Dave Matthews Plays Old And New In Toronto

Molson Amphitheatre

Toronto, ON

on Jun 9 2009

Michelle Singerman (CHARTattack)

06/10/2009 2:51pm

The last time I saw Dave Matthews Band, I was 15 years old and Maple Leaf Gardens had yet to see herself roll over into a Loblaws. It was before Matthews sold out — or what Crash and Under The Table And Dreaming fans saw as selling out — and before he released a few crappy LPs.

But his last few tours have largely gone back to focusing on those early years, which is why I felt it due time to head down to the Amphitheatre and catch a Dave show a little more than 10 years after my first. It's too bad for me that the Band's newest full-length album, Big Whisky And The GrooGrux King, was released the week before.

Matthews was a lot more comfortable this time around, and it was almost as if the stage was his living room. Years of touring and churning out music (albeit some of it shitty), did him good, though there wasn't as much improvement as expected. A lot of new material seems loosely based on the old, which was not only a tease, but also revealed some limitations as a musician.

After the opener "Funny The Way It Is," Matthews addressed the crowd and let us know he'd play a mix of old (which made fans cheer very loudly) and new material (which got far less response). But it wasn't until the fifth song that we heard some mid-'90s action — first taunting the crowd with "Too Much," which led into the anthem "Ants Marching."

The intro to the latter song was good and long, just like on the cherished live albums, and it transported me back to the days of mid-teenagehood. Boyd Tinsley pulled out some phenomenal moves on his violin during the tune, which put a new spin on the old favourite.

The band have been though trying times. Original saxophonist and founding member LeRoi Moore, died this past August, and Jeff Coffin from Bela Fleck And The Fleckstones has been filling in. All was good with the new line up Tuesday night, until an awkward transition during "#41."

Sax and drums just couldn't figure it out. It was like watching a little kid ride his bike without training wheels for the first time. Awkward. But after that crash, the musicians found their balance and created a synergistic jam that completely redeemed them.

There was some worthy stuff hiding throughout the new music. "Seven" showed another side of Matthews, stretching his voice to new heights. We also tasted some fun treats, such as a cover of Talking Heads' "Burning Down The House."

Favourites of the night were hands down "Crash Into Me," "Ants Marching," "#41," "Crush" and "Two Step."

The encore was good. He covered a much older "Rye Whisky" — a great version at that. A new song "You & Me," which I actually enjoyed thoroughly, and another classic, "Rapunzel."

It was great to see an old favourite and feel like I was 15 again. It's safe to say the crowd would have been happier if he played mostly old material, but hey, he's got a new album to promote and that's why he's here.