In a recent post on Bundle.com, writer Matt McCue discusses how easy it is to spend hundreds of dollars each summer on Dave Matthews Band concert tickets and related amenities. McCue points to several factors that keep him purchasing seats, namely, DMB’s amazing ability to vary performances by continually updating songs, their steady ticket prices, and their generosity, which allows fans access to a plethora of free live recordings, making the cost of each show seem even more reasonable.In a recent post on Bundle.com, writer Matt McCue discusses how easy it is to spend hundreds of dollars each summer on Dave Matthews Band concert tickets and related amenities. McCue points to several factors that keep him purchasing seats, namely, DMB’s amazing ability to vary performances by continually updating songs, their steady ticket prices, and their generosity, which allows fans access to a plethora of free live recordings, making the cost of each show seem even more reasonable.
My daughter, Stella, is turning one next week. Of all the milestones that I’ve watched her achieve this year, perhaps the most symbolic occurred just a few days ago, when she suddenly noticed her own shadow. While most people would probably be mildly entertained by this, it represents, for us psychologists, a whole new level of consciousness.
My friends are the best. Earlier this week, two of them rushed to my facebook wall to make sure that I knew about the recent Dave Matthews Band reference on “The Office.” Even though I don’t have a television, “The Office” is the one show that I watch semi-regularly on hulu.com. But, as it happens, I had missed last week’s episode, so I had to catch myself up on the aforementioned scene via a YouTube video. How on Earth did we survive before all of this technology?
In the well known course on creativity called “The Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron asserts that we each possess inherent talents, and it is not only our right, but our responsibility, to share them with others. In this way, we satisfy our own desire to originate while, at the same time, inspiring those around us to find their true potential. Now that we are in 2011, the year that the Dave Matthews Band is officially resting, I can’t help but wonder how each of the band members will keep alive their imaginative sparks, given that they won’t have their usual performances to fan their artistic flames.
In a recent article entitled “Concerted Effort,” Slate magazine writer, Annie Lowrey describes the Dave Matthews Band’s secret to success. Amidst a climate of declining record sales, Lowrey asserts that the band has been able to remain profitable due to it’s high emphasis on touring and ticket sales. In fact, as Lowrey points out, in 2010 alone, “that meant playing 62 shows in 50 cities to 1,270,477 fans- more than any other artist touring in North America.”
The Slate post goes on to compare DMB’s approach as similar to that of the Grateful Dead, a reference that many writers, including myself, have shared, perhaps because the resemblance is so profound. Not only did the Dave Matthews Band inherit the Dead’s sound system, but it seems, they also assumed many of the same performance ethics as did their well known predecessors. In other words, forming a large and loyal fan base, and offering amazing shows that are free of the bells and whistles that amp up other artist’s fees. This strategy allows enthusiasts to enjoy multiple shows every year, which, of course, ends up raising revenue for the band. But it does much more than that.
Recently, news has surfaced about new and exciting projects concerning different members of the Dave Matthews Band. Specifically, Yukon Cornelius, Stefan Lessard’s creation, is set to announce summer tour dates soon, and Dave has worked with Liz Phair on a new compilation which includes a song called “You Should Know Me,” where Dave plays guitar. But one contemporary announcement, it seems, has stirred up a bit of controversy for the ensemble. Tonight, in Arlington, Texas, the Dave Matthews Band will play a corporate gig for Altria Group, the parent company of the major tobacco producer, Philip Morris. Many fans have mixed feelings about this event, as it seems largely uncharacteristic for DMB to play for a company who is known for manufacturing carcinogens. It just seems out of place for a band who devotes so much of their celebrity to green and healthy causes. Personally, I have always battled allergies, and cigarette smoke is one of my greatest pet peeves, so this news has not settled too well with me. And yet, I recognize in this situation, a worthy opportunity to work with both acceptance and tolerance, two qualities that can enlighten even the dampest of circumstances.
This is a bittersweet time to be a Dave Matthews Band fan. On the one hand, we just topped off almost twenty years of touring with an amazing finale, full of outstanding performances that were jam packed with enormous variety and unmistakable vitality. Those who were lucky enough to attend last weekend’s Charlottesville shows were treated to nearly 50 different tracks, (including a double encore!) over two nights of pure musical bliss. And, most everyone, who got to a Fall concert, was fortunate enough to hear “The Last Stop,” which is always a crowd pleaser. But, as much as we all want to hear that song, the majority of us would rather not think about it’s shadowy significance.By now, even casual observers of the band are aware that DMB will not be touring next year. I realized this when the teenager in front of me in Atlanta informed me that Dave will be “retiring” in 2011. While I did my best to set the record straight, I would be lying if I said that those words weren’t hanging on me like a wet rag. It’s hard enough to stomach the idea of one summer without hearing these musicians live. I don’t even want to imagine what it would be like to know that these spectacular evenings of sound would continue to exist solely in our memories. Of course, at the same time, I completely respect and applaud these men for taking a well-deserved break for themselves and their families. I can only contemplate how draining it must be for them to live a traveling life.
I have been planning this article for months! Well, except that I had no idea what it would actually be about. What I mean is, that ever since I made arrangements to see the Dave Matthews Band next week in Atlanta, I’ve been looking forward to mentioning the one song that I want to hear most at that show, hoping that serendipity would work her magic, and somehow land the aforementioned tune a spot on next Tuesday night’s setlist. You see, ever since I have been writing these posts, I have noticed a strange, yet comforting phenomenon, where the tracks that I speak of suddenly appear, sometimes after long absences, on stage. It’s not that I believe that I am causing these things to occur, (I’m not that crazy!), it’s just that synchronicity is that powerful. But hey, if I come to find that someone from the band is actually reading these pieces, then that would be all the more amazing! So, Dave, if you would like to dedicate a song to the psychologist who writes spiritually themed, eccentric works about how much she loves your music, please, be my guest!
Yesterday, a friend asked me how my “love/obsession” for the Dave Matthews Band began. This was a surprising question since my “un-Daved” cohorts are generally trying to steer me away from this subject, rather than be subjected to one more enthusiastic pitch for the most fantastic group of musicians ever! But this brave soul invited me to share the roots of my fandom, and it got me thinking about the meaning of true love.
When I was in college, I wrote a term paper on the social mores and norms of the people who followed The Grateful Dead. Minoring in sociology, I’ve always been fascinated by group behavior and the way in which cultural surroundings, including music, affect us individually. Thinking back to that assignment, what stands out for me were the patterns of sharing and generosity present between “Dead-heads,” and the fact that these same traditions exist among “Dave-heads” as well.