2008 Road Crew Notes
May 30th, 2008
Summer is here indeed, and we're back on the road. We kicked off the tour near Pittsburgh tonight where the weather could not have been better for the gathering. The band and crew alike are profoundly excited about the new show. The lights, video and sound just keep getting better. We've been blessed by the guitar gods with the return of Tim Reynolds to the DMB stage (y'all are gonna get your butts kicked this summer). Hope to see you soon.
The DMB Crew
May 31st, 2008
The band is on fire! We're searching for words to describe the direction in which they're headed at the moment. Having Tim back with us live is bringing both a newness and a sense of nostalgia. Highlights this evening included his solos on Lie In Our Graves and Rhyme & Reason as well as his old familiar licks throughout Satellite, Too Much and #41. The band is having fun exploring some cover songs. Notably, Pink Floyd's Money tonight put smiles on many faces. We're eager to get on with the next show to see what happens next. See y'all in Camden on Tuesday.
The DMB Crew
June 4th, 2008
After just a few shows, it's clearly evident that DMB is pumped this year. They're working out a bunch of new cover songs and having fun with them. Their own tunes are sounding fresh with a lot of changes to the arrangements. One notable change came tonight immediately following Lie In Our Graves. Dave quickly turned to the band and described an idea of a new opening to Ants Marching where just he and Tim would start the song together and the rest of the band would join in after the first verse. They were all psyched and broke into the tune within seconds. As a crew member, it's great to be hearing the other songs they're working on bringing back. There's a lot more in store for this summer.
The DMB Crew
June 7th, 2008
We've had an intense couple days with back to back stadium shows. The long days payed off as the band pulled off some great performances . Béla Fleck happened to have the night off in Chicago last night and came down to sit in with the band. Dave commented to the sold out crowd tonight in St. Louis, "Something about a baseball stadium that feels like home". Well into the show, the band played a trio of tunes from their early days. Stefan expressed to his bandmates how Pay For What You Get, Recently and Tripping Billies, in a row, felt like "old schoold DMB". The crew's looking forward to some sleep and day off before the Michigan show. See y'all on Monday.
The DMB Crew
June 10th, 2008
We've had some weather to deal with for the past couple days. For the most part, the worst of the storms went around and left us with just a few showers. There's nothing like gigging outdoors to keep you on your toes. DMB put on some strong back-to-back sets in Clarkston and Scranton. Their are many new things happening on stage these days that have us all excited for the shows to come. During Crush tonight, LeRoi and Tim traded amazing solos as the song climaxed into an explosive jam that seemed to set off the tornado sirens (check out the tapes). It left us all floored. The 600 mile drive last night put us here pretty late today, but we still got the show up in time. See y'all in Hartford.
The DMB Crew
June 14th, 2008
Just finished two great days in Hartford. DMB pulled out a few tunes not yet played this year. Midway through the set last night, crew members wheeled a keyboard onto the stage where Dave sat and played Out Of My Hands. This was his first time playing keys live with DMB. After his flawless performance, he comically joked with the band about the torrent of thoughts that raced through his head during the tune. They opened the show with Bartender tonight with LeRoi playing Oboe, also for the first time ever on stage. His tones hovered beautifully over the intro and outro. Tonight's was an easy set to get lost in. The stagehands are loading the trucks, then we're headed to Darien. See you there.
The DMB Crew
June 18th, 2008
Good couple days! Tonight in Toronto, DMB played a killer Jimi Thing that took off into the stratosphere. Completely off the cuff. It's a recording worth checking out, for certain. We're hurrying to get our gear into the trucks so we can get to the border crossing at a reasonable hour. See y'all at SPAC on Friday.
The DMB Crew
June 21st, 2008
DMB had a blast at SPAC. They played for nearly three hours each night. The audience sang so loudly during Jimi Thing tonight that Dave let them do the verses on their own. We were witness to a practical joke as well this evening, for little reason other than to have some fun. The band asked a bunch of crew guys to casually walk across the stage between So Much and Too Much. Boyd was the only one who didn't know ahead of time. The rest just wanted to see how he would react...and it was great. They laughed non-stop when they got back to the dressing room after the set. Our first seemingly rain-free show day of the tour has come to a close. We're stoked for a coupe days off. See y'all in Mansfield.
The DMB Crew
June 25th, 2008
The 11 PM curfew sneaks up on us at some of these venues and the band is forced to cut the show short. DMB's two and a half hour set tonight consisted of several of their lengthier tunes including #41, Jimi Thing, Seek Up and Two Step. They were raring to play longer as was evidenced by the powerful rock ending to Two Step. This author is also feeling the time crunch as the stagehands are waiting outside of the crew room to push these cases to the trucks. That said, we'll see y'all in Hershey on Friday.
The DMB Crew
July 1st, 2008
It's a day of swirling emotions out here on the road. We're immensely saddened by LeRoi's absence after his accident yesterday. After his first full day of recovery, we're learning that his condition is improving. Dave and Carter spent a few hours at his side this morning, laughing together and talking. He's alert and cracking jokes already. They commented on how much they were heartened and excited after leaving the hospital, knowing that he's going to be alright. Dave announced to the audience tonight "He was beat up real good, but he's going to be fine." Jeff Coffin has really stepped up to the plate. We are honored that he chose to drop everything at the last minute to fly out and sit in during Roi's time away. Jeff sat in a room with Rashawn all afternoon, learning parts. We were all amazed at how well he did tonight. A true professional. We're keepin' on with the keepin' on. See y'all in Raleigh tomorrow.
Get well LeRoi...We love ya!
The DMB Crew
July 2nd, 2008
The local curfew (plus some longer tunes at the top of the set) got the best of us again tonight, forcing the band to cut a few songs out of the set. Those who were here though, got to see Dave's crazy-old-man dance during Corn Bread. It had us in stitches. We're loading the trucks and heading for Charleston. Catch ya Friday.
Miss you Roi!
The DMB Crew
July 9th, 2008
We're still groovin' down the road. It's been a packed week of distinctly different styled shows. From the baseball stadium in Charleston to the Rothbury festival then back into sheds, we've had our work cut out for us. Jeff Coffin has really done a great job at filling in for LeRoi during his absence. Reports are coming in that Roi's getting better with each passing day. We're headed to our last stop before the break. See y'all at the beach.
Miss you Roi!
The DMB Crew
July 12th, 2008
Stellar weekend in West Palm. DMB put on entirely different sets, playing a total of 38 songs over 2 shows here. Tonight, Dreaming Tree featured beautiful solos by Jeff Coffin on the flute and Rashawn Ross on Trumpet. It was followed by a great opening to Crush, where Stefan played some killer slap bass. Towards the end of Crush, Tim and Jeff were sparring face-to-face as they traded solos, taking the tune to a soaring peak. As Dave strummed the opening chords to Old Dirt Hill, he described to the audience an occasion when someone asked him if he'd written the song about himself. He recounted memories of his youth when he'd smoke under the bridge and how he once "busted his ass" while riding his bike into a dirt hill by his home. We fly home tomorrow for a short break before picking up the second leg of the tour in Denver. See y'all at the Mile High Music Festival next week.
We miss you LeRoi!!!
The DMB Crew
July 22nd, 2008
Back from our break and pumped to be playing more shows. Despite the 100° weather, we had a blast at the Mile High Music Festival. Denver treated us right! We played our first indoor show of the tour tonight in Omaha. The band fed from the crowd's energy and played a 3 hour set. We're especially happy to be hearing Sugar Will back in the mix. See y'all this weekend in Indy.
THe DMB Crew
July 29th, 2008
It was our first time playing Crew Stadium in Columbus since they tore down the old Polaris. We do miss that place. There were some great moments during tonight's set. Tim's solo during Two Step rocked! The horns came up with an incredible atonal riff during Jimi Thing that blew us all away. Dave started into what we thought would be a Water/Wine tease, but the band turned it into the longest version of that jam that we've heard to date. Can't wait to see where that goes! For the second show in a row, DMB teased the crowd by starting into Too Much, but ultimately segueing into a different closing tune (Tripping Billies tonight). We're driving overnight to Blossom for a show tomorrow. See you there.
The DMB Crew
August 5th, 2008
We're in the middle of a whirlwind of shows. Playing with Willie Nelson at the ball parks last weekend was a highlight of the tour so far, for certain. Tonight, though we were missing Jeff Coffin do to his prior commitment with the Flecktones, the band pulled out a fantastic show. Following a relentless chant from the audience requesting that the band play Halloween, DMB obliged, but only after playing the intro to Everyday as a fake out. Tim's solo during Crush was nothing short of epic and Carter's solo at the end of Two Step was the pinnacle of the evening. We're on our way back to the home state. See y'all at Va. Beach on Thursday.
The DMB Crew
August 10th, 2008
We've never seen anything like this before. The band's been off the stage for over 30 minutes, and the audience is still here....singing their hearts out. We're loading out to the crowd's chanting of "Thank You Falettinme Be Myself Again...". The perfect end to our stay here at Alpine. DMB put on 2 shows in a row, each lasting more than 3 hours. We've said it before, but the fact remains, we do indeed dig this place. See y'all in a few days.
The DMB Crew
August 19th, 2008
As we sat this afternoon contemplating the loss of our brother, we wondered how we could possibly do a show today. Dave put it into perspective stating, "There's no place I'd rather be than here with you guys right now." We cherish special memories of our lost friend. Tonight, Dave told a story about LeRoi at a bar in Virginia where the cash register was near the stage and LeRoi leaned on the register because "standing had become a chore". Roi proceeded to play the most beautiful version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Dave said, "that was the day I fell in love with him. And I'm still in love with him." It's safe to say we all were in love with him. "It's always easier to leave, than to be left." -DM
The DMB Crew
August 22nd, 2008
Memories of Roi whirling about. The show tonight was at times somber, but fun and full of energy as well. Band and crew walked off stage talking about Fonz's funky intro to Crush and Rashawn's flugelhorn solo in Stolen Away. On to Phoenix. We hear there's good hot sauce and tacos on the bus. See you tomorrow. Thanks for hangin' with us.
The DMB Crew
August 31st, 2008
We're missing our friend. To paraphrase Dave, it's been a very strange and difficult week. It is evident that this profound sorrow is common between band, crew and fans. The audiences here at the Gorge are making their feelings known. Their gestures of remembrance are felt on stage. These are shows of healing, companionship, and emotion. It is fitting that we can share this in a special place like the Gorge. Today is our thirtieth show here [ed. note: this was actually the thirty-first show at the Gorge], and sadly one of us isn't here to celebrate the anniversary. Thank you all for your love and continued support.
The DMB Crew