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| It's been seven hours and thirteen days since you took your love away | added on 10/16/2019 | One of the most important characteristics the Almanac attempts to maintain is objectivity. Something that comes up often in discussion about Dave Matthews Band is ranking things: which songs are best, which shows are best, which tours are best, etc. Clearly, the concept of "best" is an inherently subjective one, but are there any objective ways of ranking tours? From an "on-paper" perspective, there are two variables that tend to come up when people discuss which tours are better than others: song selection and setlist variation. Quality of song selection is obviously not possible to quantify objectively, but it does seem possible to do so with setlist variation. A common observation about the band's setlist variation is that they don't vary their setlists as much as they used to. Is that true? Let's see if we can find out.
Different Songs Played
The easiest way to rank tours against one another is to look at how many different songs were played over the course of each.
Here are the rankings (with total different songs played in parentheses):
1 Summer 2015 (116)
2 Summer 2013 (110)
3 Summer 2014 (107)
4 Summer 2012 (99)
T-5 Summer 2018 (97)
T-5 Summer 2019 (97)
7 Summer 2010 (96)
8 Summer 2016 (88)
T-9 Summer 2008 (78)
T-9 International Summer 2009 (78)
T-11 Summer 2006 (72)
T-11 International Fall 2015 (72)
13 Summer 2007 (71)
14 Summer 2003 (68)
T-15 Spring/Summer 2001 (61)
T-15 Summer 2005 (61)
17 Spring 2002 (57)
T-18 Summer 2000 (56)
T-18 Summer 2002 (56)
T-18 Summer 2004 (56)
T-21 Fall 1998 (50)
T-21 Summer 1999 (50)
23 Summer 1998 (44)
24 Fall 1996 (42)
25 Summer 1995 (41)
26 Spring 1998 (39)
27 Fall 1994 (37)
T-28 Spring 1994 (34)
T-28 Winter 1995 (34)
T-28 Spring 1995 (34)
31 Summer 1997 (33)
32 Winter 1994 (31)
There are some problems with this way of comparing tours, namely that the band's song catalog has grown greatly in the 28 years they have been playing together, so it is not really fair to compare a 1994 tour to a 2015 tour. Another problem is that the band often plays some songs only one or two times on a tour but plays others far more often; this means that a higher number of songs does not necessarily indicate greater setlist variety.
Percentage of Catalog Played
To overcome the size-of-catalog problem, let's rank the tours by the percentage of the then-current catalog that was played on the tour. Here we are excluding defunct songs once their evolved versions debuted, and we're excluding one-off covers and the like, but otherwise, we're including nearly all songs that had been played up through the end of each tour.
Here are the same tours ranked by total percentage of catalog played (with total played/catalog size and percentage in parentheses):
1 Summer 1995 (41/55; 74.5%)
2 Fall 1994 (37/50; 74.0%)
3 Spring 1994 (34/47; 72.3%)
4 Summer 2000 (56/78; 71.8%)
5 Fall 1998 (50/70; 71.4%)
6 Summer 2003 (68/98; 69.4%)
7 Fall 1996 (42/61; 68.9%)
8 Summer 1999 (50/73; 68.5%)
9 Winter 1995 (34/50; 68.0%)
10 Winter 1994 (31/47; 66.0%)
11 Spring/Summer 2001 (61/93; 65.6%)
12 Spring 1995 (34/53; 64.2%)
13 Summer 1998 (44/69; 63.8%)
14 Summer 2015 (116/193; 60.1%)
T-15 Spring 2002 (57/97; 58.8%)
T-15 Summer 2013 (110/187; 58.8%)
17 Summer 2010 (96/166; 57.8%)
18 Summer 2002 (56/98; 57.1%)
19 Summer 2006 (72/127; 56.7%)
20 Summer 2014 (107/189; 56.6%)
21 Spring 1998 (39/69; 56.5%)
22 Summer 2012 (99/183; 54.1%)
23 Summer 2004 (56/104; 53.8%)
24 Summer 2008 (78/146; 53.4%)
25 Summer 1997 (33/62; 53.2%)
26 Summer 2007 (71/137; 51.8%)
27 Summer 2005 (61/120; 50.8%)
28 International Summer 2009 (78/163; 47.9%)
29 Summer 2018 (97/204; 47.5%)
30 Summer 2019 (97/205; 47.3%)
31 Summer 2016 (88/197; 44.7%)
32 International Fall 2015 (72/193; 37.3%)
Looking at the tours this way makes it slightly more apples-to-apples when comparing an early tour to a more recent one, but it still doesn't account for the band's tendency to play certain songs far more often than others, thus causing the number-of-songs-played figure to be a bit misleading. Furthermore, it creates a new problem: the band played about 75% of its catalog on the Summer 1995 tour, which required them to play 41 different songs; by comparison, they would have had to have played 142 different songs in 2015 in order to play the same percentage of their catalog. Finally, it's a bit subjective to determine which songs should count as being "in the catalog" at the time: do songs from Some Devil count, even if they've never been played at a DMB show? Does Captain count from 1996 onward, or only from 2000, 2001, or 2002? It's certainly a judgment call.
Average Rarity
Since adjusting for one skewed variable creates another skewed variable, and vice-versa, let's take a different approach. Our website assigns each show a rarity index number, which represents how often the average song in that show's setlist was played on the tour. For example, if a show has a 2.000 rarity, that means that the average song in that show's setlist was played once every 2.000 shows on that tour. Averaging all of the rarity index numbers for a given tour provides a rarity value for the entire tour.
Here's what the rankings look like this way (with average rarity in parentheses):
1 Summer 2013 (3.341)
2 Summer 2015 (3.198)
3 Summer 2012 (3.048)
4 Summer 2014 (2.978)
5 Summer 2019 (2.956)
6 Summer 2016 (2.783)
7 Summer 2018 (2.731)
8 Summer 2003 (2.665)
9 Summer 2010 (2.634)
10 Summer 2006 (2.581)
11 Summer 2008 (2.452)
12 International Fall 2015 (2.253)
13 Summer 2007 (2.234)
14 Summer 2002 (2.213)
15 Summer 2005 (2.204)
16 Summer 2000 (2.190)
17 Summer 1999 (2.147)
18 Spring 2002 (2.101)
19 International Summer 2009 (2.066)
20 Spring/Summer 2001 (2.047)
21 Summer 2004 (1.943)
22 Fall 1998 (1.805)
23 Spring 1994 (1.764)
24 Fall 1994 (1.759)
25 Winter 1995 (1.746)
26 Summer 1998 (1.657)
27 Spring 1995 (1.623)
28 Summer 1995 (1.540)
29 Winter 1994 (1.527)
30 Spring 1998 (1.476)
31 Fall 1996 (1.470)
32 Summer 1997 (1.321)
This is a fairly objective comparison of setlist variety; however, it still is skewed in favor of more recent tours due to the increasing size of the band's catalog over time. It would not have been feasible for the band's setlists to have been as varied in the early days as they are today, so we again have an apples-to-oranges comparison.
Average Rarity vs. Maximum Average Rarity
It is possible to calculate a maximum average rarity value for each tour, based on the total number of songs available in the band's catalog at the time and the average number of songs played at each show. In simpler terms, the maximum average rarity is what the average rarity index for the tour would be if the band played 100% different setlists every night of the tour, to the greatest extent possible given the size of their catalog at the time. Because this value has increased as the band's catalog has grown, comparing tours by the difference between the maximum average rarity and the actual average rarity accounts for that skew.
Here are the rankings using this way of reckoning (with the maximum, actual, and difference in parentheses):
1 Fall 1994 (3.372 – 1.759 = 1.613)
2 Winter 1994 (3.408 – 1.527 = 1.881)
3 Summer 1995 (3.526 – 1.540 = 1.986)
4 Fall 1996 (3.697 – 1.470 = 2.227)
5 Winter 1995 (4.197 – 1.746 = 2.451)
6 Spring 1994 (4.283 – 1.764 = 2.519)
7 Summer 1997 (3.868 – 1.321 = 2.547)
8 Summer 2000 (4.750 – 2.190 = 2.560)
9 Spring 1995 (4.327 – 1.623 = 2.703)
10 Summer 1999 (4.889 – 2.147 = 2.743)
11 Spring/Summer 2001 (4.890 – 2.047 = 2.842)
12 Summer 1998 (4.513 – 1.657 = 2.855)
13 Spring 1998 (4.351 – 1.476 = 2.874)
14 Summer 2003 (5.795 – 2.665 = 3.130)
15 Fall 1998 (4.979 – 1.805 = 3.174)
16 Summer 2002 (5.639 – 2.213 = 3.426)
17 Spring 2002 (5.537 – 2.101 = 3.435)
18 Summer 2006 (7.191 – 2.581 = 4.610)
19 Summer 2004 (5.820 – 1.943 = 3.876)
20 Summer 2005 (6.096 – 2.204 = 3.892)
21 Summer 2014 (8.008 – 2.978 = 5.030)
22 Summer 2015 (8.308 – 3.198 = 5.110)
23 Summer 2007 (7.370 – 2.234 = 5.135)
24 Summer 2008 (7.905 – 2.452 = 5.453)
25 Summer 2010 (8.610 – 2.634 = 5.976)
26 Summer 2013 (9.331 – 3.341 = 5.990)
27 Summer 2012 (9.516 – 3.048 = 6.468)
28 Summer 2018 (9.549 - 2.731 = 6.818)
29 International Summer 2009 (8.888 – 2.066 = 6.821)
30 Summer 2019 (10.284 - 2.956 = 7.328)
31 Summer 2016 (10.218 – 2.783 = 7.435)
32 International Fall 2015 (10.472 – 2.253 = 8.219)
The main problem here is that DMB has never and probably will never play its entire catalog on a single tour, and the likelihood of that happening decreases as time goes on and the catalog grows. Furthermore, they have never and probably will never play all of their songs as infrequently as would be required for a tour's average rarity to approach its maximum average rarity—to do that, they'd essentially have to fail to repeat a single song all tour until they had played every song in their repertoire.
Conclusion
So what's the takeaway here? Are the band's recent setlists as varied as they were in the early days? Yes and no. Depending on which of the above methods you use, you'll believe that the tours with the most varied setlists are either from 1994, 1995, 2013, or 2015. Method #3 (Average Rarity) seems to be the most objective comparison, and it shows that the band's more recent tours have featured far more varied setlists than did their early tours; however, as mentioned above, this objectivity does not necessarily mean it's a fair comparison. There is no single best way to objectively compare one DMB tour to another. Each of the methods described above has its flaws. Moreover, these statistics aren't what truly matter for most people—what matters is the actual performance, and that would be nearly impossible to quantify.
Stray Observations
Please note that the data above feature only tours with 20 or more shows whose setlists are known. Short tours over- or underinflate certain statistics, so we have chosen to ignore those tours. Additionally, some of the data above have been adjusted to account for unknown setlists.
Even though we omitted the 28 tours with fewer than 20 shows, some of the data for those tours are still interesting. When including those tours, the following end up first and last:
Different Songs Played: 1 Summer 2015 (116); 60 Europe 1995 Summer (18)
Percentage of Catalog Played: 1 Summer 1995 (74.5%); 60 Latin America Fall 2019 (22.0%)
Average Rarity: 1 Summer 2011 (3.444); 60 New Years Run 1995 (1.135)
Average Rarity vs. Maximum Average Rarity: 1 HORDE 1994 (1.220); 60 International Fall 2015 (8.328)
We often see people misinterpreting our site's rarity index numbers and rankings as a qualitative assessment of the show. Just because a show has the highest rarity index number for its tour does not necessarily mean it was the best show of the tour. That's for you to decide. It just means that the songs at that show weren't played as often as the songs at other shows.
The most recent major tour whose average rarity index value is less than 2 is Summer 2004 (1.943), when Crazy Easy, Hello Again, Joyride, and Sugar Will were all played at nearly every show. Summer 1997 has one of the lowest average rarity index values of all time (1.321), due mostly to nearly every encore being identical. Many people consider these two tours among the best the band has done, which is good evidence that rarity (and, by extension, variety) isn't everything.
The single rarest show of all time is 9.1.13, with a rarity index of 5.025. Remember, though, that a show's rarity index number is only good for comparing a show to others from the same tour. We made a big deal about the rarity index value for 9.8.02 back when that show became the rarest of all time; its score is a meager 3.825! |
| | Liberation List -- NEW LIBERATION -- | added on 8/30/2019 | Here is the updated liberation list, including the most recent liberation. There are 198 total qualifying songs, 127 of which are not currently on the list. Additional qualifying songs are #27, #34, #41, Again and Again, All Along the Watchtower, Alligator Pie, Ants Marching, Bartender, Belly Belly Nice, Best of What's Around, The, Big Eyed Fish, Bismarck, Black and Blue Bird, Break Free, Burning Down the House, Can't Stop, Captain, Christmas Song, Come On Come On, Come Tomorrow, Corn Bread, Cortez the Killer, Crash into Me, Crush, Cry Freedom, Dancing Nancies, Death on the High Seas, Digging a Ditch, Dive In, Do You Remember, Don't Drink the Water, Dreamgirl, Dreamgirl, Drive In Drive Out, Drunken Soldier, Everyday, Fly Like an Eagle, Fool to Think, Grace Is Gone, Granny, Gravedigger, Grey Street, Halloween, Hello Again, Help Myself, Here On Out, Hunger for the Great Light, Idea of You, If I Had It All, If Only, I'll Back You Up, Jimi Thing, Joyride, JTR, Kill the King, Last Stop, The, Lie in Our Graves, Louisiana Bayou, Lover Lay Down, Lying in the Hands of God, Maker, The, Maker, The, Mercy, Minarets, Oh, Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back), One Sweet World, Out of My Hands, Pantala Naga Pampa, Pig, Proudest Monkey, Rapunzel, Raven, Recently, Rhyme & Reason, Rooftop, Runnin' Down a Dream, Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin), Satellite, Save Me, Seek Up, Seven, Shake Me Like a Monkey, She, Shotgun, Sister, Sledgehammer, Sleep to Dream Her, Smooth Rider, So Damn Lucky, So Much to Say, So Right, Song That Jane Likes, The, Space Between, The, Spaceman, Spoon, Squirm, Stand Up (for It), Stay (Wasting Time), Stay (Wasting Time), Stay or Leave, Steady As We Go, Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd, Stone, The, Sugar Will, Sugar Will, Sweet Emotion, That Girl Is You, Time Bomb, Time of the Season, Too Much, Tripping Billies, Two Step, Typical Situation, Virginia in the Rain, Warehouse, Warehouse, Water into Wine, What Would You Say, What You Are, When the World Ends, Where Are You Going, Why I Am, Write a Song, You & Me, You Might Die Trying, You Never Know |
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| | It's a Music Town | added on 4/16/2019 | The following shows have been added or updated based on the items displayed in Charlottesville’s It’s a Music Town exhibit. Nearly all of these dates come directly from the Trax booking calendar. Dates with no notes are completely new. Notes with question marks are unconfirmed:
10/19/91
10/3/92
10/11/92 - Native American Indian benefit w/ TR3 and Darrell Rose
10/13/92 - removed
10/17/92
10/20/92 - cancelled
10/21/92 - took place at the Flood Zone after all?
10/26/92 - Kelly O'Hara benenfit w/ Indecision
10/29/92
11/7/92
11/10/92 - changed date from 11/11/92
11/11/92 - changed venue from Trax to Flood Zone
11/15/92 - Andersons benefit w/ Cactus Pie and Belligerent Bros.
12/5/92
12/22/92 - took place at Trax after all?
12/23/92 - took place at the Flood Zone after all?
4/6/93
4/13/93
4/20/93
4/27/93
5/9/93
5/11/93 - new, cancelled show
5/18/93 - new, cancelled show
7/28/93 - new, cancelled show
9/26/94 |
| | It's all the same... | added on 1/25/2019 | Over the years, many venues have undergone name changes, mostly due to corporate naming rights changing hands. While we keep our venue names current on this site, many people tend to refer to venues by either the city name ("Camden") or by their original, non-corporate name ("Deer Creek"). Here's a guide to venues' name changes, highlihting the ones that the band has played most often (15+ shows):
Charlottesville, VA - Trax
1982–2001: Trax
Richmond, VA - The Flood Zone
1985–1997: The Flood Zone
George, WA - The Gorge
1986–present: The Gorge Amphitheatre
Noblesville, IN - Deer Creek
1989–2001: Deer Creek Music Center
2002–2011: Verizon Wireless Music Center
2012–2017: Klipsch Music Center
2018–present: Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Saratoga Springs, NY - SPAC
1966–present: Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Hartford, CT - Meadows
1995–2000: Meadows Music Theatre
2001–2005: ctnow.com Meadows Music Theatre
2006–2008: New England Dodge Music Center
2009–2013: Comcast Theatre
2014–present: Xfinity Theatre
Camden, NJ - Camden
1995–2000: Blockbuster–Sony Music Entertainment Center at the Waterfront
2001–2007: Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
2008–2015: Susquehanna Bank Center
2016–present: BB&T Pavilion
West Palm Beach, FL - Coral Sky
1996–1999: Coral Sky Amphitheatre
2000–2002: MARS Music Amphitheatre
2002–2003: Coral Sky Amphitheatre
2004–2007: Sound Advice Amphitheatre
2008–2014: Cruzan Amphitheatre
2015–2017: Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds
2018–present: Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds
Mountain View, CA - Shoreline
1986–present: Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
Elkhorn, WI / East Troy, WI - Alpine
1977–present: Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Burgettstown, PA - Star Lake
1990–1999: Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre
2000–2007: Post–Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake
2008–2009: Post–Gazette Pavilion
2010–2016: First Niagara Pavilion
2017–present: KeyBank Pavilion
Mansfield, MA - Great Woods
1986–1997: Great Woods Performing Arts Center
1998–2008: Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
2009–2013: Comcast Center
2014–present: Xfinity Center
Bristow, VA - Nissan
1995–2009: Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
2010–present: Jiffy Lube Live
The Woodlands, TX - The Woodlands
1990–present: The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend
1984–present: Riverbend Music Center
Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek
1991–1998: Hardee's Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
1999–2007: Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
2008: Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
2009–2013: Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
2014–2016: Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
2017–present: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Charlotte, NC - Charlotte
1991–2000: Blockbuster Pavilion
2001–2013: Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
2014–present: PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
New York, NY - MSG
1968–present: Madison Square Garden
Maryland Heights, MO - Riverport
1991–2000: Riverport Amphitheatre
2001–2006: UMB Bank Pavilion
2007–2014: Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St. Louis
2015–present: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Virginia Beach, VA - Virginia Beach
1996–2000: GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater
2001–2010: Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
2011: Virginia Beach Amphitheater
2012–2015: Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
2016–present: Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Atlanta, GA - Lakewood
1989–1999: Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheater
2000: Lakewood Amphitheater
2001–2007: HiFi Buys Amphitheater
2008: Lakewood Amphitheater
2009–2015: Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood
2016–2017: Lakewood Amphitheater
2018–present: Cellairis Amphitheater at Lakewood
Columbus, OH - Polaris
1994–2002: Polaris Amphitheatre
2003–2007: Germain Amphitheatre
Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom
1968–present: Blossom Music Center
Tinley Park, IL - Tinley Park
1989–1999: New World Music Theatre
2000–2005: Tweeter Center Chicago
2006–2015: First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
2016–present: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Dallas, TX - Dallas
1988–1997: Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre
1998–1999: Starplex Amphitheatre
2000–2007: Smirnoff Music Center
2008–2010: Superpages.com Center
2011–2016: Gexa Energy Pavilion
2017: Starplex Amphitheatre
2018–present: Dos Equis Pavilion
Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob
1972–2003: Pine Knob Music Theatre
2004–present: DTE Energy Music Theatre
Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach
1952–1993: Jones Beach Marine Theater
1994–2001: Jones Beach Amphitheatre
2002–2005: Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater
2006–2016: Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
2017–present: Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Darien Center, NY - Darien
1993–present: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Chula Vista, CA - Chula Vista
1998–2007: Coors Amphitheatre
2008–2012: Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
2013–2016: Sleep Train Amphitheatre
2017–2018: Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
2019–present: North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Hershey, PA - Hershey
1939–1967: Hershey Stadium
1968–1970: Hershey Park Stadium
1971–present: Hersheypark Stadium
Toronto, ON - Molson
1995–2010: The Molson Amphitheatre
2011–2016: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
2017–present: Budweiser Stage
Tampa, FL - Tampa
2004–2010: Ford Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds
2011–2012: 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds
2013–present: MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds |
| | N1 vs. N2: Rarity | added on 1/23/2019 | Are you planning to go to one of the venues that has more than one show but can only afford to go to one of them? Do you prefer to get lawn seats for one show and pavilion/pit for the other? Do you like to indulge in tailgating for one show but be able to remember the other one very clearly? Do you just like comparing DMB shows for comparison's sake? Here's Part 1 of a look at the band's history playing multiple shows at the same venue.
The following is a breakdown of which night of a two-night show has had the rarest setlist for that tour. (NOTE: As we often try to point out, rarity does not necessarily mean quality!) The "all-time" stats are for all two-night shows the band has played from 1996–2018.
Alpine:
3 with a more rare N1
12 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 12 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
Camden:
3 with a more rare N1
12 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 15 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
(2001 and 2002 left out because they were 3-night shows)
Deer Creek:
3 with a more rare N1
13 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 10 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
(1999 and 2000 left out because they were 3-night shows)
Fiddler's:
0 with a more rare N1
2 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 20 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
The Gorge:
0 with a more rare N1
3 with a more rare N2
14 with a more rare N3
On average, Night 3 ranks 3 places higher in rarity than Night 2 and 15 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
On average, Night 2 ranks 12 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
(1999 and 2003 left out because they were 2-night shows)
SPAC:
4 with a more rare N1
11 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 11 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
West Palm:
4 with a more rare N1
10 with a more rare N2
On average, Night 2 ranks 9 places higher in rarity than Night 1.
All-Time:
26 with a more rare N1
94 with a more rare N2
As you can pretty clearly see, if rarity is your preferred measure of a show, you're almost certain to prefer night 2. Next up, we'll look at show length. |
| | 100 shows | added on 1/4/2018 | Here is an update of our table of full shows that have been released:
| # | Date | Show Type | Venue | City, State | Release Type | Release Date | | 1 | 8.15.95 | DMB | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | standard | 10.28.97 | | 2 | 2.6.96 | Dave & Tim | CFL Auditorium (Luther College) | Decorah, IA | standard | 1.19.99 | | 3 | 9.11.99 | DMB | Continental Airlines Arena | East Rutherford, NJ | standard | 11.23.99 | | 4 | 12.19.98 | DMB | United Center | Chicago, IL | standard | 10.23.01 | | 5 | 7.11.01 | DMB | Folsom Field (UC-Boulder) | Boulder, CO | standard | 11.5.02 | | 6 | 9.24.03 | DMB | Central Park | New York, NY | standard | 11.18.03 | | 7 | 6.11.04 | Dave & Friends | Bonnaroo Music Festival | Manchester, TN | Live Bonnaroo | 6.12.04 | | 8 | 9.6.02 | DMB | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | standard | 6.29.04 | | 9 | 9.7.02 | | 10 | 9.8.02 | | 11 | 12.8.98 | DMB | Worcester Centrum | Worcester, MA | Live Trax 1 | 11.2.04 | | 12 | 9.12.04 | DMB | Golden Gate Park | San Francisco, CA | Live Trax 2 | 12.17.04 |
| 13 | 8.27.00 | DMB | Meadows Music Theatre | Hartford, CT | Live Trax 3 | 3.17.05 | | 14 | 4.30.96 | DMB | Classic Amphitheater | Richmond, VA | Live Trax 4 | 9.2.05 | | 15 | 9.9.05 | DMB | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | standard | 11.29.05 | | 16 | 9.10.05 | | 17 | 9.11.05 | | 18 | 9.12.05 | | 19 | 8.23.95 | DMB | Baldwin Memorial Pavilion (Oakland University) | Rochester Hills, MI | Live Trax 5 | 5.26.06 | | 20 | 7.7.06 | DMB | Fenway Park | Boston, MA | Live Trax 6 | 9.26.06 | | 21 | 7.8.06 | | 22 | 12.31.96 | DMB | Hampton Coliseum | Hampton, VA | Live Trax 7 | 12.12.06 | | 23 | 8.7.04 | DMB | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | East Troy, WI | Live Trax 8 | 3.20.07 | | 24 | 3.23.07 | DMB | MGM Grand | Las Vegas, NV | Live Trax 9 | 6.5.07 | | 25 | 3.24.07 | | 26 | 4.22.07 | Dave & Tim | Radio City Music Hall | New York, NY | standard | 8.14.07 | | 27 | 9.8.07 | DMB | Piedmont Park | Atlanta, GA | standard | 12.11.07 | | 28 | 5.25.07 | DMB | Atlantic Pavilion | Lisbon, POR | Live Trax 10 | 11.6.07 | | 29 | 8.29.00 | DMB | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | Saratoga Springs, NY | Live Trax 11 | 3.25.08 | | 30 | 5.5.95 | DMB | L.B. Day Amphitheater | Salem, OR | Live Trax 12 | 7.8.08 | | 31 | 6.7.08 | DMB | Busch Stadium | St. Louis, MO | Live Trax 13 | 10.14.08 | | 32 | 7.20.08 | DMB | Dick's Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, CO | standard | 12.16.08 | | 33 | 4.22.93 | Dave & Tim | Prism Coffeehouse | Charlottesville, VA | DMBlive 1 | 12.19.08 | | 34 | 4.26.94 | DMB | Town Point Park | Norfolk, VA | DMBlive 2 | 12.19.08 | | 35 | 10.22.94 | DMB | Blue Note | Columbia, MO | DMBlive 3 | 12.19.08 | | 36 | 10.24.02 | Dave solo | Benaroya Hall | Seattle, WA | DMBlive 4 | 12.19.08 | | 37 | 3.29.03 | Dave & Tim | Holmes Convocation Center (Appalachian State) | Boone, NC | DMBlive 5 | 12.19.08 | | 38 | 1.9.04 | Dave solo | China Club | New York, NY | DMBlive 6 | 12.23.08 | | 39 | 6.28.08 | DMB | Nissan Pavilion | Bristow, VA | Live Trax 14 | 3.24.09 | | 40 | 8.9.08 | DMB | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | East Troy, WI | Live Trax 15 | 6.2.09 | | 41 | 3.26.94 | DMB | Irving Plaza | New York, NY | DMBlive 7 | 7.22.09 | | 42 | 6.26.00 | DMB | Riverbend Music Center | Cincinnati, OH | Live Trax 16 | 9.15.09 | | 43 | 4.10.93 | DMB | The Bayou | Washington, DC | DMBlive 8 | 9.16.09 | | 44 | 5.10.95 | DMB | Warfield Theatre | San Francisco, CA | DMBlive 9 | 9.16.09 | | 45 | 1.27.93 | DMB | The Flood Zone | Richmond, VA | DMBlive 10 | 11.30.09 | | 46 | 6.26.09 | DMB | Brixton Academy | London, ENG | standard (DVD) | 12.22.09 | | 47 | 7.5.09 | DMB | Piazza Napoleone | Lucca, ITA | standard | | 48 | 12.12.09 | Dave & Tim | Planet Hollywood Theater | Las Vegas, NV | standard | 2.9.10 | | 49 | 10.24.96 | DMB | Frank Erwin Center | Austin, TX | DMBlive 11 | 2.25.10 | | 50 | 7.6.97 | DMB | Shoreline Amphitheatre | Mountain View, CA | Live Trax 17 | 5.4.10 | | 51 | 12.21.92 | DMB | The Bayou | Washington, DC | DMBlive 12 | 6.8.10 | | 52 | 6.4.96 | DMB | GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater | Virginia Beach, VA | Live Trax 18 | 8.31.10 | | 53 | 2.25.95 | DMB | Kirby Fieldhouse (Lafayette College) | Easton, PA | DMBlive 13 | 9.14.10 | | 54 | 9.30.08 | DMB | Vivo Rio | Rio de Janeiro, BRA | Live Trax 19 | 11.9.10 | | 55 | 7.17.10 | DMB | Citi Field | Flushing, NY | standard | 11.9.10 | | 56 | 11.26.94 | DMB | Backstage Theatre | Seattle, WA | DMBlive 14 | 1.19.11 | | 57 | 8.19.93 | DMB | Wetlands Preserve | New York, NY | Live Trax 20 | 5.15.11 | | 58 | 9.17.10 | DMB | Wrigley Field | Chicago, IL | standard | 5.31.11 | | 59 | 9.18.10 | | 60 | 7.20.95 | DMB | Mud Island River Park Amphitheatre | Memphis, TN | DMBlive 15 | 9.29.11 | | 61 | 9.9.96 | DMB | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre | Pelham, AL | DMBlive 16 | 9.29.11 | | 62 | 6.26.11 | DMB | Bader Field | Atlantic City, NJ | standard | 12.16.11 | | 63 | 8.4.95 | DMB | SOMA | San Diego, CA | Live Trax 21 | 2.28.12 | | 64 | 6.13.93 | Dave & Tim | Memphis | Richmond, VA | DMBlive 17 | 3.15.12 | | 65 | 7.14.10 | DMB | Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain | Scranton, PA | Live Trax 22 | 6.12.12 | | 66 | 3.2.94 | DMB | Masquerade Nightclub | Tampa, FL | DMBlive 18 | 6.20.12 | | 67 | 2.19.96 | Dave & Tim | Whittemore Center Arena (UNH) | Durham, NH | Live Trax 23 | 12.11.12 | | 68 | 2.8.97 | Dave & Tim | Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium | Spartanburg, SC | Live Trax 24 | 12.11.12 | | 69 | 4.7.95 | DMB | Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke) | Durham, NC | DMBlive 19 | 5.1.13 | | 70 | 5.30.06 | DMB | UMB Bank Pavilion | Maryland Heights, MO | Live Trax 25 | 5.21.13 | | 71 | 3.25.95 | DMB | The Revolver Club | Madrid, ESP | DMBlive 20 | 5.29.13 | | 72 | 7.30.03 | DMB | Sleep Train Amphitheatre | Wheatland, CA | Live Trax 26 | 8.6.13 | | 73 | 2.8.95 | DMB | Palace Theatre | Albany, NY | DMBlive 21 | 8.15.13 | | 74 | 10.14.10 | DMB | Luna Park | Buenos Aires, ARG | Live Trax 27 | 11.12.13 | | 75 | 11.19.10 | DMB | John Paul Jones Arena (UVa) | Charlottesville, VA | Live Trax 28 | 12.17.13 | | 76 | 3.3.99 | Dave & Tim | Kingsbury Hall (U of U) | Salt Lake City, UT | DMBlive 22 | 1.14.14 | | 77 | 6.1.13 | DMB | Blossom Music Center | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | Live Trax 29 | 4.15.14 | | 78 | 7.28.92 | DMB | Trax | Charlottesville, VA | DMBlive 23 | 6.12.14 | | 79 | 6.30.00 | DMB | Soldier Field | Chicago, IL | Wolfgang's Vault | 2014* | | 80 | 6.23.01 | DMB | Tweeter Center | Camden, NJ | Live Trax 31 | 9.16.14 | | 81 | 8.23.14 | DMB | Greek Theatre | Berkeley, CA | Live Trax 32 | 12.9.14 | | 82 | 4.5.95 | DMB | The Academy | New York, NY | DMBlive 24 | 3.25.15 | | 83 | 1.31.95 | DMB | Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel | Providence, RI | Live Trax 33 | 5.5.15 | | 84 | 6.24.99 | DMB | Deer Creek Music Center | Noblesville, IN | Live Trax 34 | 7.17.15 | | 85 | 10.14.94 | DMB | Georgia Theatre | Athens, GA | DMBlive 25 | 9.3.15 | | 86 | 6.20.09 | DMB | Post-Gazette Pavilion | Burgettstown, PA | Live Trax 35 | 10.16.15 | | 87 | 11.30.98 | DMB | First Union Center | Philadelphia, PA | DMBlive 26 | 12.9.15 | | 88 | 7.26.15 | DMB | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | Elkhorn, WI | Live Trax 36 | 12.11.15 | | 89 | 2.22.94 | DMB | Trax | Charlottesville, VA | DMBlive 27 | 3.3.16 | | 90 | 11.11.92 | DMB | Trax | Charlottesville, VA | Live Trax 37 | 4.15.16 | | 91 | 6.8.96 | DMB | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | Saratoga Springs, NY | Live Trax 38 | 7.15.16 | | 92 | 4.14.96 | Dave solo | Sweet Briar College | Sweet Briar, VA | standard | 8.19.16 | | 93 | 4.6.94 | DMB | Georgia Theatre | Athens, GA | DMBlive 28 | 10.17.16 | | 94 | 10.31.98 | DMB | The Arena in Oakland | Oakland, CA | Live Trax 39 | 11.4.16 | | 95 | 12.21.02 | DMB | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | Live Trax 40 | 12.9.16 | | 96 | 10.3.96 | DMB | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | DMBlive 29 | 12.16.16 | | 97 | 3.13.99 | Dave & Tim | Berkeley Community Theater | Berkeley, CA | Live Trax 41 | 5.12.17 | | 98 | 9.14.07 | DMB | Sound Advice Amphitheatre | West Palm Beach, FL | Live Trax 42 | 7.21.17 | | 99 | 7.9.95 | DMB | Lac de Malsaucy | Belfort, FRA | DMBlive 30 | 8.2.17 | | 100 | 7.27.04 | DMB | HiFi Buys Amphitheatre | Atlanta, GA | Live Trax 43 | 9.22.17 | | 101 | 9.4.16 | DMB | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | Live Trax 44 | 12.8.17 |
*This show was released sometime in 2014, but as it was released pretty quietly, it's been tough to pinpoint an exact release date. |
| | Live Trax Vol. 41 and a History of Before These Crowded Streets From a Dave & Tim Perspective | added on 6/10/2017 | With the release of Live Trax vol 41 (3.13.99) as well as Rapunzel and Pig now being played on tour, it's a good time to take a deep dive into the 1999 Dave and Tim Tour and how the duo have utilized Before These Crowded Streets over the past two decades. In 2017, it's hard to imagine a time that an "Acoustic Evening With Dave and Tim" was almost as much of a staple in the schedule as the annual Summer Tour. While it was only three out of four years, when the first true tour started on February 1, 1996, it also was really the first year that their names were big enough to support this type of tour. They followed this short, mostly Midwest and East Coast tour with a longer nationwide tour in 1997. When Dave and Tim weren't touring together, the band toured almost non-stop from April 1996 - July 1997, the final step in their growth out of small theatres and into amphitheatres and arenas. The off-year without a D+T was focused on Streets. While details and recording dates of any studio sessions seem a closely-guarded secret, you can assume that even if they weren't actively in the studio in the winter, the decision not to tour was due to the album sessions.
To set the stage, in the time between the 1997 Dave and Tim Tour and the end of 1998, DMB grew exponentially. Amphitheatres grew into a few stadium shows including a VH-1 special, a trip to Europe and South America, and the release of what is still considered their key album. Before These Crowded Streets ended the Titanic Soundtrack's 16-week streak at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts in its debut week. They also began a series of live releases in late 1997 (at this point today they have released 97 full shows), the radio was still playing hits from their previous album between plays from the current. One of the most lauded stretches in DMB history is the November 30 - December 8 arena run. While Bela Fleck & the Flecktones had been opening since mid-November and some of their best collaborations occurred in that first week, it is this run that is most memorable. What doesn't appear on setlist sites such as ours is that on December 4, the day after an epic two-night run at Madison Square Garden, The Warehouse - a new official DMB fan group was announced on a brand new dmband.com. Then on December 6th, after another excellent standalone show in Albany on the 5th, the 1999 Dave and Tim Winter Tour was announced. Finally on December 9th, a day after they closed this landmark run with two shows in Worcester (the latter fittingly released as the initial entry in the Live Trax series), they announced that Live at Luther College would be released on January 19, 1999 - the day the tour was to begin.
The 1999 Dave and Tim Winter Tour was the last regular full tour to have tickets sold outside of the Warehouse. Most of the venues were theatres on college campuses, and the colleges themselves had the right to sell tickets to their students before they went on sale to the public. Often times the shows sold out within an hour and if you didn't have a student friend with an ID, you had to scramble. This also populated the venues with mostly younger fans, many of whom knew Dave to be a massive rock star and therefore the show was to be a rock show complete with campus-style pre-game. The difference in crowd involvement - or distraction, is remarkable between the 1997 and 1999 tours. Many reports from shows said that Dave was visually frustrated by crowds at times, many times he playfully (maybe) mocked the crowds as sounding like WWF crowds. On a few occasions, he commented during shows about crowds from previous shows and how loud they were. On even fewer occasions, he remarked about how quiet they were. On one particular occasion on 2.7.99, proactive fans printed flyers and had them all around campus explaining that this was not a standard DMB show.
Instead of a location-to-location description of the tour let's take a musical look at what made the tour different from the other (you can go to the tour opener here, and click next show through the tour if you'd like). The most obvious difference is the introduction of the songs from Before These Crowded Streets:
Pantala Naga Pampa - This introductory track was born in an acoustic setting as an outro to Jimi Thing in 1994, replacing the full band solo-laden jam. The music and lyrics were new and because the shift from the end of Jimi to the outro contained a clear break. The fan-named What Will Become of Me has always been considered a separate song in the community. When Streets was released, after the first few bars of PNP, the main riff of What Will Become of Me is played with the welcoming lyrics that we're all now accustomed to. Starting on the 1999 tour, Jimi Thing was played as it was before (although with a new breakdown section containing quotes from the traditional "You Shook Me"), then a full What Will Become of Me (sometimes without lyrics), before the lyrics to PNP and the familiar end.
Rapunzel - This was played at every single full U.S. show in 1998 except one (12.15.98). It was obvious that this would be a mainstay of the tour. However, it was played at three of the first four shows, then dropped entirely from their rotation. Dave comments on a fan request during a show in 1999 that they tried it, but without Carter's backbeat it just didn't work. They didn't attempt it again for over 18 years until they broke it out on 1.26.17 in Grand Prairie. This is also the only time that the duo played Pantala Naga Pampa preceding it. As 2017 has progressed, Rapunzel has remained a regular setlist selection.
The Last Stop - This one is tricky, but it always has been. The band and Dave are aware of the Last Stop contingent. In an odd way, he has been the author of the story. At times seems annoyed by demands for it, other times accepting and acknowledging it. He has given interviews where he has explained that loves the song as much as we do, to the point where they only play it when he's totally feeling it because that's what the fans and the song deserve. Back then, it was different. It was still played at most venues on the 1998 tours, but it wasn't until near the end of the 1999 tour that they tried it. While the song is full of orchestration and important parts are driven by the rest of the band, there wasn't the empty space that Rapunzel contained when they weren't there. The two performances of this on the tour weren't lacking in the least, partially aided by playing the song on the 12-string - a new addition to his repertoire. Even after the 3.3.99 debut version (full show released as a DMBlive entry), it took another week and half before it was played again on 3.13.99. After these flawless performances complete with super-smooth segues into the reprise outro, it has not been played by Dave and Tim since (the latter also released on Live Trax vol. 41, obviously).
Don't Drink the Water - The first single from Before These Crowded Streets immediately became a Dave and Tim standard, and was one of two songs played at all 40 shows on the 1999 tour (Jimi Thing with outros is the other). A barely formed version of this song debuted on at the end of the 1996 Dave and Tim tour, and throughout the next year it was reworked and played almost every night of the 1997 Summer Tour before taking its final form in the studio. Most notable about this tour's versions is that first it retained the "This Land is Your Land" section that was dropped in the studio. The 1996 versions of the song were originally called "Weight of the World" by fans based on a repeated lyric in the debut version on 2.18.96. When the song returned the next year, it was redubbed Leave Me Praying. With the release of Live Trax vol. 23, we combined "Weight of the World" into Leave Me Praying as there was very little difference between the two other than tradition. The pre-BTCS versions are still different enough to keep separate from DDTW proper, though you can't mistake them as related. Early in the 1999 tour a droning intro with mostly impromptu lyrics was added before fading directly into the proper Don't Drink the Water. As lyrics to the introductory song changed night to night, some found a foothold throughout the tour and a chorus was added. Fans had been calling it "Reconcile Our Differences" based on a lyric from the debut version, but in a late tour radio interview, Dave said that he was calling the song Bartender. Bartender and Digging a Ditch were the two new original songs to debut during the tour. These songs combined with the two collaborations with Carlos Santana: Love of My Life & what was John the Revelator then renamed Rain Down on Me and evolved into JTR; this is where the story of the abandoned "Lillywhite Sessions" musically begins.
Stay (Wasting Time) - Another single from BTCS and one of the most played DMB songs in 1998 didn't find traction at first on the Dave and Tim tour. It was played just one time in the first three weeks. Then on the aforementioned 2.7.99, they brought it back but in a new 6/8 meter giving it an entirely different feel and it was played at most shows the rest of the tour. These were the last Dave and Tim performances of Stay until the Mexico weekend in early 2017. Moving forward, it has been played in the standard 4/4 meter since, and those 1999 versions represent one of the most unique alterations to a song in the band's history.
Halloween - Going into February 17, 1999, Halloween had only been played by Dave and Tim one time - by fan request in the encore of the 2.6.96 Live at Luther College show. A two song encore with Warehouse closing was fairly standard during that stretch of the tour. So it was a major surprise when after Warehouse, they erupted into Halloween to end to the show. It was played regularly through the rest of the tour, sometimes paired with I'll Back You Up, with Dave noting that the two songs are about the same woman. Since the 1999 tour, Dave and Tim had only played it one other time in 2011 until a few (so far) 2017 performances.
The Stone - This became a Dave and Tim standard almost immediately. It was played at every show of the 1999 tour after the first week and with a few exceptions it was played in the first act (pre-Tim solo #1). While Leroi played a brief clip of "Can't Help Falling in Love" on the studio version, each performance on the tour concluded with Dave singing the first few lines, a tradition that fans and sometimes the band carry on today. The Stone has remained a popular selection for Dave and Tim to this day
Crush - Along with Don't Drink the Water, Crush was the highlighted song of the tour. It was enjoying success as a single and fit in the acoustic setting perfectly. It opened the most shows of tour (10 out of 40), though occasionally Dave stopped after a few bars to retune. Most telling about where the song fit in at the time, near the end of the tour Dave and Tim recorded a Storytellers taping. They played a full show with a lot of stories (not all that different from a normal show), with some re-takes then edited into an hour-long TV show. This version of Crush was cut into a music video and was also released as its own single. Since 1999, almost every type of Dave and Tim performance has seen them perform this song whether it was in the Dave and Friends acoustic set, Europe 2007 tour, the Caravan shows, and even in the acoustic sets in 2014 and 2015 - occasionally giving relief to Oh and Bartender.
The Dreaming Tree - This was not played on the 1999 Dave and Tim tour. It was requested by the crowd at a few shows that tour and Dave notably replied that he loved the song but he did almost nothing on it and it was driven by the band. However, they finally tried it a handful of times during one of the more exceptional periods for the song in 2007 and 2008. The last of these was released on the By the People: For the People Soundtrack which is worth going as far out of your way to track down as necessary.
Pig - While its predecessor Don't Burn the Pig was played a few times on the 1996 and 1997 tours, Pig was one of two songs on the first four DMB albums that had not been attempted by Dave and Tim (#34 is the remaining holdout - though a distant recording of the 2.23.97 soundcheck that contains #34 with lyrics is available in the community). Stunningly, Dave and Tim finally broke out a full BTCS-style performance for the first time on 6.3.17 in Philadelphia.
Spoon - Unless you were very lucky, going to a Dave and Tim show was about the only way you were seeing Spoon for a long time. It debuted at the Winter Park American Music Festival the duo played in 1997 right after the tour ended and before they went into the studio. After that, unless you were at a radio taping, assaulted by crickets in Dallas, or in the right place at the right time in Cincinnati, you would have only seen this on a Dave and Tim tour until 2003. In fact as of this writing, Dave and Tim have played this more times than the band themselves (30 to 18). The performances from late in the 1999 tour are notable because after Dave started playing a 12-string on the tour for Wild Horses, a song that they began covering mid-way through the tour. This was the first confirmed time that he played a 12-string on stage since a Dave and Tim version of Recently on the DMBlive release of 6.13.93. Note that there are possibly other songs that we don't know about. From then on, he used the 12-string on Spoon regularly throughout the rest of the tour, and career for that matter
While the focus of this has been on Before These Crowded Streets, there are other songs that were unique on this tour that are worth a mention. Seek Up had been played fairly regularly by Dave and Tim on the 1996 tour, but none had the reprise outro until 1999. One of these versions is on the DMBlive Salt Lake City release. Little Thing was mostly dropped, but played at the request of a fan on 1.27.99. Dave explained that it wouldn't be the normal story, but about lonely drunk woman at bar before nailing a lyrically flawless performance - especially impressive considering the song was played on a whim and this new story had never been sang publicly before or after this version. #40 was one of the first sign campaigns, and it was actually successful. The signs started on the Fall Tour and led to a few teases before a partial version was played to open the encore the first night of the tour, then again once later in the tour before it was elevated during the band's Summer Tour. New covers If I Had a Boat, Wild Horses, The Temple (one-off) were performed. Also prior to this tour, Tim's solo selection was had been limited to one of around seven songs. This tour he played close to twenty different songs alone.
Live Trax volume 41 is now available for purchase from the DMB store here. As mentioned briefly above, this is full show #97 that the band have released through one series or another, a major milestone worth attention. Here is the official write-up from band management:
After a two-month tour in 1999, Dave and Tim closed their acoustic run on the evening of March 13 at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, CA. The duo’s time on the road leading up to this night shows as the performance is exceptional. From the first note of the “Granny” opener, to the encore of "Digging A Ditch”, "Lover Lay Down", and "Ants Marching,” there is not an ill note throughout. And yet, it’s not only DMB favorites that shine; but also Tim’s skilled playing of his complex original compositions, as well as fantastic covers of Daniel Lanois’ "For The Beauty of Wynona" and Lyle Lovett’s "If I Had A Boat", make this show a true listening pleasure. This intimate performance has been mixed from the original multitrack tapes. |
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