Concert Review: At Daily's Place, Dave Matthews Band leaves Jacksonville fans hungry for more
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You don't need to know what song the Dave Matthews Band is playing to get swept away at one of their concerts — everyone else in the venue knows the title, all the words and whether it's been played yet on this summer's tour.
The Dave Matthews Band has lots of fans like that, and they packed the Daily's Place amphitheater in Jacksonville Monday for the first of two nights of big hits and top-notch musicianship. Quite a few of those fans plan to be back for more on Tuesday.
The band was forced to postpone a pair of shows in West Palm Beach on May 28 and 29 due to a positive Covid test but returned to the stage for two concerts in South Carolina just a few nights ago. They certainly didn't show any signs of being slowed down on Monday, playing for well over two and a half hours.
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Matthews and guitarist Tim Reynolds were one of the first acts to play at Daily's Place when the venue opened in 2017, but the full band had never played there before Monday night. They typically play larger venues, so performing in the 5,500-seat amphitheater only cranked up the intensity.
There's really no weak link in the band, and you could watch any player on any song and be impressed. Monday night, trumpet player Rashawn Ross really stood out right from the opening numbers, "Warehouse" and "Come On, Come On." Everyone in the band got time in the spotlight to show their stuff, but Ross left the crowd breathless time and again over the course of the evening.
The core of the band has played together for decades, and it shows. Drummer Carter Beauford and bass player Stefan Lessard hardly seemed to glance at each other all night but played the complex rhythms like they've done it a thousand times, because they have.
The band played roaring rockers on Monday ("Don't Drink the Water," "Break Free"), some rambling jams ("Jimi Thing") and a few numbers that showed their Virginia roots ("Grace is Gone," "You Never Know"), plus some of their best-known songs ("Why I Am," "So Much to Say," "Dancing Nancies").
They didn't play everything, though. But no true fans were disappointed if they didn't hear their favorite Dave Matthews Band song on Monday — they know that's what Tuesday's show is for.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Dave Matthews Band in concert at Daily's Place | Review
