The third night of the 2018 iteration of the Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour came into Austin, TX on a clear, warm and slightly humid night at the Austin360 Amphitheater on Tuesday, May 22. After a two-year hiatus of Dave and his crew from Austin, (the last Austin show being in 2015 and also the Tour opener night), the general admission lawn and reserved seats looked extremely packed and the DMB fans appeared to be in good spirits.
Devoid of the regular lineup of band members, violinist Boyd Tinsley had stepped away from the band and touring back in February of this year to (per his personal Twitter account) “focus on my family and my health,” and recent sexual allegations appeared in the news about Tinsley towards an ex-band member, occurring mere days before the band set step on their tour busses. Matthews, always known for bringing in talented studio and touring musicians to various live performances, has keyboardist Buddy Strong of Usher, Ariana Grande, and Justin Bieber touring-fame to take over the string-voice via a slew of Nord keyboards and electronic organs.
“Looks like we broke the surprise,” said Matthews, referring to Strong. “I want you to meet my friend, Buddy Strong.” The band swiftly broke into the first new song of their 3-hour set, “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)” with Strong tinkering away as though he has been a permanent member of the band for years. The lively crowd subdued slightly to take in their first listen of the first new single released by the band in six years.
Dave and company played through a variety of songs spanning his nearly 30-year career, including many older crowd favorites such as “Too Much,” “#41,” “What Would You Say,” “Satellite,” and “Crash Into Me,” whilst interjecting many random stories/anecdotes (fans refer to these conversations as ‘Davespeak’) to the responsive and appreciative audience. Ending the show with a three-song encore of “Warehouse,” “Pantala Naga Pampa” and a highly-spirited rendition of “Rapunzel,” it was very apparent that regardless of how time changes the DMB musical lineup, the love and passion for the Dave Matthews Band as a whole is still very much alive in Austin, Texas.
DMB’s summer tour will continue through September 10th at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA and the band’s 9th studio album, Come Tomorrow, releases on RCA on Friday, June 8th, 2018.
