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Posted - 05/08/2007 : 3:11:16 PM
(from Jambase.com)
Written by Shane Shapiro
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds :: 03.10.07 :: The Paradiso :: Amsterdam, NL
This special show had sold out in mere minutes. I found my way in, bumping against the foreigner heavy crowd, waiting patiently to see the single chair on stage filled by the man and his guitar. Originally billed as "An Acoustic Evening with Dave Matthews," the man of the hour waltzed on stage with good buddy Tim Reynolds.
Opening up with "Bartender," a dark, haunting ballad recounting his days slinging suds, Matthews proceeded to move through a plethora of somewhat newer material (three - five years old) including "So Damn Lucky," "Save Me" and "Old Dirt Hill." As a collection of songs, these tunes are more brooding and melancholic than anything in his past, revealing a songwriter more experienced in freeing his demons while intuitively showing them a good time along the way.
Both Matthews and Reynolds were fierce and intense. When a jagged guitar strum was needed to abet Reynolds' piercing electronic wizardry, Matthews happily obliged. Reynolds, for his part, cleverly snuck off into silence when Matthews muted the circus, putting an intimate focus on his impressive vocals.
Dave Matthews was an iconic part of my musical upbringing, an artist I idolized at one point and later shunned because I was annoyed by stadium shows. Years later, I'm still an avid fan of the music, especially the folksy, whimsical stuff, which reminds me of the days when I used to sneak under tables and dream. For the most part, this performance felt like I was seeing something brand new rather than the musician I grew up listening to. I saw multiple shows with this duo in 1996 and 1998 but this was different. I sensed a youthful scowl, a rebirth even, in Matthews as he reworked older songs like "Dancing Nancies" and "Two Step." And the material as a whole sounded fresh, neatly packaged and raw, as if Matthews and Reynolds were playing each tune for the first time.
Instead of the Dave Matthews I'd grown accustomed to, I saw something unheralded, unique and free. "The Maker" and "#41" reminded me of what once was, but "Smooth Rider" and the only completely solo tune of the night, "Some Devil," flirted with brightness down the road. This newfangled Dave Matthews was largely darker, more pensive and mature but clearly dedicated to letting loose if the moment comes, as on "Jimi Thing" and the always gorgeous "Lie In Our Graves."
During the encore Matthews unveiled the quiescent "Sister." Written in between bouts of drinking at a bacchanalian gathering – one Matthews admitted he shouldn't have participated in - "Sister" is the most grappling song he has ever penned; a simple, elegiac ode to his fallen sibling that speaks volumes for anyone looking to scream their lungs out for a dearly departed. In just under three minutes, "Sister" eulogized and honored someone who just might be his most powerful influence, a tribute that was nothing short of brilliant.
Slowly meandering out of the venue, I was perplexed and somewhat uncomfortable with what I'd just seen. The acoustic evening was a smashing success, a lovely set of stories that resonated with every nerve in my body. Yet, what I saw was different, almost alien in places, to what was once deeply familiar to me.
SETLIST
Bartender, Stay or Leave, Save Me, So Damn Lucky, Old Dirt Hill, Lie In Our Graves Smooth Rider, Crush, Grey Street, The Maker, Little Thing, Jimi Thing, Tim Solo Unknown Gravedigger, Grace Is Gone, Oh, #41, Crash Into Me, Dancing Nancies
Encore:
Some Devil, Still Water (Tease) > Don't Drink the Water, Sister, Two Step
http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=10107
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