Dave Matthews Band

JH6056

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

mrussel1

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

There's at least one other show from the northeast that is available in soundboard.  It has been played on DMB Radio on XM in the past.  Sounded great.  I'll see if I can find it on XM on demand to see what it is. I think it might be Amherst.  I don't recall it being Uconn.  Good for you for seeing two shows on that classic tour.  That's awesome. 

Cropduster-80

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

There's at least one other show from the northeast that is available in soundboard.  It has been played on DMB Radio on XM in the past.  Sounded great.  I'll see if I can find it on XM on demand to see what it is. I think it might be Amherst.  I don't recall it being Uconn.  Good for you for seeing two shows on that classic tour.  That's awesome. 

I actually saw 3 on that '96 run, because I saw Dartmouth in NH too. I have some great memories of those shows, including riding Greyhound buses to all of them (because I didn't learn how to drive until '97 even though I was an adult) and listening a lot to Nirvana's "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" live cd over... and over... and over.  Which somehow was a great pairing with the acoustic shows that were still powerful in their own right.

But I mainly remember laughing so much I cried (from the Dave stories in Amherst & UConn in particular) and then just being moved by the music to tears over and over, just super emotional sets.

Saw 2 on the '97 D&T tour, 1 or 2 in '99, and I think 2 in '00, which is the last time I saw D&T.  But the '96s stand out as just exceptional shows on sooo many levels.

JH6056

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

I'll have to take some time this winter/spring & dig into some '03 D&T shows, because I don't think I've ever listened to any of them all the way through. Do the recordings only have the songs, or is all the Davespeak on them too?  That's a big part of it for me, I'd want the stories in between because that was the full package of stellar-ness for me.  And yes, stellar-ness is a word.

But of all the D&T moments that were memorable, perhaps the single most memorable one, which was maybe UConn on that '96 run, was when both of them did "interpretive dance" to Soul Coughing's song Janine, it was both HYSTERICAL, sweet, and kinda touching. But imagine Dave & Tim putting down their guitars and pretty much acting out stories through dance... will never forget that. It was funny & sweet as hell.

JH6056

Oh, one other epic D&T moment (well, really just a D moment) during one of those '96 shows I think, and I don't play guitar but DAYUM if this didn't impress the hell out of me: Between songs of course people were yelling song requests out, and someone yelled out "Sweet Home Alabama".  Dave starts playing Sweet Home Alabama, but then he SINGS a verse of Neil Young's Southern Man to the music of Sweet Home Alabama, and just... if you know the history & context of each song, just freaking WOW Dave! It was quite a moment. Took awhile for the audience to realize what was happening.

Does that sound familiar, do people talk about that in the Dave fandom at all?

mrussel1

Great stories and great memories.  You’re very lucky.  I live in Richmond now but didn’t in that era, but my wife went to UR from 91-95.  So every Thursday they would go to Flood Zone or the Mosque to see DMB as they came down from Cville.  It was the coolest thing to do. Unfortunately she did not absorb the history she was seeing and spent the whole show socializing each week. It’s a damn shame.  

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

There's at least one other show from the northeast that is available in soundboard.  It has been played on DMB Radio on XM in the past.  Sounded great.  I'll see if I can find it on XM on demand to see what it is. I think it might be Amherst.  I don't recall it being Uconn.  Good for you for seeing two shows on that classic tour.  That's awesome. 

Looks like it might be the last show on that run: University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH) is Live Trax 23 it looks like.  Is that the one you mean?

Btw, a cool way to know you didn't imagine just how freaking stellar a particular show was: one of my hands down forever favorite DMB shows, well the duo, were the 2 Worcester shows in '98, the BTCS tour with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones supporting, so on all the BTCS songs you had DMB, + Tim, Bela & Butch onstage, and it was just... So then DMB announces the Live Trax series in 2004, and what do they pick as the very 1st official live show they put out that way? 1st pick of OVER ONE THOUSAND live shows they'd played by then (had to be over 1,000 after 12 yrs of touring constantly)?  Live Trax 1: 12/8/98 Worcester Centrum. I'll never ever forget that closing finale version of The Last Stop... Chills.

mrussel1

You’re right, LT23.  I had forgotten that made it out.  And BTCS was a great tour.  Saw it in Tampa.  Although the 2000 tour is easily my favorite, when the Lillywhite songs showed up.  

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

Great stories and great memories.  You’re very lucky.  I live in Richmond now but didn’t in that era, but my wife went to UR from 91-95.  So every Thursday they would go to Flood Zone or the Mosque to see DMB as they came down from Cville.  It was the coolest thing to do. Unfortunately she did not absorb the history she was seeing and spent the whole show socializing each week. It’s a damn shame.  

Doesn't that hurt sometimes? There are definitely shows of now legendary artists I was at that I don't even REMEMBER being at (but I have the ticket stub or someone reminds me of when I went) and I realize how much I missed out on by not appreciating the magic I was present for.

But I was super lucky with DMB. My whole origin story of seeing them and what happened at the 5th show of theirs that I ever saw (which ended up with me sitting in a prohibition era-style booth at a NYC club called Fez for a TR3 show squeezed between Dave himself and some of his besties) long story how he ended up sitting next to me but after becoming such a major fan in a very short time, being in that totally unexpected situation for 30 min squinched up in a booth (his then girlfriend, now wife came by several times but was sitting at a different booth with all her friends) was... well it was the start of a bunch of crazy lucky DMB experiences. Hopefully I appreciated most of them by then

Haven't seen a DMB show since '08 but saw Radiohead in 2017 or 2018 and ended up sitting right behind Tim Reynolds & his wife, and a long long time crew member of DMB, and then Dave & his wife sped by at the end but it was great to at least get a quick hug from his wife after a good probably 15 yrs of not seeing much of them.  Also sat 4 empty seats away from Lars Ulrich... 2 nights in a row... brought my husband the 2nd night cuz he's a crazy Metallica fan, but I think I was more amazed watching Lars air-drum to Phil Selway's drumming than my husband was LOL!

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

You’re right, LT23.  I had forgotten that made it out.  And BTCS was a great tour.  Saw it in Tampa.  Although the 2000 tour is easily my favorite, when the Lillywhite songs showed up.  

I saw many '00 shows, but the 3 night run at Hartford Meadows Music Center takes the cake for my favorite of that run.  I think one of those is a Live Trax too...?

mrussel1

That’s really cool.  I’ve never had that proximity with him, although my son is friends with one of his daughters.  They attend college nearby each other and are the same age.  I told him he better get us invited to thanksgiving dinner somehow. 

Cropduster-80

JH6056 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

I'll have to take some time this winter/spring & dig into some '03 D&T shows, because I don't think I've ever listened to any of them all the way through. Do the recordings only have the songs, or is all the Davespeak on them too?  That's a big part of it for me, I'd want the stories in between because that was the full package of stellar-ness for me.  And yes, stellar-ness is a word.

But of all the D&T moments that were memorable, perhaps the single most memorable one, which was maybe UConn on that '96 run, was when both of them did "interpretive dance" to Soul Coughing's song Janine, it was both HYSTERICAL, sweet, and kinda touching. But imagine Dave & Tim putting down their guitars and pretty much acting out stories through dance... will never forget that. It was funny & sweet as hell.

Lots of dave speak for sure. Now I may be getting the soundboard/official recordings as I think there are a couple available from the warehouse and the audience recordings mixed up but they are there somewhere.  I was at 3 shows that tour and he gave some awesome stories 

Benaroya solo 02 has an entire LP side of Dave speak but he was just rambling that night but that also stands out for an official release not being edited 

i just checked Boone NC 03 is a soundboard and that’s got at least 4 stories.  Blue man group story, when he worked for a knife thrower, the Porsche hitting the cow story and a skiing story 

ive got a playlist of only davespeak 

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

You’re right, LT23.  I had forgotten that made it out.  And BTCS was a great tour.  Saw it in Tampa.  Although the 2000 tour is easily my favorite, when the Lillywhite songs showed up.  

When's the last year you saw DMB, and what about '00 tour makes it your favorite of all?  Not arguing, I loved it too, just curious

JH6056

mrussel1 said:

That’s really cool.  I’ve never had that proximity with him, although my son is friends with one of his daughters.  They attend college nearby each other and are the same age.  I told him he better get us invited to thanksgiving dinner somehow. 

Forget Thanksgiving dinner, aren't you gonna try to marry them off to each other? That is, ya know, if they date folks like each other & believe in marriage at all... which no one can assume these days!

Ok, maybe an invite to Thanksgiving is more realistic...   

mrussel1

JH6056 said:

mrussel1 said:

You’re right, LT23.  I had forgotten that made it out.  And BTCS was a great tour.  Saw it in Tampa.  Although the 2000 tour is easily my favorite, when the Lillywhite songs showed up.  

When's the last year you saw DMB, and what about '00 tour makes it your favorite of all?  Not arguing, I loved it too, just curious

I’ve seen at least twice on every US tour since 98 I believe.  I always do VA Beach, Bristow and then every other year or so he’ll do two winter shows in cville.  I will also do Tampa and East coast of FL often, but not every year.  Usually it depends on if I like the vibe that summer.  For example, I thought the sets were pretty stale around 15, 16 and 17. Too much Away from the World for too long.  But I think they were rejuvenated with Come Tomorrow and Buddy joining.  I think that record comes off great live.  So I’m sure I’m up past 50 shows.at this point.  

2000 to about 2003 was peak DMB for me.  Lillywhite/Busted Stuff is my favorite work and that was in heavy rotation in that era.  Plus I thought Butch’s piano was great.  So having him, ‘Roi still alive, plus the songs were peaking makes that era my favorite.  I am both lucky and sad to have been at Roi’s last show.  

Oh and I guess I do have a minor connection.  I knew Butch Taylor back then.  He did the jingle work for Capital One and we worked on some marketing stuff.  Really nice guy.  

mrussel1

This all reminds me that I have to put in for tickets by Monday. Warehouse presale closes for the summer.

JH6056

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

I'll have to take some time this winter/spring & dig into some '03 D&T shows, because I don't think I've ever listened to any of them all the way through. Do the recordings only have the songs, or is all the Davespeak on them too?  That's a big part of it for me, I'd want the stories in between because that was the full package of stellar-ness for me.  And yes, stellar-ness is a word.

But of all the D&T moments that were memorable, perhaps the single most memorable one, which was maybe UConn on that '96 run, was when both of them did "interpretive dance" to Soul Coughing's song Janine, it was both HYSTERICAL, sweet, and kinda touching. But imagine Dave & Tim putting down their guitars and pretty much acting out stories through dance... will never forget that. It was funny & sweet as hell.

Lots of dave speak for sure. Now I may be getting the soundboard/official recordings as I think there are a couple available from the warehouse and the audience recordings mixed up but they are there somewhere.  I was at 3 shows that tour and he gave some awesome stories 

Benaroya solo 02 has an entire LP side of Dave speak but he was just rambling that night but that also stands out for an official release not being edited 

i just checked Boone NC 03 is a soundboard and that’s got at least 4 stories.  Blue man group story, when he worked for a knife thrower, the Porsche hitting the cow story and a skiing story 

So the rambling Davespeak isn't quite epic stories, but some amusing rambling?  Cool that an entire album is that.

Hey, since it's just you, me and mrussel1 in this convo (no one else reads this thread, right? ), can I ask a question that I suspect is one of those "The topic that shall not be mentioned" things in DMB land... I feel like just as I stopped going to DMB shows, maybe mostly '02-'04, In Ear Monitor recordings were a big thing being traded. Because I became friends with the band, for some of the later shows I saw I was able to either stand side-stage or in the sound booth and wear headphones so I could hear all the IEM chatter, so I KNOW some of it was EPIC and hysterical. But I also know fans then figured out how to tune into the frequency and record some, and that tapes & cds or IEM chatter started making the rounds, intiially I think without anyone from the band or management taking issue with them.  Pretty sure though, given that it's how the band communicates about both funny things and serious, a stop was put to recording them and trading them? But that was after I wasn't around much so I don't know what happened.

I'm only back reading about DMB in discussion groups since the pandemic, and don't see it mentioned anywhere anymore, so what's the deal with those? Are they still traded on the DL? Are there any legendary 120 min cassettes of JUST IEM chatter, or Davespeak & IEM chatter?  That would be awesome to hear again if it's out there!

But don't tell anyone I asked, if it's not supposed to be discussed!

JH6056

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

I'll have to take some time this winter/spring & dig into some '03 D&T shows, because I don't think I've ever listened to any of them all the way through. Do the recordings only have the songs, or is all the Davespeak on them too?  That's a big part of it for me, I'd want the stories in between because that was the full package of stellar-ness for me.  And yes, stellar-ness is a word.

But of all the D&T moments that were memorable, perhaps the single most memorable one, which was maybe UConn on that '96 run, was when both of them did "interpretive dance" to Soul Coughing's song Janine, it was both HYSTERICAL, sweet, and kinda touching. But imagine Dave & Tim putting down their guitars and pretty much acting out stories through dance... will never forget that. It was funny & sweet as hell.

Lots of dave speak for sure. Now I may be getting the soundboard/official recordings as I think there are a couple available from the warehouse and the audience recordings mixed up but they are there somewhere.  I was at 3 shows that tour and he gave some awesome stories 

Benaroya solo 02 has an entire LP side of Dave speak but he was just rambling that night but that also stands out for an official release not being edited 

i just checked Boone NC 03 is a soundboard and that’s got at least 4 stories.  Blue man group story, when he worked for a knife thrower, the Porsche hitting the cow story and a skiing story 

ive got a playlist of only davespeak 

Soooooo... how does one hack into your playlist? I MEAN... I'm very tech-challenged (seriously, I am) so is there a way for you to share that if you're willing? That would make for great listening for a long solo road trip the next time I need to make one!

Cropduster-80

JH6056 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

JH6056 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Is Luther widely considered the best performances from them during that period? Or are there shows considered to be even better? 

I have no idea if these 2 shows get high grades from those who know ALL the shows, but I was at Amherst & U Conn on the '96 Dave & Tim tour and they were PHENOMENAL shows. Some of the Davespeak alone was.... unforgettable. But I have no idea how the recordings (because I only had fan recordings after that, not soundboards) are or how those shows are ranked compared to Luther so maybe there are others that are even better.

As much as I love 96,  03 benefits from more of a song catalog just based on the year. 96 is pretty much two albums worth. There are some great sound boards.  app state university, one in VA and wake forest in particular from 03.  Tim is on fire as well 

I think the D&T shows I’ve been to since all fail to live up to 03. I never attended the 96 shows in person though 

96 is very highly regarded I think. Pretty sure I’ve got audience recordings of both those shows somewhere 

I'll have to take some time this winter/spring & dig into some '03 D&T shows, because I don't think I've ever listened to any of them all the way through. Do the recordings only have the songs, or is all the Davespeak on them too?  That's a big part of it for me, I'd want the stories in between because that was the full package of stellar-ness for me.  And yes, stellar-ness is a word.

But of all the D&T moments that were memorable, perhaps the single most memorable one, which was maybe UConn on that '96 run, was when both of them did "interpretive dance" to Soul Coughing's song Janine, it was both HYSTERICAL, sweet, and kinda touching. But imagine Dave & Tim putting down their guitars and pretty much acting out stories through dance... will never forget that. It was funny & sweet as hell.

Lots of dave speak for sure. Now I may be getting the soundboard/official recordings as I think there are a couple available from the warehouse and the audience recordings mixed up but they are there somewhere.  I was at 3 shows that tour and he gave some awesome stories 

Benaroya solo 02 has an entire LP side of Dave speak but he was just rambling that night but that also stands out for an official release not being edited 

i just checked Boone NC 03 is a soundboard and that’s got at least 4 stories.  Blue man group story, when he worked for a knife thrower, the Porsche hitting the cow story and a skiing story 

So the rambling Davespeak isn't quite epic stories, but some amusing rambling?  Cool that an entire album is that.

Hey, since it's just you, me and mrussel1 in this convo (no one else reads this thread, right? ), can I ask a question that I suspect is one of those "The topic that shall not be mentioned" things in DMB land... I feel like just as I stopped going to DMB shows, maybe mostly '02-'04, In Ear Monitor recordings were a big thing being traded. Because I became friends with the band, for some of the later shows I saw I was able to either stand side-stage or in the sound booth and wear headphones so I could hear all the IEM chatter, so I KNOW some of it was EPIC and hysterical. But I also know fans then figured out how to tune into the frequency and record some, and that tapes & cds or IEM chatter started making the rounds, intiially I think without anyone from the band or management taking issue with them.  Pretty sure though, given that it's how the band communicates about both funny things and serious, a stop was put to recording them and trading them? But that was after I wasn't around much so I don't know what happened.

I'm only back reading about DMB in discussion groups since the pandemic, and don't see it mentioned anywhere anymore, so what's the deal with those? Are they still traded on the DL? Are there any legendary 120 min cassettes of JUST IEM chatter, or Davespeak & IEM chatter?  That would be awesome to hear again if it's out there!

But don't tell anyone I asked, if it's not supposed to be discussed!

I’ve actually never heard of that. I used to trade a lot of shows back in the blanks and postage days then when it was just zip files and I never came across an IEM recording or anyone talking about it.  So that’s news to me.