live RFK Stadium, 7.29.2000
Back in the day, when Joe Gibbs stalked the sideline and John Riggins ran through holes opened by The Hogs, a light but persistent rain falling on RFK Stadium was called “Redskins Weather”, because it rendered opponents helpless against the Burgundy and Gold’s bruising running attack. Unfortunately, the light but persistent rain that fell on RFK Wednesday night fell on a Dave Matthews Band concert, therefore it was just called a mess.
Matthews and his five support musicians didn’t seem at all fazed by the wet conditions---but they were on a covered stage. The huge crowd didn’t seem to mind much either, howling with approval for Matthews all evening. Or perhaps the constant cheers were because the inclement circumstances hadn’t affected cellular communications. With seemingly every other concertgoer shouting into a phone, it was clear that the devices played an indispensable role in the evening, assisting in vital tasks like orderly seating, stadium safety and the ordering of extra, emergency beers. Additionally, several attendees phoned each other to say that tube tops may be coming back in style, and they’re, like, so tacky.
Oh yeah, there was music, too. Matthews, whose Band has grown to enormous popularity since its bar-band beginnings around the University of Virginia, hasn’t contributed anything particularly memorable to the rock and roll canon, but his compositions are pleasant enough. The band has always been at its most effective in concert, and versions of songs like “#41”, “Stay (Wasting Time)” and “Two Step” were the reason so many didn’t mind getting so wet: sweeping melodies set to music that combines elements of Bruce Hornsby, Spyro Gyra, Van Morrison and late-period John Mellencamp. The Band---violinist Boyd Tinsley, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford and reedman Leroi Moore, who were joined by three female backup singers and keyboardist Butch Taylor---favors conservative improvisation, and “Lie In Our Graves”, “Ants Marching” and “Drive In, Drive Out” all surged and crashed with the kind of easy-to-follow dynamics essential to making a stadium show work.
The state-of-the-art video displays at both sides of the stage helped the presentation immensely, and even though the pictures and sound didn’t quite sync up from all areas of the stadium, the professional camera work allowed everyone to enjoy Matthews trademark goofy in-place shuffle dance and arched eyebrows. The highlight of the show may have been the version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” in which opener Ben Harper joined the band, though the song’s somber sentiment didn’t fit the scene at RFK, which had turned into the atmosphere where DMB works best: a big college party. Well, a big, wet college party.
Washington Post, July 2000
