Live Review: Dave Mathews Band, Gary Park Jr

The Dave Matthews Band have enjoyed success for many years now, predominantly amongst white, male university kids. Indeed, they have been bright lights drawing in young dudes looking to expand their “sensitive vocabulary” with dense, palatable folk-rock full of wholesome messages of middle-of-the-road, university-friendly progressiveness and good times. They are as warm on record as they are on stage, and put on a good show in front of an almost full house.

Gary Clark Jr opened the show with a surprisingly raucous set full of urgency that still managed to maintain its cool. He's a bluesman that operates with restraint and minimalism, and his solos were stripped-back and clean. His clean soloing broke up some big arrangements, and there was a sense he (and his band) wanted to break through and just play crunchy rock numbers, and that tension felt good.
In contrast to Clark, Tim Reynolds, Dave's long-time collaborator and axeman extraordinaire, wanted to over-complicate everything. During Satellite, arguably their second most popular song behind Crash Into Me (gloriously played on the night), he decided to almost squeal over the top of the central riff, adding cock-rock flair to an otherwise lithe ballad. It didn't quite work. Delay effects are a favourite of his, and he lives mostly on the highest frets during improvised moments, but just when his various tricks began to overstay their welcome he'd switch them up.
Matthews was in good form, if a little scattered on the banter front. His voice sounded great and his range as broad as ever. Dancing Nancies pushed him and his band through their paces and sounded great, with the first big hook bowling everyone over. The band got a big chance to show off during Ants Marching, and the night wrapped up with an incredible rendition of Rapunzel.