MANSFIELD, MA | Dave Matthews Band’s 2022 tour crashed into the Xfinity Theater Friday night, playing to a packed house of die-hard fans who sang along to tracks off nine different albums from the course of the band’s 31 years together.
“This is the song we wanted them to play!” two women called out from the front row. That same energy resonated throughout the amphitheater for the remainder of the night as fans sang along to “Seek Up,” “So Right,” and “Louisiana Bayou.” Many concertgoers were unable to see their favorite band for the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole crowd seemed to share the same strong emotional response: Dave and the guys are back!
Heather Violet cheerily told The Vinyl District that it was her milestone 100th show. “I came because I felt safe,” she said while describing how she has followed the band since 1999. As the band began their encore with a Willy Nelson cover, Dave Matthews expressed his gratitude to his devoted fans. “Tonight I hope you felt that we just had a great time with ya’ll. Thank you so much.”
Seeing Dave Matthews Band—even the 100th show—is a new experience for their fans, a reprise. For those who have a decades-long history of watching wide eyed from their seats, each opportunity to see DMB feels like no time has passed. Mike Bennet of Rhode Island attended the concert with longtime friends and shared, “A Dave concert is like seeing an old friend and picking up right where you left off…the band always delivers.”
For fans who have followed the band since the ’90s, many of life’s important moments will transpire—and Matthew’s lyrics illustrate them vividly. These moments serve as a timestamp for fans to see how far they have come in their own lives. The songs may remain the same, it’s the concertgoer who has changed.
