As promised, the Dave Matthews Band rocked Washington State last weekend for the 15th consecutive year. Just a few of the highlights from the group’s most recent stint at the Gorge Amphitheatre include, surprise fan favorites, such as: “American Baby Intro,” “Big Eyed Fish,” “#40,” “Loving Wings,” “Shotgun,” “Raven,” “Halloween,” “Seek Up,” and a killer “Lie In Our Graves,” which, amazingly, wrapped itself around seven unsuspecting tunes. But perhaps the biggest bombshell was dropped during the encore of night two, when the band busted out Blue Öyster Cult's 1976 hit, “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”As promised, the Dave Matthews Band rocked Washington State last weekend for the 15th consecutive year. Just a few of the highlights from the group’s most recent stint at the Gorge Amphitheatre include, surprise fan favorites, such as: “American Baby Intro,” “Big Eyed Fish,” “#40,” “Loving Wings,” “Shotgun,” “Raven,” “Halloween,” “Seek Up,” and a killer “Lie In Our Graves,” which, amazingly, wrapped itself around seven unsuspecting tunes. But perhaps the biggest bombshell was dropped during the encore of night two, when the band busted out Blue Öyster Cult's 1976 hit, “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”
It’s Labor Dave Weekend! That time of year when 20,000 dedicated Dave Matthews Band enthusiasts make their pilgrimage to Washington State for three days of camping, fun, friendship, awe-inspiring nature, and, of course, music. Sadly, I have yet to make this trip, but it is an absolute on my bucket-list. And although, I’m sure it doesn’t compare to the live adventure, this year, at least, I will be watching the shows online which is a fantastic option for those of us who couldn’t swing the travel. 
Pleasure researchers say that as humans, we tend to enjoy familiar sounds over new ones. Perhaps it is our fear of change, or the unknown, but numerous studies point to this finding. I believe that Dave Matthews is aware of this theory, because years ago, when he introduced his then-nouveau album “Crash,” he told listeners, “I hope you like it, but if you don’t, listen to it a few more times.” A wise man, Dave is.
Just the other day, someone asked me to name my favorite Dave Matthews Band song. In truth, I have a love/hate relationship with this question. I love it because it gets me thinking about all of the amazing qualities of tunes like “Bartender,” “Seek Up,” “One Sweet World,” “Pig,” “#41,” “Lover Lay Down,” and “Two Step,” to name a few. But I hate it because it is nearly impossible for me to choose only one track. Many times, I reconcile my differing thoughts by finding the best option for my life at the moment, which in itself points to one reason why I love this band so much; their ever evolving, yet somehow consistent sound. But today, after much thought, I realized that of all the DMB works that I adore, “Granny,” is, and in some ways always has been, my best-loved.
As many of you know, I just returned from a wonderful and sunny trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I had the honor of sharing my passion for the Dave Matthews Band with 600 fellow health care providers, and art aficionados. The conference that I spoke at is called Creativity and Madness, and it is held every summer at LaFonda Hotel on the plaza in Santa Fe, as well as, at various other domestic and international sites throughout the year. If you have any interest in the psychology of art and artists, I highly recommend this meeting. But for today, I want to share with you my experience of giving this speech, because, as with all things DMB, it was truly remarkable.