Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
Carter Beauford
Carter Anthony Beauford (born November 2, 1958) is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumm ...
, violinist and backing vocalist
Boyd Tinsley
Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Tinsley was raised in a musical family. His father was a choir director and his un ...
, and saxophonist
LeRoi Moore
LeRoi Holloway Moore (September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's ...
. As of 2022, Matthews, Lessard, and Beauford are the only remaining founding members still performing with the band.
Dave Matthews Band's 1994 major label debut album, ''
Under the Table and Dreaming
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994. The album's first single was "What Would You Say", featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler on harmonica. Two other singles from th ...
'', was certified platinum six times. , the band had sold more than 25 million concert tickets and a combined total of 38 million CDs and DVDs. Their 2018 album, '' Come Tomorrow'', debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, making DMB the first band to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at the peak. The band won the 1996
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
So Much to Say
"So Much to Say" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in August 1996 as the second single from their album, ''Crash (Dave Matthews Band album), Crash''. It won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo ...
".
A
jam band
A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...
, Dave Matthews Band is renowned for its live shows. The band is known for playing songs differently each performance; this practice has become a staple of their live shows since the early 1990s.
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
at Miller's Bar in November 1990, became a friend of a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
named Ross Hoffman. Hoffman convinced Matthews to record a demo of the few songs Matthews had written and encouraged him to approach
Carter Beauford
Carter Anthony Beauford (born November 2, 1958) is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumm ...
, a local drummer on the Charlottesville music scene. Beauford had been in several bands and was then playing on a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
show on
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
.
After hearing Matthews's demo, Carter agreed to spend some time playing the drums, both inside and outside the studio. Matthews also approached
LeRoi Moore
LeRoi Holloway Moore (September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's ...
, another local jazz musician who often performed with the
John D'earth
John D'earth (born March 30, 1950) is an American post-bop/hard bop jazz trumpeter born in Framingham, Massachusetts, Framingham, Massachusetts who has appeared on recordings by Dave Matthews and Bruce Hornsby as well as recording a number of C ...
Quintet, to join them. The trio began working on Matthews's songs in 1991. Matthews recollects that, "...the reason I went to Carter was ''not'' because I needed a drummer, but because I thought he was the baddest thing I'd ever seen and LeRoi, it wasn't because I desperately wanted a saxophone, it was because this guy just blew my mind. At this jazz place I used to bartend at Miller's, I would just sit back and watch him. I would be serving the musicians fat whiskeys and they'd be getting more and more hosed, but no matter how much, he used to still blow my mind. And it was the sense that everyone played from their heart. And when we got together and they asked, 'What do you want the music to sound like?' I said, 'I know this is a song I wrote and I like what you guys play, so I want you to play the way you react to my song.' There was a lot of breaking of our inhibitions."
Matthews later said in an interview with Michael Krugman, "In a way, initially it was just the three of us and I approached them with this tape and they said 'Sure,' cause they had time on their hands. They were both working on other things, but they had some afternoon time."
The beginning stages of this new band proved to be, in the words of Morgan Delancey, "a time of trial and incubation." Beauford would later recall that, "It started out as a three-piece thing with Dave and Leroi...working on some of Dave's songs. He only had four songs at the time...And it didn't work out with the three of us." Matthews said, "The first time we played together...we were awful. Not just kind of bad, I mean heinously bad. We tried a couple of different songs and they were all terrible...Sometimes it amazes me that we ever had a second rehearsal."
Their limited instrumentals did not provide the full sound they desired, however, and more musicians were needed. Upon the recommendation of John D'earth, Director of Jazz Performance at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
at the time, joined the band. In 1991, Miller's waiter
Peter Griesar
Peter Griesar (born 1969) is an American musician, known for playing keyboards, harmonica and providing backing vocals with the Dave Matthews Band from August 1990 to March 1993. He grew up in Westchester County, New York and moved to Charlottesvi ...
became the band's first keyboardist. Because of other commitments, violinist
Boyd Tinsley
Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Tinsley was raised in a musical family. His father was a choir director and his un ...
did not become a full-time member until 1992. Matthews later admitted, "We had no plans of adding a violinist. We just wanted some fiddle tracked on this one song " Tripping Billies", and Boyd was a friend of Leroi. He came in and it just clicked. That completely solidified the band, gave it a lot more power."
The band's first in-studio demo was recorded in February or March 1991 before Tinsley joining as a full-time band member and consisted of "Song That Jane Likes", "Recently", "Best of What's Around", and "I'll Back You Up."
For years, it was believed that the band's first public show was at Charlottesville's 1991 Earth Day Festival. On October 9, 2010, Stefan Lessard reported, via Twitter, the discovery of an earlier show, taped March 14, 1991, at TRAX, a local music venue. The show was a benefit for the Middle East Children's Alliance and, according to Lessard, included the following songs: "Typical Situation", "Best of What's Around", "I'll Back You Up", "Song That Jane Likes", "Warehouse", "Cry Freedom", and "Recently". The show included only Dave, Stefan, Carter, and LeRoi. Local weekly appearances soon followed, and word of the band's sound spread within a short time.
The band considered calling itself "Dumwelah", which is the
Tswana
Tswana may refer to:
* Tswana people, the Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions
* Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people
* Bophuthatswana, the former ba ...
word for "hello", but there was little enthusiasm for the name and they decided against it. One story is that Moore reportedly telephoned a place they were booked and said to write "Dave Matthews." The person receiving the call wrote "band" after the name, and the name stayed Dave Matthews Band from that point on. Matthews told Robert Trott of AP, "Boyd insley if memory serves, wrote 'Dave Matthews Band' n this flyer for the show There was no time when we said, 'Let's call this band the Dave Matthews Band.' It just became that, and it sort of was too late to change when we started thinking that this could focus unfairly on me. People sort of made that association, but it's really not like that."
Beauford seemed to agree with Matthews's analysis of the band name when he said to ''
Modern Drummer
''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...
'' magazine that, "As a matter of fact, that's one of the things about this band that everybody likes: There isn't a leader. Each one of us can express ourselves musically without being choked by a leader. Everybody can offer what they feel is gonna enhance the music. So, yeah, that's the main thing that all the guys — especially me — feel make this band happen. It's the freedom that we have to speak with our instruments."Nevin Martell, ''Dave Matthews Band: Music for the people'', (New York: Pocket Books, 2004) 21
By the summer of 1991, they were playing at Eastern Standard with Charles Newman as their manager for a brief time. They also continued to play at fraternity functions; the last such show was at UVa at the DKE house on September 11, 1992. Thereafter the band began playing a regular Tuesday night show at the popular Charlottesville club Trax. Tapings of shows at Trax are some of the most widely shared among DMB fans. After Newman,
Coran Capshaw
Robert Coran Capshaw is an American music industry executive and entrepreneur. He is the manager of Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Lady A, Trey Anastasio and Chris Stapleton among others. Capshaw founded Red Light Management and co-founded ATO Rec ...
, owner of the Flood Zone where the band often played, took the helm of the Dave Matthews Band.
For a variety of reasons, like sensing that the band was on the verge of making it big and not wanting to have his life ruled by the grueling schedule that touring musicians often face, difficulties communicating with Matthews, and maintaining the mortgage on his new home,
Peter Griesar
Peter Griesar (born 1969) is an American musician, known for playing keyboards, harmonica and providing backing vocals with the Dave Matthews Band from August 1990 to March 1993. He grew up in Westchester County, New York and moved to Charlottesvi ...
decided to leave the band after a show at Trax nightclub on March 23, 1993, a night known as "Big League Chew".Delancey, Morgan, ''Dave Matthews Band: Step Into The Light'', page 104, ECW Press, 2001
On November 9, 1993, DMB released its first official release, ''
Remember Two Things
''Remember Two Things'' is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released independently on the band's Bama Rags label on November 9, 1993. This is the only release that lists the name of the group as "''The'' Dave Matthews Band" although the articl ...
'', on its Bama Rags label, later re-released by RCA in 1997. Live songs on the album were recorded at Trax in
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, Virginia The Flood Zone in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, Virginia, and The Muse Music Club on
Nantucket Island
Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
. The album debuted on college charts as the highest independent entry, and went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002.
Breakthrough to stardom (1994–1999)
The band released their first live EP, entitled ''
Recently
''Recently'' may refer to:
* ''Recently'' (album), by Joan Baez
* ''Recently'' (EP), by Dave Matthews Band
{{Disambig ...
'', in 1994. The album's five tracks were taken from shows performed at
The Birchmere
The Birchmere is a concert hall in Alexandria, Virginia, that features rock, blues, bluegrass, country, folk, jazz, ethnic, and comedic performers. Its main room seats 500 and provides dinner service, making for an intimate space, with tables on ...
, in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
. ''Recently'' was re-released by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
in 1997.
On September 27, 1994, DMB released their debut studio album, ''
Under the Table and Dreaming
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994. The album's first single was "What Would You Say", featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler on harmonica. Two other singles from th ...
'', featuring their first commercial hits "
What Would You Say
"What Would You Say" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in September 1994 as the lead single from their debut album ''Under the Table and Dreaming''. It reached #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In June 1995 it ...
" (featuring
John Popper
John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler.
Early life
John Popper was born in Chardon, Ohio. His father was a Hungarian immig ...
Satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
", and "
Ants Marching
"Ants Marching" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in September 1995 as the second single from their debut studio album '' Under the Table and Dreaming''. It reached #18 on the ''Billboard'' Alternative chart an ...
". The album was dedicated "In memory of Anne" for Matthews's older sister Anne, who was killed by her husband in 1994 in a
murder–suicide
A murder-suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more persons either before or while killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms:
* Murder linked with suicide of a person with a homicidal idea ...
. ''Under the Table and Dreaming'' brought the band worldwide fame and was eventually certified six times platinum.
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' and its follow-up album, ''
Crash
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
So Much to Say
"So Much to Say" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in August 1996 as the second single from their album, ''Crash (Dave Matthews Band album), Crash''. It won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo ...
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...
Crash into Me
"Crash into Me" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in December 1996 as the third single from their second album, ''Crash''. It reached number 7 on the US ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart in March 1997. The s ...
", "Too Much", and " Tripping Billies".
By 1997, DMB reached unparalleled levels of popularity across the United States and, to some degree, the world. On October 28, 1997, the band released their first full-length live album, ''
Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95
''Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95'' is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released on October 28, 1997. It was recorded live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on August 15, 1995. The album is known on the Internet by the abbreviation ...
''. The album, which was recorded at the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the Western United States, western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, flyi ...
in
Morrison, Colorado
The Town of Morrison is a Colorado municipalities#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 428 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Red R ...
, featured popular songs from the band's first three albums and included longtime collaborator
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master". ...
on electric guitar.
In late 1997, the band returned to the studio with producer
Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...
and an array of guest collaborators, including Reynolds, banjoist
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor (born Clarence Francis Taylor on April 13, 1961) is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Butch Taylor was born in Shawsville, Virginia on April 13, 1961. Taylor attended Ja ...
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
. They composed and recorded '' Before These Crowded Streets'', their third album with RCA, released on April 28, 1998. The album represented a great change in direction for the band as they did not rely on upbeat hit singles to carry the album. "
Stay (Wasting Time)
"Stay (Wasting Time)" is a song by Dave Matthews Band, released as the second single off their album ''Before These Crowded Streets''. As a single, it reached #8 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #33 on Top 40 Mainstream, and #20 on the Adult 40. ...
", an uplifting gospel number, and " Crush", a love
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, became very popular tracks along with the lead single, " Don't Drink the Water". Before These Crowded Streets was an instant commercial success, with over 900,000 albums sold worldwide in the first week. As of 2018, there have been over 21,000,000 copies sold worldwide.
The band took part in the
Woodstock '99
Woodstock '99 (also called Woodstock 1999) was a music festival held from July 22 to July 25, 1999, in Rome, New York. After Woodstock '94, it was the second large-scale music festival that attempted to emulate the original 1969 Woodstock fe ...
concert during the summer. In the fall, it then released a third live album, ''
Listener Supported
''Listener Supported'' is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released on November 23, 1999. It was recorded live at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on September 11, 1999.
In addition to being the third live release by ...
''. The album, a live recording, used a show performed at the
Continental Airlines Arena
Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor arena facility located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The arena is located on N ...
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
television special. The album was also released as the band's first DVD. The year also provided two more Grammy nominations. From their recent album, they earned another Grammy Award for Best Rock Album nomination for "Before These Crowded Streets", and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals nomination for the song "Crush".
Early 2000s
In 2000, DMB set up their own recording studio at a large countryside home outside Charlottesville. With longtime producer Lillywhite at the helm, the band began work on a fourth studio album. The songs were heavily influenced by personal conflicts, notably the death of Matthews's uncle from alcoholism.
In October 2000, an energized Matthews began writing with
Glen Ballard
Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's 1995 album '' Jagged Little Pill'', which won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Alb ...
, most famous for his work with Alanis Morissette. The rest of DMB (along with special guest Carlos Santana) soon joined Matthews in a Los Angeles studio and quickly recorded ''
Everyday
Everyday or Every Day may refer to:
Books
* ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012
Film
* ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt
* ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...
''. While the album gave the band a fresh start, Ballard's production, which featured a pop-rock music sound and no songs over 4:43, was very different from the acoustic sound and long jams that the albums produced by Steve Lillywhite featured (only 8 of the 35 tracks on the previous three albums were under 4:43). Carter Beauford has said that the album was a product of Matthews and Ballard and that it did not showcase the rest of the band. The February 27, 2001 release of ''Everyday'' was a huge commercial success. The singles " I Did It", "Everyday", and "
The Space Between
"The Space Between" is a song written by the Dave Matthews Band. It was released on their 2001 album, '' Everyday''. It was the album's first hit single and the band's first top 40 hit, with its peak at number 22 in the United States – several ...
" all charted on many ''Billboard'' charts, including the Hot 100.
In March 2001, the Lillywhite studio sessions from the previous year were leaked over the Internet. The tracks spread quickly over established Internet channels such as Napster. Collectively known as ''
The Lillywhite Sessions
''The Lillywhite Sessions'' (tLWS) is a collection of songs recorded by Dave Matthews Band in 1999 and 2000 and produced by Steve Lillywhite. The songs, recorded by the band as a follow-up to their 1998 album ''Before These Crowded Streets'', we ...
'', these tracks were lauded by both the fan base and the popular press. After critical comparison of the two simultaneous albums, fans who were less than pleased with Everyday's more electric sound were frustrated with the band's decision to scrap the work in exchange for ''Everyday''.
Many of the songs from ''The Lillywhite Sessions'' would, however, eventually be officially released. In response to overwhelming fan support, coupled with a popular and widely publicized online campaign known as the ''Release Lillywhite Recordings Campaign'', DMB returned to the studio in 2002 to record '' Busted Stuff''. Produced by Stephen Harris, the recording engineer who worked under Lillywhite on previous albums, the resulting CD provided new treatments of much of the ''Lillywhite Sessions'' material, along with newly written songs "You Never Know" and the single "
Where Are You Going
"Where Are You Going" is the first single from Dave Matthews Band's album '' Busted Stuff''. The single reached number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 20 on the Modern Rock Tracks, and topped the Triple A chart. The song was featured i ...
", which was subsequently used in the movie ''
Mr. Deeds
''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. It w ...
''. ''Busted Stuff'' hit the shelves on July 16, 2002.
During these two years the band released two live albums. The first, '' Live in Chicago 12.19.98'', features
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master". ...
on guitar as well as many other special guests such as bassist
Victor Wooten
Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...
, guitarist
Mitch Rutman
Mitch is a short form of the masculine given name Mitchell (given name), Mitchell. It is also sometimes a nickname, usually for a person with the surname Mitchell (surname), Mitchell. It may refer to:
People
* Mitch Altman (born 1956), hacker a ...
, and saxophonist
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many o ...
. The second, ''
Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
''Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado'' is the fourth live album released by the Dave Matthews Band. It was recorded in Boulder, Colorado at Folsom Field, the football stadium of the University of Colorado Boulder on July 11, 2001. It was rel ...
'', highlights songs from both ''Everyday'' and ''Busted Stuff'' and was released as both a CD and a DVD.
2004–2007
'' The Gorge'', a combination 2-CD/1-DVD set with highlights from their 3-night 2002 tour closer at
The Gorge Amphitheatre
The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known as Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, is an outdoor concert venue in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near Columbia River in Central Washington, west of George. The venue is manage ...
in
George, Washington
George is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 809 at the 2020 census. The "humorous homage" to President George Washington has landed George, Washington on lists of unusual place names.
The city is known for b ...
was released on June 29, 2004.
In August 2004, DMB was at the center of a controversy when about 800 pounds of liquid human waste was dumped from band member Boyd Tinsley's tour bus through the grate in the
Kinzie Street Bridge
The Kinzie Street Bridge is a single-leaf bascule bridge built in 1909 that spans the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Incidents
In April 1992, rehabilitation work on the pilings for the bridge damaged a freight tunn ...
in Chicago onto passengers aboard a sightseeing boat on the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
below. On March 9, 2005, the band's tour bus driver, Stefan Wohl, pleaded guilty to dumping the bus's waste tank into the Chicago River, and the band has donated $50,000 to the Friends of the Chicago River and $50,000 to the
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatorie ...
. In April 2005, the band paid $200,000 to settle the civil lawsuit that followed.
In Fall 2004, DMB returned to their studio in Charlottesville, Virginia with a new producer. The band decided they wanted to take some chances and pursue a funkier side to their music. To help achieve it, A&R Bruce Flohr tracked down producer/songwriter
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American producer, musician and songwriter. He has worked on albums by artists including Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, LeAnn Rimes, Anthony Hamilton, Eminem, India Arie, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Skylar Grey, Grace Potter an ...
. According to Flohr in an interview with HitQuarters, "When the band and him got together it was instant creative karma. Things took off like a bat out of hell."
The resultant album, '' Stand Up'', was released on May 10, 2005, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts with sales of 465,000. ''Stand Up'' spawned the singles "American Baby", " Dreamgirl", and "Everybody Wake Up". The band also released a video for "Dreamgirl", featuring
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...
, a long-time fan of the band. Another song from the album – "Steady As We Go" – was featured in an episode of
Everwood
''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive produce ...
and was cited by former campaign aide
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...
to be a favorite song of
John Edwards
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...
and
Rielle Hunter
Rielle Hunter (born Lisa Jo Druck; March 20, 1964, also known as Lisa Hunter, Lisa Jo Hunter, and Rielle Jaya James Druck)East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival.
The band supported the album with a 54 show, summer-long tour culminating in a four-night stand at Colorado's
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the Western United States, western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, flyi ...
. The 2005 summer tour also marked the first time
Rashawn Ross
Rashawn Ross (born January 16, 1979) is an American trumpeter and arranger from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. His contributions in the Dave Matthews Band as a touring member have gained him visibility. Ross is an accomplished session musician. R ...
played with the band. DMB also played a 13-show tour in the fall.
The band returned to the studio along with producer
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American producer, musician and songwriter. He has worked on albums by artists including Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, LeAnn Rimes, Anthony Hamilton, Eminem, India Arie, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Skylar Grey, Grace Potter an ...
in March 2006 (with the resultant album slated for release in winter.)
The band worked with
Reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
, a non-profit environmental organization, for their 2006 summer tour. Their Labor Day concert at
The Gorge Amphitheatre
The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known as Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, is an outdoor concert venue in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near Columbia River in Central Washington, west of George. The venue is manage ...
drew a crowd of 64,468, the largest ever for that venue
In early 2007, the band once again entered the studio with producers Mark Batson and Steven Miller to begin recording their seventh studio album.
According to Billboard magazine, the band's new studio album had been scheduled to be released in July by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
, but in an interview with the Brisbane Times on May 4, 2007, Stefan Lessard stated, "We're on a bit of a creative break as far as working in the studio – we've been in pre-production for a long time, but we'll get more serious later in the year."
On July 7, 2007, Dave Matthews Band performed on the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Live Earth
Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment.
Background
Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the be ...
concert at Giants Stadium.
On August 1, 2007, the band kicked off their annual summer tour, which ran through 37 concerts. "A Dream So Real" would only be played once after the 2007 Summer Tour, at the
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is a large amphitheatre located in Saratoga Springs, New York, on the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park. It presents summer performances of classical music, jazz, pop and rock, country, comedy, dance, opera, ...
on June 21, 2008, featuring Matthews playing keyboard. Supporting acts for the tour included
Toots and the Maytals
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.
...
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Robert Randolph and the Family Band is an American gospel band led by pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph (Robert Jermaine Randolph, born August 8, 1977, Irvington, New Jersey). NPR has described the band as one with an "irresistible rock ' ...
.
On September 6, 2007, Dave Matthews Band performed a free concert for the
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
student body and faculty. The show was entitled "A Concert for Virginia Tech" and was done in memory of the shootings that took place on April 16, 2007. John Mayer,
Phil Vassar
Phillip George Vassar Jr. (born May 28, 1962) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", ...
, and
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
joined them. There were over 50,000 people in attendance. Two days later, they performed a benefit show at Atlanta's Piedmont Park with the
Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to:
Music
*The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Gregg Allman Band
People
*Allman (surnam ...
opening. Though only 65,000 tickets were sold (50,000 originally, then a second block of 15,000) nearly 20,000 people sneaked into the show, making it the largest one-day concert in Atlanta history. The show raised money for the Piedmont Park
Conservancy Association
The Conservancy Association () is a Hong Kong non-governmental organisation founded in 1968.
The organisation focuses on the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. It also seeks to enhance the qu ...
. It was released as a CD/DVD called ''
Live at Piedmont Park
''Live at Piedmont Park'' is a live album and video release by the Dave Matthews Band from a 2007 benefit concert in Atlanta. The concert was held at Atlanta's Piedmont Park in front of an audience of over 80,000 people to raise over US $1 ...
''.
2008 and the death of LeRoi Moore
On March 6, 2008, it was revealed that the band had been working with
Rob Cavallo
Robert Siers Cavallo (born March 21, 1963) is an American record producer, musician, and record industry executive. He is among the biggest-selling producers in history, and has produced or had creative involvement in albums that have sold over ...
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master". ...
would be recording with the band on the new studio album.
On May 27, 2008, three days before the band embarked on their annual summer tour, it was announced that keyboardist
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor (born Clarence Francis Taylor on April 13, 1961) is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Butch Taylor was born in Shawsville, Virginia on April 13, 1961. Taylor attended Ja ...
, who had toured with the band since 2001, had decided to leave the band.
The Dave Matthews Band played their last show with all five original members on June 28, 2008 at the
Nissan Pavilion
Jiffy Lube Live (originally known as the Nissan Pavilion) in Bristow, Virginia, is an outdoor amphitheater in suburban Prince William County, about 35 miles west of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Live Nation, the amphitheater can seat 25, ...
in
Bristow, Virginia
Bristow is an unincorporated community of Prince William County in Northern Virginia about from Washington, D.C. In 2014, Bristow's postal area population was 29,346, a 287% increase since 2000; however, the Bristow community is formally incl ...
. Two days later, saxophonist
LeRoi Moore
LeRoi Holloway Moore (September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's ...
was injured in an ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. On July 1, 2008 while in Charlottesville, Dave Matthews announced Moore's accident. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones saxophonist
Jeff Coffin
Jeff Coffin (born August 5, 1965) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with whom he performed from 1997 until 2010. In July 2008, Coffin began t ...
filled in for Moore for the remainder of the tour. Although he was expected to make a full recovery, Moore died suddenly of complications from the accident on August 19, 2008. In a statement released through their website, the band said:
The band proceeded with a scheduled show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Matthews announced the death of the band's "dear friend" to the crowd.
Despite Moore's death, the band continued to play the rest of the tour, cancelling only two shows. They concluded the tour with a benefit concert for lung cancer research (Stand Up for a Cure) at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York City on September 10, for which tickets were exclusive to members of the band's fan club, Warehouse.
''Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King'' (2009)
The band's next album, '' Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King'', was released June 2, 2009, coinciding with a supporting summer tour, slated to run through early October. The band named this album in honor of Moore. Moore is said to be the "King" in the album title. Tim Reynolds, Rashawn Ross, and Jeff Coffin performed with the band on both the spring and the summer tours of 2009 and 2010.
The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, achieving platinum status. Three singles from the album were released: " Funny The Way It Is", " Why I Am", and " You and Me".
The album was nominated for two 2010 Grammy Awards: Best Rock Album and Album of the Year. It lost to Green Day's ''21st Century Breakdown'' and Taylor Swift's ''Fearless''. During the awards telecast, the band played " You and Me" with accompaniment by live singers, percussionists, a string section, and an eight-piece horn section made up of teenagers from the Grammy Jazz Ensemble.
The 2010s
The year 2011 marked the 20th anniversary of the Band. In March 2010, DMB announced that they would not tour in 2011 for the first time in 20 years. On January 19, 2011, the band announced on their website: "2011 is our 20th anniversary as a band and we want to celebrate by playing music together. While we are still taking the year off from touring, we have decided to plan four multi-day, multi-artist music events that will take place this summer. We will be sending out save the date emails and announcing more information soon but we wanted to share the news with our fans first." On February 22, the first show was announced as being at
Bader Field
Bader Field , also known as Atlantic City Municipal Airport, was a city-owned public-use general aviation airport located in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. It was approximately one mile from the terminus of U.S. R ...
in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...
,
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...
,
O.A.R.
O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...
, and others, and would take place on June 26.
The tour started in June 2011 and ran for 13 shows. On December 16, 2011, the band released one of the concerts as ''
Live at Atlantic City
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of albums ...
''.
On February 14, 2012, DMB announced the dates for a summer tour. The next day it was announced that they were recording a new studio album with producer
Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...
who worked with them on ''
Under the Table and Dreaming
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994. The album's first single was "What Would You Say", featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler on harmonica. Two other singles from th ...
'', ''Crash'' and '' Before These Crowded Streets''.
Dave Matthews Band kicked off their 43-show 2012 summer tour at The Woodlands, Texas.
The band released its eighth studio album, '' Away from the World'', on September 11, 2012. The album saw the return of producer Steve Lillywhite, who had not worked with the band since their collaboration on the never-released "The Lillywhite Sessions" in 2000. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, their sixth consecutive studio album to do so.
The band kicked off their 15-show, 2012 Winter Tour with a two-night show in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on November 30 and December 1, 2012.
DMB's 45-show 2013 summer tour kicked off at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas on May 17. The tour ended with a show in Mountain View, California, on September 8, 2013. In September 2013, the group announced they would be touring in South Africa, the birthplace of Dave Matthews, for the first time. On that tour, DMB would also be going back to South America performing in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
In April 2014, DMB performed five shows in Australia, including the West Coast Blues N Roots Festival and the Byron Bay Bluesfest.
After noticeably struggling at shows in Australia, Tinsley revealed via his Twitter page that he had developed arthritis in his right hand. Tinsley underwent surgery to correct
carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic
An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparen ...
. He stated that he would be fine and would be ready for the coming tour. Tinsley later made a marked improvement and began playing strongly again towards the beginning of the 2014 Summer Tour.
The Dave Matthews Band's 42-show, 2014 summer tour kicked off in The Woodlands, Texas.
The band announced in November 2014 that they would be playing their first show ever in Mexico in 2015. On January 13, 2015, the band announced that they would be going on a summer tour and performing two full sets each evening. The North American tour started in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
on May 13 and concluded in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, on September 13. Soon after this announcement, the band announced an extensive European tour for the fall of 2015. The tour would commence with the band's first-ever show in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
on October 8. After this show, the tour included stops in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, four shows in Italy, four shows in Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, three shows in the United Kingdom, wrapping up in Ireland on November 13. The tour also included a stop in Poland, marking the first time the band had played there.
In 2016, Dave Matthews Band reached its 25th anniversary and announced an anniversary tour. The 2016 tour ran from May 11 to September 4 with 45 shows in the U.S. and one show in Canada.
On September 24, 2017, Dave Matthews Band organized and hosted "'' A Concert for Charlottesville: An Evening of Music and Unity''", a free concert to raise funds for the victims killed and injured during the
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
held from August 11–12, 2017. Other artists who performed included
Cage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant is an American rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England, U.K. and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their self-titled first album was released. The band currently consists of Matt S ...
,
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
Brittany Howard
Brittany Amber Howard (born October 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of rock bands Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch, and Bermuda Triangle. Her work wi ...
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
,
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
, and
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
.
On January 16, 2018, Dave Matthews Band announced a summer 2018 tour along with their ninth studio LP. The title of the album was announced, '' Come Tomorrow'', as well as the release date of June 8, 2018. In its first week of release, ''Come Tomorrow'' debuted at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 292,000 album-equivalent units, making it the biggest sales week for a rock album in over four years and the biggest sales week for an album in 2018 (1,185,000 copies sold as of December). It was their best-selling album since ''Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King'', with 4,300,000 sales. It is also their seventh consecutive album to achieve the No. 1 spot on the ''Billboard'' 200.
In February 2018, Boyd Tinsley announced on Twitter that he was taking a break from the band. On May 18, 2018, the band announced that Tinsley had been fired from the band, the same day the public was made aware of a lawsuit filed by former Crystal Garden band member James Frost-Winn alleging sexual misconduct by Tinsley. That same day, the band began their summer tour in The Woodlands, TX, with new keyboardist Buddy Strong taking a permanent place in the band.
The band played a 47-show summer tour in 2018 in support of the new album. They followed up in the fall a 12-show arena tour including two-night stops at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
and the
John Paul Jones Arena
John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since November 2006, it serves as the home to the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as for con ...
in their birthplace of Charlottesville.
In 2019, the band headed to Europe again in the spring for an 18-show tour. Beginning in late April, the band once again trekked the U.S. for their annual summer tour.
The 2020s
On May 4, 2020, the band announced that all of its 2020 summer dates would be moved to 2021 in light of the global
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Throughout 2020, Matthews performed on various charity livestreams from his homes in both Seattle and Charlottesville, including the debut edition of Verizon’s “Pay It Forward” weekly stream, which had over 400 thousand live viewers on Twitter. The band’s YouTube channel broadcast weekly “DMB Drive-In” live streams as a virtual summer tour, replaying many concerts from the band’s history.
The band announced a reshuffled 2021 tour, becoming one of the first acts to confirm dates for 2021 in anticipation of loosening COVID-19 gathering restrictions. The Dave Matthews Band made their return to the stage on July 23, 2021, at the
Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Coastal Credit Union Music Park (originally named Walnut Creek Amphitheatre and formerly Alltel Pavilion) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, that specializes in hosting large concerts.
The amphitheater ...
.
Just hours before the band was set to begin their annual three-night Labor Day weekend run at
The Gorge Amphitheatre
The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known as Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, is an outdoor concert venue in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near Columbia River in Central Washington, west of George. The venue is manage ...
on September 3, 2021, the band’s Twitter account tweeted that due to COVID-19 protocols, the weekend’s shows would take place in an “alternate format”. Later that evening, Matthews announced onstage that Carter Beauford and Stefan Lessard had tested positive for the virus. The weekend’s shows were unique, starting with Matthews playing songs solo, before being joined by Tim Reynolds. Later in the set, Buddy Strong, Jeff Coffin, and Rashawn Ross would join, playing songs with no drums or bass. Later in the shows, Strong would move to drums, while the band was joined by a plethora of special guests throughout the weekend, including Tony Hall,
Dumpstaphunk
Dumpstaphunk is a funk and jam band, jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
Origins and background
The quintet's current lineup features Ivan Neville on vocals, B3 and Clav, the double bass attack and soulful voices of Tony Hall (m ...
,
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Robert Randolph and the Family Band is an American gospel band led by pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph (Robert Jermaine Randolph, born August 8, 1977, Irvington, New Jersey). NPR has described the band as one with an "irresistible rock ' ...
, and Mavis Staples. Beauford and Lessard would return the following weekend in Irvine, California.
Shortly before the last two shows of 2021, which were to take place at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
with
Dumpstaphunk
Dumpstaphunk is a funk and jam band, jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
Origins and background
The quintet's current lineup features Ivan Neville on vocals, B3 and Clav, the double bass attack and soulful voices of Tony Hall (m ...
opening for both shows, it was announced that saxophonist Jeff Coffin had tested positive for COVID-19. Ben Golder-Novick, otherwise known as "Ben the Sax Guy" and original saxophonist for Scott Bradlee's
Postmodern Jukebox
Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early ...
, filled in for Coffin for the last two shows. On November 13, 2021, night two of the two night run, Alex Wasily and Ashlin Parker, horns players for Dumpstaphunk, joined the band for "Corn Bread" and "
Jimi Thing
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994. The album's first single was "What Would You Say", featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler on harmonica. Two other singles from ...
".
The band announced the 2022 Summer Tour on February 1, 2022. The tour kicked off on May 11 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. On May 28, the band announced that weekend's shows scheduled in West Palm Beach, Florida, were to be postponed due to a band member testing positive for COVID-19.The summer tour was followed by a fall tour, that started on November 2, 2022 in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and concluding November 19 with two nights at Madison Square Garden.
Band members
Current members
* Dave Matthews – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (1991–present)
* Stefan Lessard – bass guitar (1991–present)
*
Carter Beauford
Carter Anthony Beauford (born November 2, 1958) is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumm ...
Rashawn Ross
Rashawn Ross (born January 16, 1979) is an American trumpeter and arranger from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. His contributions in the Dave Matthews Band as a touring member have gained him visibility. Ross is an accomplished session musician. R ...
Jeff Coffin
Jeff Coffin (born August 5, 1965) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with whom he performed from 1997 until 2010. In July 2008, Coffin began t ...
– saxophone, winds (2008–present, guest appearances 1997–2003 and 2006)
*
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master". ...
– lead guitar (2008–present, guest appearances 1993–1995, 1998, and 2004)
* Buddy Strong – keyboards, backing vocals (2018–present)
Former members
*
Peter Griesar
Peter Griesar (born 1969) is an American musician, known for playing keyboards, harmonica and providing backing vocals with the Dave Matthews Band from August 1990 to March 1993. He grew up in Westchester County, New York and moved to Charlottesvi ...
– keyboards, backing vocals (1991–1993)
*
LeRoi Moore
LeRoi Holloway Moore (September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's ...
– saxophone, winds (1991–2008; his death)
*
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor (born Clarence Francis Taylor on April 13, 1961) is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Butch Taylor was born in Shawsville, Virginia on April 13, 1961. Taylor attended Ja ...
Boyd Tinsley
Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.
Early life
Tinsley was raised in a musical family. His father was a choir director and his un ...
A jam band, Dave Matthews Band is known for its tight, engaging live shows. The band has always encouraged fans to record its performances and was one of rock's most bootlegged bands. In fact, a direct patch to the soundboard was made available to recordists until 1995, when some of these tapes found their way into less scrupulous, commercial-minded hands who overcharged fans in the band's eyes. The band cites college students trading these tapes in the early 1990s as a key reason for their current fame.
The band is known for playing songs differently each performance; this practice has become a staple of their live shows since the early 1990s.
Between 1998 and 2007, DMB performed at Giants Stadium ten times before it was demolished in 2010.
, the band has sold 20 million concert tickets.
Warehouse
Discography
, the band had sold a combined total of 38 million CDs and DVDs. The 2018 album '' Come Tomorrow'' debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, making Dave Matthews Band the first group to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at the peak.
;Studio albums
*''
Under the Table and Dreaming
''Under the Table and Dreaming'' is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994. The album's first single was "What Would You Say", featuring John Popper of Blues Traveler on harmonica. Two other singles from th ...
'' (1994)
*''
Crash
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
Everyday
Everyday or Every Day may refer to:
Books
* ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012
Film
* ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt
* ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...
According to the band's website, , the band's own charity, the BAMA Works Fund, has contributed over $8.5 million to a wide variety of need organizations. It was founded in 1999 to address the needs of disadvantaged youth, disabled persons, the environment, and arts and humanities in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia area, and surrounding area of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna,
Greene
Greene may refer to:
Places United States
*Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community
*Greene, Iowa, a city
*Greene, Maine, a town
** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene
*Greene (town), New York
** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, and Orange Counties. In addition, BAMA Works Fund has been active in other projects, and often the Dave Matthews Band, both as a whole and individually, have planned charity events and donated their time and resources outside of Charlottesville. Some examples include building a "Village Recovery Fund" after the
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
that ravaged
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, promoting a challenge grant for the
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...
Musician's Village in New Orleans, multiple appearances to benefit both
Farm Aid
Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers.
History
On July 13, 1985, while performing at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan made comments about family farmers within the United St ...
and the annual
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
-sponsored Bridge School Benefits, fundraisers for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and followed this with donations after the 2010 disaster that leveled many villages in
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. The band played benefit concerts to help fund the school system in New York City, and countless other concerns. As a result, the band was awarded the NAACP chairman's Award. In Matthews's acceptance speech, he spoke for the band as a whole, commenting that of all the achievements they had enjoyed, that the award by the NAACP and Julian Bond, in particular, was by far the highest honor they had bestowed upon them.
The band donated the $1 million raised during a charity concert to homeless and children's charities in San Francisco, California. The band has played other charity concerts benefiting Bay Area parks, music education, and AIDS research.
In June 2016, the band announced that a CD set of Dave Matthews's 1996 solo performance at Sweet Briar College would be released later in the summer, with all profits donated to the college, which almost closed in 2015.