Come one, come all for a DMB cookout!

Photos by: Ricky Thigpen

Nothing says Summer concert season like a classic rain-out threat. Fans of rock legends Dave Matthews Band braved the rain, the traffic, and the spins to get themselves to PNC music pavilion, some early enough to barbecue out of their trucks! A little mud did not hinder the beer pong tournament nor the cornhole competition.

DMB fans come to play for real. Though it’s highly doubtful that you don’t know who Dave Matthews Band is, they are the reason for like, half of your favorite bands are even making music. With accolades ranging from Grammy Noms + Awards, American Music noms, and VH1 music wins, DMB is a band for all ears.

The band is currently out supporting their latest album, Come Tomorrow, released at the start of June. Fun (read: totally sick) fact: Come Tomorrow is DMB’s seventh consecutive album to reach the number one spot on the Billboard 200! It’s no coincidence that this band is still around, teaching us all how to make consistently sick tunes.

The overcast sky made for humid dome inside the valley of PNC, but it opened up ever so slightly as show time approached, even matching the sunset as DMB took to the stage!

Picture this: golden rays streaming through a familiar drum skit, instruments lined up nearby, and thousands of fans squeezing shoulder to shoulder beside you. A concert lovers dream come true.

The opening songs were accompanied by streams of lighting, filling the valleyed venue and illuminating the crowd in bouts of purple, green, and yellow. “Do You Remember” wove through the audience, starting the night with a fan favorite just to spoil the crowd.

Swiftly moving through “Big Eyed Fish”, “Lie In Our Graves”, and “Time Bomb”, DMB had no time for banter or greetings, but only because they were having too much fun. Despite sprinkles of rain threatening to turn to full blown drops, DMB abided by the ol’ “the show must go on” mantra, one that fans seem to have been born with.

Perhaps the highlight of the night struck the Charlotte crowd as the band covered Peter Gabriel’s legendary “Sledgehammer”, in a way only DMB could – total jamband-esque. “Crash Into Me” made its way onto the setlist (duh!) near the end of the night, bringing all fans (new, old, only-into-the-hits, etc.) together for singalong surrounded by camera phones and twinkling lights.

Closing out the night with “Come On Come On” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower”, DMB proved why they’re still one of the best touring bands around. You can’t beat what’s been working for over almost three decades!

You’ve still got time to catch them on tour as they are heading to Florida for a few stops, making a pit stop in Alabama, before closing out their foreseeable touring dates with some shows in Colorado!

Fandamonium – Charlotte, NC 7/24/2018

See full gallery of the night here!

Catch one of the remaining tour dates: