41 was great, as usual. Granny was fairly rocking, but I have seen them do this one with more passion. Recently was fantastic!! Bayou was great - as many others have said, this one will continue to be played for years to come. They just need to vary the jam a bit. Dream Girl was a snooze. EXCEPT the fade out jam. This went on much longer than I have heard before. Full of soft drumming. Some would say this "jam" was only aimless noodling, but I loved it. DMB rarely/never puts out this kind of sound. And it didn't sound aimless to me - in fact, I'd almost say there are the makings of a new song hidden in this soft jam. Never thought I'd hear Minarets in my life... WOW! Great vocals from Dave, great drumming. The band was all over this one. American Baby Intro - again, just amazing. I love the screaming vocals. Great to hear! Stay was pretty great, and Ants was something to smile about - it always is. Overall, I would rate this show above Toronto. Probably somewhere slightly behind the MSG shows. Right up there at the top of the tour. Rochester is always a good time! Worth the travel.
Dec.21.2005
Joe M.
WOW - only my third Dave Matthews Band concert....but it was definitely my best one yet. I really like the indoor concerts much better than the outdoor concerts. The crowd right from the beginning was absolutely awesome, and it really seemed like Dave and the band had a lot of energy and were appreciative of the crowd right from the onset.

One Sweet World was an awesome choice for an opener...#41 was great, the jam was awesome....I finally got to hear Pig, which was also great. Hearing Minarets was unbelievable...Recently and Where are you going were greast, Stay was a great closer, and Ants Marching was great in the encore...but overall, Louisiana Bayou and American Baby Intro totally stole the show, and this is coming from a person that isn't exactly in love with Stand Up.

I could have really done without Dreamgirl...it seemed to really take the energy out of the crowd...and I kind of feel like Crash is slightly overplayed. Also, it was kind of dissapointing having the same exact encore as some of the concerts earlier on in the tour. I feel like perhaps there should be more unpredicatability...but overall, it was an amazing concert, the band had tons of energy, Carter and Dave were absolutely amazing, the crowd was amazing...what a great night.
Dec.22.2005