DMB concert honors late LeRoi Moore

Dave Matthews Band delivered for fans when they played at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri on Wednesday, June 17.  The concert's opening act was The Hold Steady, who took the stage at 7 p.m.

Dave Matthews Band, originally from Charlottesville, Virginia has been together since 1991.  Dave Matthews Band's latest studio album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" and this tour honors a founding member of the band, LeRoi Moore.

Moore was the band's previous saxophonist who passed away in late August 2008 due to complications from an ATV accident he suffered in June of the same year. 

Dave Matthews Band is currently made up of Dave Matthews on guitar and vocals, Boyd Tinsley on violin, Carter Beauford on drums, Stefan Lessard on bass guitar, along with touring members Jeff Coffin on saxophone, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Tim Reynolds on guitar. 

Dave Matthews introduced the opening act, The Hold Steady. The Hold Steady, from Brooklyn, New York, was a surprising choice as an opening band considering that Dave Matthews Band could have had their pick of bigger name bands.  The Hold Steady began with their original song, "Stuck Between Stations," a song that seemingly started the mood right. Two songs later it seemed as if The Hold Steady was beginning to wear on the audience's nerves. By the fifth song it appeared that the Hold Steady had worn out their welcome as majority of the spectators had sat back down.

 Dave Matthews Band took the stage and greeted an eager audience around 8:15 p.m., building anticipation by setting up behind a curtain which dropped on the first note the band delivered full throttle. 

The band opened with a perfect blend of two of their original songs "Pantela Naga Pampa" and "Rapunzel," both of which were released on Dave Matthews Band's album "Before these Crowded Streets." 

Dave Matthews Band made a smooth transition into "Shake Me Like a Monkey," a song from their newest album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King," which was released on June 2. "Shake Me Like a Monkey" favored well with the crowd as they danced and sang along.  The bands infectious energy and obvious passion for playing pulled any last stragglers still sitting to their feet to sing along to one of the most popular and catchy songs from "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King." 

 Next the band moved to a slower song, "Funny the Way it is," also from their June released album.  "Funny the Way it is" featured slower melodies and the characteristic Dave Matthews Band soulful lyrics, like "funny the way it is/not right or wrong/somebody's heart is broken/and it becomes your favorite song."  "Funny the Way it is" is a favorite for many Dave Matthews Band fans because it highlights the individual talents of many of the members of the band. 

After a smooth lead into "Typical Situation," Dave Matthews Band astounded the audience with several impressive instrumental solos, especially by Moore's replacement saxophonist, Jeff Coffin, who was previously a member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and a winner of two Grammy Awards.

 As the concert continued, Dave Matthews Band played more songs from "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King," as well as some old favorites including "Crush," "Grey Street," "The Best of What's Around" and "Dreaming Tree." The band also played a medley of songs in tribute to the memory of LeRoi Moore, showing how greatly they missed their former band member. 

After playing for around two hours, Dave Matthews and the rest of the band exited the stage, much to the dismay of the crowd.

In hopes of coercing them back out for a few additional songs, the majority of the audience members delayed leaving, instead sending enthusiastic applause towards the stage.

 After several minutes of coaxing applause from the audience, Dave Matthews Band returned to the stage for an encore.  Dave Matthews Band played for nearly a half hour for their encore performance, including playing the hit song "Warehouse" and the band's own phenomenal rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."  Tim Reynolds was especially impressive, showcasing his incredible talent during a lengthy and skillful solo. 

 All in all, Dave Matthews Band provided yet another great concert to their fans in St. Louis, even if the opening band did turn out to be a tad disappointing.