Make some memories

'Summer doesn't start until I see Dave': Fans from around the country flock to The Joe

When Jeff and Corey Boyd drove to Charleston from Atlanta for Friday evening's concert by the Dave Matthews Band at The Joe, they expected to take in a great show by their favorite band. The brothers never dreamed that they would shake hands with Matthews himself.

But that's just what happened when they spotted the artist walking down King Street on Thursday night.

"I chased him down and asked to take a picture with him," said Jeff, proudly displaying a picture of Matthews and himself on his cell phone. "We saw him walk into a bar and so we went in and sat down next to him," continued Jeff.

Corey says that at first Matthews' bodyguards waved the brothers off, but Matthews indicated it was OK, and the Boyds both got to shake the hand of their music idol.

"If you'd asked me two days ago who I'd want to meet, I would have told you Dave Matthews," Corey said. "He was a really cool guy. I said, 'Hey, can I get a picture with you?' and Dave was like, 'Let's finish these beers first.' "

The rest of the estimated 15,000 fans got their up-close experience a different way — hand-searched at the gate for contraband as the line waiting to get in backed up for blocks to The Citadel.

Fans began arriving hours before the gates opened, and despite advance warning from the Charleston Police Department, there was plenty of alcohol flowing in the parking lots outside the venue. Once the crowd got inside, though, there was every indication that Dave Matthew's Fourth of July concert was a rousing success.

Mike Simpson, an account executive who traveled from his hometown of Chicago just for Friday's show, enjoyed a beer on the tailgate of his sport utility vehicle in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium as he waited for the gates to open. Simpson, who estimates he has seen the Dave Matthews Band at least 50 times, summed up his love for the group, saying, "To me, summer doesn't start until I see Dave. It's a happy, open scene."

Matthews stepped onstage briefly to introduce the opening act, telling the crowd, "Yeah, this is probably going to be a good night." Then the Nashville-based Old Crow Medicine Show warmed them up with its bluegrass-injected tunes.

After an intermission, the light screen that covered the stage blinked on, displaying a huge waving American flag as Jimi Hendrix's feedback-drenched cover of "The Star Spangled Banner" blared from the speakers. The Dave Matthews Band then kicked into a crowd-pleasing set of songs that included radio hits such as "The Best of What's Around," "Ants Marching" and "Crush," as well as lesser-known tunes such as the beautiful "Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)."

The crowd, which packed the baseball stadium playing field and spilled out into the stands, seemed to love every minute.

The band even covered the Peter Gabriel classic "Sledgehammer," before returning to hits such as "Crash Into Me." The encore included "Jimi Thing" and crowd favorite "Tripping Billies."

Employing a sound that lies somewhere between a jam band and a jazz outfit, Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, fiddle player Boyd Tinsley and trumpet player Rashawn Ross kept things loose and fun musically.

Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist for Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, sat in for LeRoi Moore, who suffered serious injuries in an ATV accident earlier in the week. Matthews acknowledged the musician's absence and told the audience, "Just as soon as he's better, we'll have him back out here."

The current tour also marked the first time in almost a decade that guitarist Tim Reynolds, a frequent collaborator with Matthews, joined the band on tour. Reynolds' spectacular electric guitar playing complimented the rest of the band without stealing the spotlight.

Reach Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.

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