2009 Road Crew Notes
April 14th, 2009
The trucks are getting emptied out on 33rd, the equipment on it's way up to the floor of Madison Square Garden for the show tonight. We've had a chance to hear some of the new songs during rehearsals over the past few days, and they're really sounding great. Can't wait to get the tour started. See you back here tonight.
The DMB Crew
Tuesday, April 14
9:02 AM EDT
"Who starts a tour at Madison Square Garden???" Well we just did! Like the first day of school, we weren't sure how we'd do, but we were sure glad to be there. It turned out alright....it turned out MORE than alright! DMB crushed it tonight. Gregg Allman honored us by sitting in. Can't wait to see what's in store. See you tomorrow at the Meadowlands.
The DMB Crew
Wednesday, April 15
12:47 AM EDT
April 15th, 2009
Some of us crew are running on just 3 hours sleep, but with surprisingly few complaints. We're extremely psyched to be back on the road. We just finished show #2 and we're already feeling like we've got our groove back. Gearing up for some hometown shows...see y'all in the 'Ville this weekend.
The DMB Crew
Thursday, April 16
12:05 AM EDT
April 18th, 2009
Just made it through a spectacular weekend of shows! DMB played the arena at the University of Virginia in their hometown of Charlottesville. With all the family and friends in town, there are seemingly more people backstage than out in the house. Trumpeter John Dearth, an early collaborator of the band, sat in on 4 tunes this evening. Following an old-school rendition of Recently (including the "pretty pretty girl" jam), Dave shared with the audience a story from the early days when he first invited Carter, LeRoi, and John to listen to a few songs he had written. Together, Dave and John recorded a few of those early demos. Sitting in on both shows here was banjo badass Danny Barnes, who also appears on the new DMB record. His groovy bluegrass stylings and wide-eyed smile consistently puts a grin on all our faces. We are officially on tour and completely psyched to put on some great shows for y'all. We're on our way to Alabama for a show on Monday. See you then.
The DMB Crew
Sunday, April 19
12:42 AM EDT
April 22nd, 2009
Load-out's going quick...not much time to type. It's been chilly out here this week, though we'll take 50° over 105° and humid. After teasing Blue Water over the past couple shows, we can tell that DMB are getting worked up over it. We're bound to hear it before long. Short drive ahead of us tonight. See y'all in Charlotte on Friday.
The DMB Crew
Wednesday, April 22
11:44 PM EDT
April 25th, 2009
We played the stadium at Vanderbilt University in Nashville tonight. Before starting Why I Am, Dave mentioned again to the audience that this song in particular was LeRoi's favorite of the new material they had been working on. He then went on to describe how "Roi's face would dance when he was getting into the music". That dance in his face always spoke more loudly than his words. Dave's imitation was perfect. We're headed for Jazz Fest. See y'all in New Orleans.
The DMB Crew
Sunday, April 26
12:14 AM EDT
May 1st, 2009
it's been a while since our last update. We had a blast at the new orleans jazz fest and at the new venue in atlanta earlier this week. Tonight's show was the first here at the woodlands since it was torn-up by hurricane ike, but they fixed it up good as new. For the past couple shows, dave has touched on the old traditional tune rye whiskey, a nod to pete seeger's 90th birthday concert this weekend in new york. We're making our way across the great land of texas. See y'all tomorrow in dallas.
The dmb crew
friday, may 1
11:43 pm cdt
May 2nd, 2009
It rained here in Dallas today....a lot! You might wonder why we, the crew, dwell on the weather. It's because on days like this, it's all we think about. The radar consumes us. Still asking why? It's simple. Electronics and water do not mix (and we're responsible for a whole heck of a lot of electronics -- and people). Aside from the music show, mother nature presented a bang-on thunderstorm, flooding, and 60+ mile per hour winds. There we go dwelling on it again! A couple days in the desert sounds great right about now. See y'all in Albuquerque.
The DMB Crew
Saturday, May 2
11:21 PM CDT
May 6th, 2009
At least it's a dry heat...?
We have a new favorite song (or, a favorite new song) currently called Seven. It's a tune from the upcoming record, a song that the band debuted last night in Albuquerque then played again tonight. It's complex time signature, Dave's funky falsetto vocals, Fonz's 12 string bass...there are so many layers to this song unfolding before us. Just a couple shows left before we head home for a short break. See y'all in Vegas.
The DMB Crew
Wednesday, May 6
11:44 PM MST
May 8th, 2009
It happened in Vegas. Word's will never fully describe it. Find the tape. This one won't stay in Vegas.
[Audio clip of Dave speaking: "First time I heard that song, I was playing it and I thought, 'This is a bad motherfucker right here.' Tastes a little bit funny, but that's okay, something's wrong with it. I hope that it eventually affects you in a positive way at some stage."]
The DMB Crew
Saturday, May 9
2:06 AM PDT
June 6th, 2009
oh, what a couple of weeks it's been! We're coming down from the whirlwind of album release press and tv shows. The week started under the shadow of the green monster with the pair of shows at fenway. We are honored to have had the opportunity to return. Yesterday was a 24 hour marathon for the crew folks who did the today show in the morning and the show in hartford last night. By the end, it's safe to say that we were quite tired yet there wasn't a grump in the bunch. It's been a good week. We hope you're diggin' the new tunes and hope to see you out here soon.
The dmb crew
sunday, june 7
12:01 am edt
June 12th, 2009
sitting backstage at spac after our first of two shows here, reminiscing about roi. We've played a lot of great shows in this room over the years. Tonight's was no exception, though a reminder of how much we miss him. We know how much he would have loved playing these new tunes live. The tour rolls on in a strong manner. See you back here tomorrow.
the dmb crew
saturday, june 13
12:07 am edt
June 13th, 2009
we've spent a great weekend in saratoga springs. Both shows were really fun, the audiences full of energy. Tonight the band pulled out a few tunes not heard in a while including typical situation, the stone and lie in our graves, all with new arrangements. Just a few shows left before we head for europe. See y'all in cinci' on tuesday.
The dmb crew
saturday, june 13
11:42 pm edt
June 20th, 2009
just finished a great string of shows, all the while preparing to head overseas. Dmb has been tearing it up out here. Some crew are headed home while the rest are headed to europe with the band. To say we're eager to get over there and play some shows is an understatement for certain. We'll see you on the other side of the pond.
the dmb crew
sunday, june 21
12:21 am edt
July 19th, 2009
So good to be home. See y'all at Jones Beach.
The DMB Crew
Monday, July 20
12:06 AM CDT
July 22nd, 2009
The shows overseas were a blast. We played a bunch of festivals with some amazing bands. Springsteen, Black Eyed Peas, Alberta Cross, Jane's Addiction, Echo & The Bunnymen, Oasis, Prodigy, Lily Allen, Steely Dan, Chickenfoot, Chris Cornell, to name a handful...freakin' cool, right? We had tons of fun in Europe, but it's also comforting to be back to more familiar surroundings. We went over there with a smaller crew than we tour with in the U.S. Now we have the entire summer family together again for the rest of the tour. Alpine Valley is like a second home. Jones Beach, we haven't played in 12 years, but still felt like home. Looking forward to the weeks to come. See you down the road.
The DMB Crew
Thursday, July 23
12:29 AM EDT
August 4th, 2009
Seems like forever since we played Syracuse. It was good to be back, especially in this nice ball park. Very Summery. Tomorrow we play Bethel Woods Center for the first time and we're looking forward to it. See you there.
The DMB Crew
Tuesday, August 4
11:31 PM EDT
August 15th, 2009
This tour is going way too fast. Just finished our run through Florida and we're headed home for a 2 week break. We'll return to San Francisco to play the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival for the first time. See you there.
The DMB Crew
Saturday, August 15
11:58 PM EDT
September 6th, 2009
After a break at home, we returned to the tour last weekend in San Francisco for the Outside Lands festival. Though the show went well, the cold weather started to mess with Dave's voice. The dryness of the following day in Fresno only worsened matters, leading to the doctor's orders for Dave to lay off the vocal chords for some time. Subsequently, we had to cancel the show in Salt Lake....and for the second year running at that. We all feel pretty bad about it and look forward to making it up to the fans there.
So we made the drive up to the Gorge for what turned out to be a really great weekend of music. Banjo virtuoso and good friend, Danny Barnes, joined the band for a few tunes each night...and nailed it. The band performed two of Danny's songs which were recorded for his soon-to-be-released album titled Pizza Box. Dave described Danny as "one of the most beautiful sounds I've heard in a long time." It was very much our pleasure to share the stage with the guys in G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band. They've become good friends of ours over the years. Tonight marked our 34th show here at the Gorge. Feels like home. We're sad to leave, but psyched for the Greek Theater this week. See you there.
The DMB Crew
Monday, September 7
12:47 AM PDT
December 31st, 2009
Happy New Year everyone!
The DMB Crew
Thursday, December 31
11:07 AM EST