DMB Charlotte - 7/21/2010

My 26th Dave Matthews Band show was here in the Carolinas on a very hot and humid Wednesday evening in July.

Jimmy Joe Pete and I left work early to do some tailgating before the show. It was hot out there! But, not too hot for kickin' back with a couple Lagunitas IPAs.

We probably should have brought some portable shade in the form of a canopy or umbrella, but we stuck it out. At least my beer was cold in its Philadelphia Phillies beer cozy I picked up on my road trip to Pa. earlier in the month.


Once inside the venue, we happened upon a few good people watching occurrences. This girl (below) was killing a chin-up competition as a balloon drifted away from its owner.


This couple (below)... well I really don't know what to say about them except to note that the kilted dude had a second Miller Lite hanging around his neck. I guess that's how they do it in Scotland.


I was a little discouraged about our seats. They were in the center, but farther back than what I've come to expect with my seniority as a member of the DMB Warehouse. I mentioned this when we sat down, and everyone around me piped up in agreement.

The show kicked off with a rarity "Minarets" and just kept getting better. It's still listed as the rarest show of the tour so far on AntsMarching.org.

Branford Marsalis surprised everyone when he joined Dave and the band for three songs. He joined in first on the laid back "Lover Lay Down" with some nice jazz touches.



Then Branford brought an excellent jazz/rock groove to "What Would You Say" and a 15-minute version of "Jimi Thing." The latter also featured Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Jeff Coffin on sax trading multiple solos round-robin style with Branford that seemed so fluid and effortless like they had played together for years.



If you didn't believe me how hot it was, just look at Dave's shirt in the video.

Next up, my 27th DMB show in Washington, D.C., and a visit to Lazy Acres' latest abode.

- Salud!