A Dave Matthews Band Breakdown

So I'm going to see Dave Matthews Band a third time this year. The first two, which I wrote about on here, were a Friday/Saturday pair of shows in Noblesville, IN. On September 26th a little more than a half dozen of us will make the trek to Chicago and the Tinley Park Amphitheater to see him again. Tinley Park is the site where I first saw DMB three years ago. Since then my travels have brought me to him four times at Noblesville, and once in Bloomington, where he played with Tim Reynolds.

Going to Tinley with me will be a group of the usual suspects, but it will also be my brother's first Dave show. In honor of that, and in honor of my third time this season, I present my list of the ten best DMB songs. When going over the one hundred plus songs that make up the Dave Matthews Band catalogue I settled on the following rules:

- No songs off of any solo album could qualify. In practical terms that means that Some Devil, Dave's solo album, could not be considered.
- No covers could be on the list. This means that DMB's cover of All Along the Watchtower, which is one of my favorite songs, does not qualify.
- A song should be good on the studio album release, but should be equally good, if not better, live. This rule is important because DMB has been and always will be a band that is in its essence live. Really, you can't pass judgement on them until you've seen them live.

So, without further delay, here are my top ten favorite songs by Dave Matthews Band:


10. Why I Am / Funny The Way It Is

A tie? Yes, a tie. It's lame to have a top ten list that consists of eleven songs, but I haven't had enough time with either of these songs to determine which is actually better. They are both off of the new release, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (buy it now!), and they are both spectacular in their own ways. "Why I Am" is an upbeat song with powerful drive, an open celebration of late DMB saxophonist LeRoy Moore's life. "Funny" is the rare DMB single that shines through. Tim Reynolds guitar solo is wonderful, the song has a powerful meaning, and all around it delivers the goods. As a tie breaker I considered both of these songs live, and the crowd was at 100% intensity for both. So, yes, a tie. I guess it's a top eleven list after all.

9. Dreaming Tree

This song, off of DMB's third studio release Before These Crowded Streets, is hauntingly beautiful and equally powerful. The soft music drives through the song, giving a soft number an incredible intensity. The lyrics are moving and insightful: "standing here the old man said to me 'long before these crowded streets, here stood my dreaming tree.' Below it he would sit for hours at a time; now progress takes away what forever took to find." When I saw Dave and Tim live at Assembly Hall for the Obama benefit they played this, and it blew me away. They rarely play this song live, but seeing Dave and Tim do it, seeing the crowd's reaction when they realized what the song was ... it was enough to secure that this song is something special.

8. Rhyme and Reason

Off of DMB's first studio release, Under The Table and Dreaming, this song is one I have not seen live yet, but you can bet I'm looking forward to hearing it. Watching it live on The Central Park Concert DVD gives you an idea of the power behind this song. This clip, from a concert 9/11/99, is a good example of this. I love the way this song starts off slow, then builds into an explosion, then slowly fades away.


7. Tripping Billies

This song was the first that Boyd Tinsley was brought in to play violin for, and the rest, as they say, was history. Released on Two Things, and then again with the second studio release Crash, "Billies" is a long time DMB staple which is very popular live for a good number of reasons. First, the song is just plain fun, and has great energy to dance to, sing to, and enjoy the moment with your friends. Second, Boyd just kills on the violin solos on this one. The song is great on the album, but this is a great example of a song that gets taken to a whole different level when seen live.

6. Two Step

This was the final encore of the final night this year, and it made up for a concert that had been a bit of a let down to that point (although, upon further review of the set list, it was only a let down because the night before had been so mind-numbingly awesome). Another song off of Crash, this song is another that starts slowly, builds intensity, and then just explodes. With "Two Step," however, it is the brass line that just kills. That's the thing about DMB: every time you think one part of the band outshines another a song will come along to change your perception. This song has always been one of my favorites off of the albums, but live it is other-worldly. An easy inclusion on to this list. (If you want to see what I'm talking about check out this clip from the show I was at this year.)

5. Ants Marching

Off of Under The Table, this song was a single when it came out, but had been played by the band for some time before the actual studio release (much like "Billies"). Ants is a staple of a live show with DMB; they may not always play it, but when they do you know that they feel the crowd is totally with them. I saw it as the final number before the encore at Tinley Park during that first show, and it was amazing. The violin solo here is perhaps my favorite Boyd solo, and the drums just drive throughout (although, with Carter, that is almost always the case). Seeing this song live is quite the experience, and it is also an amazing studio song. In the world of DMB that's the rare double feature.

4. # 41

Sometimes you don't name the songs, you just label them by the order you wrote them in. "41" is an amazing song off of Crash that often gets fifteen to twenty minutes of the band just jamming with each other live. It has some great lyrics, but the real treat is just listening to the band play as one for what seems like a pristine eternity after the lyrics have finished.


3. Satellite

If there was a song that made me fall in love with DMB this song would be it. I remember when this song was a radio single; it alone led me to purchase the album it was off of (Under The Table again), and so it alone led me to become the fan I have become. The soft guitar intro just floats, and the song follows through with a beautiful melody. I have seen this song live a number of times, including Tinley Park, twice at Verizon and with Dave and Tim at Assembly, but it never gets old. It is always, hands down, a treat to see and hear.

2. Alligator Pie

A disclaimer in the interest of full disclosure: I spent the better part of my college years at IU working in Hurricane Katrina relief. This song is about New Orleans following Katrina. On that level it is quite the emotional song for me. But beyond that, this song showcases every aspect that makes this band an all-time great. The drums drive throughout, the guitar is amazing, Boyd nails the violin, and Stefan rocks the bass ... just an all time effort. Check it out here live at the Beacon theater; Dave explains a bit about the song. I saw this song both nights this year, and the crowd was totally into it. This song is, perhaps, the best song they've written in a years. With my emotional attachment to it there is only one song that could top it...

1. Bartender

When I was a Junior or Senior in High School (can't really remember which) I was attending Youth Group one night, and our Pastor announced we would be taking communion. After he blessed the bread and juice (we are Methodist after all) a song began to play through the sound system. This wasn't out of the ordinary, but the song itself was something inspired. As big of a DMB fan as I am I had no idea the song was by them until I heard Dave's voice. And so, the first time I ever heard the song Bartender I took communion to it.

Bartender is much more than a song to me. It is my inspiration through the perils I face. It is my comfort during times of great trials. Seeing it live is always like a religious experience. No song can give me goosebumps the instant that the opening brass kicks in. I saw it live at Tinley Park that first year, and at once knew that the show would be a success no matter what happened. I saw it again at Noblesville two years ago, and felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. Dave and Tim played it in Assembly Hall as my time at IU wrapped up, and it seemed right. They opened with it the first night at Noblesville this year, and at that moment we all knew it was going to be a night that would never, ever, ever be topped. Bartender is not just my favorite song by Dave Matthews Band (by the way, it's off of Busted Stuff). Bartender is my favorite song of all time, period. When the time comes, and the good Lord lifts me up and takes me far from here, this is the song I want played at my funeral. Oh, if I go before I'm old...