Dave Matthews Band Weekend @ SPAC

SPAC weekend is unlike any other weekend of the year for me. Hartford was fun, but SPAC is where you go if you want to see dmb on the east coast. It's more then just going to a concert. It's about meeting up with people that have a common love for one thing, music.The place you see friends you have not seen in a year, and make new friendships that last for life. So this write up will be more of a weekend recap then just a show review. Expectations could not have been higher with the way last year went in Saratoga. It would be impossible for them to top SPAC N2 of last year, but Dave and company did their best. SPAC weekend should always start on a Thursday. I had gotten tickets to a Surfer Blood concert for Thursday night, so early Friday morning I took the 2.5 hour trip north to our campgrounds at Moreau State Park. Getting there around noon, my pal Jesse who I have now seen 6 shows with was already packing the vape. Home sweet home. I was also meeting up with three jersey girls (no not like Snooki jersey girls). We have been friends for a year, but were finally meeting up for the first time. It was great to see everyone, set up tents, smoke a bit...I mean a lot...and then walk from campsite to campsite talking with other dmb fans. By then it was 3:30 and time to get to the venue. Now...we got off exit 15 to a police check point. Of course we smoked a J on the way to the show and the car smelled. He asked us to give him what we had. A sad sacrifice, but a necessary one. Laura...RIP...but he didn't get the 8 joints we had! We paid to park in a private lot that allowed tailgating and set up shop for a few hours.

We got into the venue in time to walk around, check out the posters, and found our seats. Then I got a txt from Amanda. 'Save us from the lawn'. Okay, I rushed to stub them in, we had aisle seats it wasn't too much of a squeeze. All four of us got to sit together for both shows, it all worked out exactly the way we planned. The band came on at 8:30...Big Eyed Fish into Bartender...just like Hartford, but I liked this Bartender much, much more.  It was Stefan's birthday that night, there was a huge Happy Birthday chant after Seven. Nancies was better then Hartford too. The crowd still fucked up the lyrics, but Dave saved it by coming back in before the second verse. During Boyd's solo the entire band stopped and it was just Boyd center stage ripping it up...one of those spine chilling moments. Dreamgirl got it's first play since 07...I don't know why, but whatever, Dave. Crush followed after, and it was hands down the best Crush I have ever seen performed (might say that about a lot of these songs). Jeff and Tim traded solo's for a good five minutes... Tim was laughing with Jeff the entire time, and then Carter just drums the hell out of the outro. It's one of the bands best live songs. I just can't help shouting the lyrics to this one. The band went on a Jam spree with the Crush, So Damn Lucky and then Grace is Gone...all clocking in at almost 15 mins each! So Damn Lucky had a different Thank You outro, and they took the Grace is Gone jam to a new level, I was really digging it. Cornbread into Recently was cool, I would have rather just heard the entire Recently instead, but I'll take it. Jimi Thing was amazing. Everyone took their turn soloing during this 16 minute monster. Jeff played two sax's again and they went into the Sexy Mother Fucker outro. The encore found a Last Stop tease that I didn't' even hear before going into the high energy perfect E1 song, So Right. It was followed by Ants Marching the perfect song to close out a concert with. You know how I feel about this song it's their anthem.

I think N1 was a good show. The only things I didn't agree with was Funny The Way It Is being played after Dancing Nancies, it just killed the energy...and Dreamgirl hasn't been played in three years for a reason, it's not good. Getting back to the campground was interesting, but when we finally did get back, we made a fire and stayed up all night talking about how we never wanted this weekend to end. The next day found us waking at noon after a horrible storm that I thought was going to kill us and spending the afternoon at the beach. Quality time spent with quality people. After some frisbee tosses and sun soaking, we headed back to camp for food and showers. Of course us stoners forgot a grill, but our good friend Mitch who was staying a few sites over was kind enough to let us cook up our dogs and burgers on his grill. By the time we were done eating, it was about time to head to the venue for N2. No issues with cops this night, only a car battery dieing in the lots due to too much partying.

With the Last Stop tease the night before, we were expecting it tonight. It didn't happen, but dmb did put on one hell of a set. Lots of debut's for the Saturday show...some were reallllly good, some...not so good. Squirm in my opinion should not have been the opener. Don't Drink The Water would have been a much more fitting first song. The beauty ballad Stay or Leave followed, it is the perfect #2 song to hear at a show, perfect placement Dave. Then Carter got the crowd pumped during Hello Again. This was my second time hearing it, and it was way better then Hartford. Cater took it to another level on the outro. I think The Idea of You is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's not really a dmb classic, but I love singing it once in a while so it was a treat to hear. After Don't Drink The Water, Cry Freedom got its first play since 2005. This song is pinnacle dmb. The horns sat this one out, an ode to Roi I would like to think. It was a blessing to see this song live. I will never forget hearing this song. Right after they went into a mid-set Tripping Billies. This song is a regular set closer, but to hear it in the first 1/3 of the concert is a great surprise. This is by far the best version I have ever seen or heard of this song. Seriously Boyd was on fire. He was all up in Stefan's face, dueling with Dave...he was right up in the crowds face too working the entire stage, stopping his feet. 'Tequila drinking oh our minds will wonder to wondrous places' (we had some tequila in the lots) The four of us looked at each other and shared a huge hug...it was my most memorable moment of the weekend. Check out the video below, it was so tight.

'I hope we get it right for yall this evening'...then they went into Can't Stop...no not Last Stop, the song that the entire crowd was shouting for...Can't Stop, one of dmb's worst songs in my opinion. This song should have been anything but this one. Really put a damper on what could have been a really epic show. Just put Crash in that spot and the crowd would have loved it. The only redeeming quality of Can't Stop was a bluesy Tim solo at the end. They got back on track with Granny. It was never put on a record, but Granny is a staple live song. So much energy and a lot of crowd interaction. The crowd chanted, loud for Last Stop. Dave teased it and the crowd went insane. Even I thought we may have a chance of hearing it in the encore. The tease went Straight into #41. I didn't have enough time to be pissed at Dave, I fucking love #41. Jeff+Carter going back and fourth, I thought Jeff was going to explode at one point. Amanda called Spaceman as the next tune, she was right...and the Neil Young cover was after that. Cornbread was a repeat that was completely unnecessary. This was my 20th dmb show and like 13th Cornbread, but it is better then Sister. Timebomb-->Two Step is such a sick combo. Obviously Carter killed Two Step. He makes that song his bitch. The encore break had the crowd chanting for Last Stop again. Dave came out running shaking his head no. The encore started with Some Devil. Such a beautiful, sad song...I love hearing Dave perform it solo, and this was only the second time I've seen it live. They close with Watchtower a lot, they do a really good job on it... but the fans wanted Last Stop. To say we were not disappointed about that would be a lie. The rest of the show was nearly perfect, another great two shows at SPAC.

So many memories were made this weekend. New friends were made for life and I have the itch to get to two more shows this tour. SPAC was everything I could have asked for. My only complaint was that it went by too fast, way too fast. It was a stoned haze, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Thank you all for making this weekend so special, you guys are the best fans on the planet!