Quick Reviews: TDK and DMB

Finally saw The Dark Knight at the end of July. It's hard to add anything new to say to all the critics, but in short, I loved it. Ledger is guaranteed an Oscar nod, if not a win, for his incredible performance. However, this may be the first "superhero" movie that has a chance to get nominations across the board, especially for Nolan as director. It's that good.

On August 1, April and I finally saw Slugger Field for the first time when we went to see the Dave Matthews Band, with Willie Nelson (!) opening. The first and only time I've seen either one was, coincidentally, at the same venue -- Live Aid, Cardinal Stadium, 1995. Nelson, as always, is a pleasure to see and hear -- a man who loves music and still has the same genuine, emotive voice all these years later. We missed the first few minutes of his set, but got there in time to hear all the classics. (Tell me, how can "Always On My Mind" not be in your top 10 greatest love songs ever?)

Now, DMB and I have an interesting relationship. When I heard "What Would You Say?" in 1994, grunge was midway through its heydey and I had only graduated a few years prior. I thought it was an okay song, and appreciated their musicianship and the catchy hooks of their subsequent singles, but at the time I never really got why people were such ecstatic fans. I certainly never picked up any of their CDs at the time.

But -- not long after "WWYS," actually -- I met and began dating April. And April has always been a HUGE fan of DMB. So after repeated spins in the player, my appreciation grew into a genuine respect, then a warm fondness.

As I said, I went and saw DMB in 1995, but that was enough for me. While April saw them a few times over the years I was quite content to stay at home while she went with a friend. (Quick shout-out to Doug, photographer of Lollygagged and Flannel Flogged.) But by the time DMB announced their Slugger Field concert, I really was interested in going.

Thank God I did. It was an amazing show, not least because Tim Reynolds sat in on lead guitar (Dave's solo albums Live at Luther College and Live at Radio City are favorites of mine cuz of Tim). Blistering playing by all, energetic band chemistry that you could feel in every note. I was disappointed only that they didn't play "Bartender," "When the World Ends," "Don't Drink the Water," or "Crash." On the other hand, they played fantastic covers of "Burning Down the House" and "Sledgehammer," Willie jammed with the band on "Gravedigger," and the concert was nearly three hours long, so it's hard to complain.

I left converted to the religion of DMB. It just took me 14 years. Oh, and BTW: get better soon, LeRoi.

The set list from the night, courtesy of the band's road crew website:
One Sweet World *
Seek Up *
Everyday *
Grey Street *
Gravedigger *+
Eh Hee *
Corn Bread *
Burning Down The House *
Sleep To Dream Her *
Two Step *
Out Of My Hands ~
#41 *
You Might Die Trying *
Sledgehammer *
Dancing Nancies *
Anyone Seen The Bridge *
Too Much Intro *
Ants Marching *

Encore:
Pantala Naga Pampa *
Rapunzel *
Stay (Wasting Time) *

Show Notes:
* with Jeff Coffin
+ with Willie Nelson
~ No Horns, Dave on piano