Dave Matthews Band at the Hollywood Bowl

I got to see Dave Matthews Band a couple of days ago on August the 28th, 2006 at the Hollywood Bowl. Its was not the best Dave show I've seen, but it was definitely unique. The band was not as rowdy as they can sometimes be, and it seemed they were almost playing out of respect for the venue and its history.

Robert Randolph and the family band opened. I've seen him before when he opened for Eric Clapton at the bowl and he was as fabulous as ever. A master of the slide guitar, Randolph brings a passion and energy to every piece he plays.

Dave's setlist was as follows:

Best of What's Around *
Pig *
What Would You Say? *
Dreamgirl *
Hunger for the Great Light *
Shotgun *
Crash
Everyday *
You Might Die Trying *
Dancing Nancies * -->
Warehouse *
Loving Wings *
Where Are You Going?
Can't Stop
Smooth Rider *+
Louisiana Bayou *+
Encore:
So Right *
Ants Marching *

* Rashawn Ross on trumpet
+ Robert Randolph

He had a very gentle opening, and played a couple new songs. Some highlights were definitely Dancing Nancies > Warehouse, and Louisiana Bayou with Robert Randolph. When Randolph came on before Smooth Rider, he brought hats for each of the band members, and Dave looked quite decked out with red shirt, sunglasses, and red fedora. Louisiana Bayou was quite a performance Ants Marching was the perfect end for this show, I only wish he had played more from Crash. It was a great show, and probably one of the more unique ones I will ever hear.

Wolf Parade

I went to see Wolf Parade at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, yesterday, August 25th, 2006. It was altogether a pretty slick show, and I was not let down by a lot of the Wolf Parade hype that I had heard prior to the show. Whalebone and Frog Eyes opened, and I was mildly impressed by them as well.

Whalebone came on around 9 o'clock and gave their interpretation of a cross between Eagles of Death Metal and Howe Gelb. They had a nice three part harmony going for their first song that sent shivers down your spine. I really liked the lead guitarists style and the way he held together the vocals while still keeping up musically.

Next up was Frog Eyes. While I had heard of them before, I never really got the chance to hear their version of Indie Rock. The lead singer, Carey Mercer, wailed and mumbled his way through half a dozen pieces that left me dazed and confused. I tried to imagine it as a more whacked out version of Wolf Parade. After his long and meandering set we were finally ready for Wolf Parade.

Although, they had a pretty slick show. They played a lot of their hits from their CD Apologies to the Queen Mary, but they also wiggled in a couple tracks not on the CD, particularly Secret Knives and Dinner Bells (one of my favorites and their finale piece). They engaged the crowd a fair amount, and the fans were pretty decent, except for one fellow who jumped up on stage and proceeded to play air guitar until keyboardist Spencer Krug gave him a distasteful glare at which point he quickly jumped off the stage. I had a good time, and I hope you did too! Talk to you soon.