It was my first trip to the Gorge. For years I had heard
about the magnificent shows that Dave Matthews Band performed there, some of
the greatest of their career, but I never had the opportunity to travel west to
see the place Dave once called “Heaven’s Amphitheater.”
My friend from Australia convinced me to make the trip.
She was taking the once in a lifetime trek to The Gorge all the way from down
under. And if she was going to travel that far to see one of her favorite
bands, then how could I not do the same? Especially since my trip would be a
heck of a lot shorter than hers. So, with no further thought, I decided to take
the plunge and make a lifetime dream come true.
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| The Gorge in all its beauty |
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| Sundown - Night Three |
The Gorge is the most beautiful outdoor theater I have
ever observed. Having finally travelled there and taken in the sites, I
understand why fans come from all over the globe year after year to see Dave
Matthews Band perform their historic concerts. Our weekend trip to the Gorge
was billed as a caravan concert, meaning multiple acts would be performing
before DMB took the stage. Most of them were bands I had never heard of, and
all of them, with the exception of Brandi Carlile, performed on the side stage.
We listened to some of the bands here and there, but didn’t really pay much
attention to them. It was my first time at the Gorge and I wanted to take in
every little nuance of the venue that I could.
Luck was on our side for this trip as my friend scored
pit tickets to all three shows; a dream come true. This would be the closest to
the band I had ever been and of course I was excited. However, I do get
claustrophobic in tight situations, so having pit tickets was a blessing and a
curse. I figured that I would be able to manage though. I would just have to
hope for the best.
Brandi Carlile opened all three nights and on night one,
we were in the pit and ready to go about 30 minutes before she even took the
stage. I didn’t know any of her music, but I was interested in seeing her
perform. I had heard a couple of her songs on the radio and they were decent
enough that I thought I would enjoy her live act and maybe exit The Gorge with
a new band to explore.
As the sun descended over the western skyline, Dave
Matthews appeared on stage to introduce the opening act as he always does. The
Gorge crowd gave their obligatory roar of approval and Dave introduced Brandi
as one of the hottest women he knows. And while she is quite attractive, it was
her music I was most interested in. I was going to have to see her perform
three nights in a row, so I really hoped that I would enjoy her songs.
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| The lovely Brandi Carlile |
Brandi and her band came out after the introduction and
launched into their first song. Her music style is alternative country,
reminiscent of bands like Son Volt. I was very impressed with her performance
on night one and thankful that she sounded so good. I would not have any
concerns listening to her music for two more nights.
Carlile performed 2 cover songs her first night: “Nothing
Compares 2 U” and “The Chain.” And while her rendition of “Nothing Compares 2
U” was a fabulous one, she really nailed Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” It was
almost as good as seeing the original in concert .
The highlight of her performance, however, was her hit song “The Story.” I am
sure that I have heard the song on the radio, or over the internet, or
somewhere, but I couldn’t really remember where. What I do know was that as
soon as I heard it live, I was mesmerized. What a fantastic song! And having
since heard the studio version several times, I can honestly proclaim that the
live version is a thousand times better. Brandi’s voice just appears stronger
in concert than on the day that she recorded the studio version of the song.
All in all I was very impressed with Brandi Carlile and her band.
After a brief break, it was time for the main event. In
2014 Dave Matthews Band was touring behind 2 sets, where the band would perform
an acoustic set, take a quick break, and then perform an electric set. This was
my third show of the 2014 tour, so I knew what to expect, but I was still as
excited as a rookie hitting his first major league home run.
Dave took center stage first, and opened the weekend with
a terrific cover of the classic John Denver song, “Take Me To Tomorrow.” He
sounded amazing and the song was wonderful. It was the first time I was able to
see him perform that song and I thought it was awesome. Some great notable
tracks were presented in that first set including “Bartender,” “Lie In Our
Graves,” “Two Step,” and “What Would You Say?” It was a fantastic set to kick
off the weekend, and as I stood there in the pit, a mere 20 feet from the
stage, I took it all in, reeling in my good fortune.
I also learned a few things about being in a pit that
weekend. One of my first lessons was that while I am glad to have had the
opportunity to experience DMB up close and personal, I will never get pit
tickets again. Part of it may be that I am aging, part of it may be my acute
claustrophobia, and part of it may be the people that surrounded us those three
nights. Basically, the pit is a free for all of mostly drunk concert attendees
who lack respect for personal space as everyone tries to surge closer and closer
to the stage during the course of the night.
As the first night wore on, my Aussie friend and I were
constantly bumped, pushed, shoved, and jostled by a sea of moving bodies who
were consistently taking one step forward in an attempt to get even closer to
the stage. At one point, there was literally no room to move. The last time I
experienced that was during an Iron Maiden concert (http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2010/07/iron-maiden-july-11-2010.html)
and I eventually had to tap out for air. The same experience happened on this
night as well. By the time “The Song That Jane Likes” was unveiled I told my
friend that I needed to get out of the pit and headed for the lawn. She
followed and joined me prior to the encore. We watched the encore together from
the lawn and gulped in the copious amount of air that was now available without
anyone trying to run us down.
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| Yeah, I was that close.... |
That’s not to say that all three nights in the pit were
like that. The second show (Saturday night) found a much friendlier pit
experience, and while still cramped and crowded, there was less bumping and
shoving, and friendlier people within our vicinity. As has happened to me at
past DMB concerts, I found myself receiving warm embraces from random
strangers, both male and female, and dancing the night away with new friends of
the evening. The group surrounding us on Saturday evening was filled with
lovely men and women who appreciated the music as much as I and who were more
than willing to dance the night away with us. That was part of the reason that
Saturday night was so magical.
The other reason was the song selection that DMB pulled
out for their Saturday night concert at The Gorge. Simply stated, of the 17 DMB
shows I have seen, this one might have been the best of the bunch. The acoustic
set was damn near flawless and the electric set opened with one of the band’s
most vastly underrated songs, “Minarets.” That was followed by “One Sweet
World” and “Seek Up” which made for a terrific 3 song electric set opener. A
song or two later, Brandi Carlile took the stage with legendary Pearl Jam
guitarist Mike McCready, and they performed the rarely played “Spoon.” The roar
from the crowd was impactful, and as I turned from my space in the pit to look
up at everyone in attendance, I was just overwhelmed. There must have been
close to 18,000 people at that concert, and for an amphitheater setting, that
is humongous. Night two also included a stupendous rendition of “Don’t Drink
The Water,” an amazing “Dancing Nancies,” and a song that I had never seen in
concert before,
“Long Black Veil.” Add in that the encore closer was “Halloween” and it was the
recipe for a perfect evening. I was absolutely drained after that show, and I
still had one more night to go!
On Sunday we arrived in the early afternoon and decided
to sit and watch some of the opening bands on the side stage for a little while
and then relaxed on the lawn prior to taking our spot in the pit. There was
absolutely no way that DMB was going to top the show from the night before, but
knowing this band as well as I do, I knew that they were going to try.
The acoustic opener for the last night of the weekend was
extremely unexpected. Dave came out solo with an acoustic guitar, told a silly
story about a bird, and then delved in to “All Along The Watchtower.” Hearing
the usual encore closer as an acoustic set opener was surreal yet amazing. It
was nice to see that there was the potential to have the set turned on its ear.
I have to say that the acoustic set for night three was
probably the best of all the acoustic sets I saw on that tour. A fabulous cover
of Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin’ Away,” a tremendous “Tipping Billies,” and the
two song set closer of “Crash Into Me,” followed by “Typical Situation” made it
the set to remember. It was truly an experience to partake in.
The electric set tried its best to follow suit, but
again, after what we had witnessed the night before, it was going to be near
impossible to top. The band gets an A for effort though. “Best Of What’s
Around” opened the last electric set of the weekend to the crowds approval. A
few songs later I got to witness “Lover Lay Down” live for the first time. It
was a song I had wanted to hear for 17 DMB concerts, and I finally got it. I
closed my eyes and let myself drift off in the music. It was the perfect topper
to an already tremendous weekend.
The rest of the set was strong, and the encore brought out fan favorite “The
Stone,” but it didn’t come close to being a better experience than the night
before. And by the end of the show, I had enough pit for one weekend and made
my way to the lawn one final time, this time due mostly to overall body
weariness. I sat down on an open space in the lawn and watched the end of the
show from there, while taking in the stars in the sky and the beauty of The
Gorge for one final time.
Anything that I put into words for this concert post is
not going to do my feelings justice. This was a once in a lifetime trip that I
made to see one of my favorite bands at one of the most historic venues in the
United States. The feeling of euphoria that washed over me as these three days
unfolded is near indescribable. I was ecstatic. I was mesmerized. I was elated.
I had never felt so much joy attending a concert or a musical festival. Even
now, I can close my eyes, listen to Brandi Carlile sing “The Story” and smell
the wind in the air. I can still envision the way chills ran over my body when
I walked up the hill and saw the stage that sits on the Columbia River for the
first time. It is a memory that will be ingrained in me for a lifetime. If you
ever have the chance to see a show at The Gorge, I highly recommend it, and if
it’s a chance to see DMB at The Gorge, I almost demand that you go. It will
create memories for a lifetime.
SETLISTS
August 29, 2014:
SET ONE
Take Me To Tomorrow
Bartender
Oh
Two Step
Sweet
Lie In Our Graves
Stolen Away On 55th And 3rd
What Would You Say
SET TWO
Drive In Drive Out
Big Eyed Fish
Satellite
Seven
Belly Belly Nice
Crush
Digging A Ditch
Warehouse
Mercy
Why I Am
The Song That Jane Likes
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
ENCORE
Belly Full
Good Good Time
You Might Die Trying
August 30, 2014
SET ONE
Little Red Bird
Stay Or Leave
Old Dirt Hill
Recently
Snow Outside
Ants Marching
Sugar Man
So Damn Lucky
SET TWO
Minarets
One Sweet World
Seek Up
Rooftop
Spoon
Out Of My Hands
Don’t Drink The Water
If Only
Dancing Nancies
Save Me
Long Black Veil
Stay
ENCORE
Sister
So Much To Say
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Halloween
August 31, 2014
SET ONE
All Along The Watchtower
Grace Is Gone
Slip Slidin Away
Tripping Billies
Loving Wings
Rhyme And Reason
Crash Into Me
Typical Situation
SET TWO
The Best Of What’s Around
When The World Ends
Squirm
Lover Lay Down
Corn Bread
Jimi Thing
Grey Street
Steady As We Go
Drunken Soldier
Can’t Stop
You And Me
Sledgehammer
ENCORE
Some Devil
The Stone
Shake Me Like A Monkey
