Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band Caravan Pulls Into Atlantic City

25 Jun 2011 10:06:18 EDT

First of four three-day festivals also features the Flaming Lips.
By Mary J. DiMeglio

Dave Matthews peforms in Atlantic City on June 24, 2011
Photo: Getty Images

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — For the first stop on its traveling roadshow, the Dave Matthews Band Caravan brought a rootsy collection of friends to dusty Bader Field on Friday. And even after a career-spanning set that included "Don't Drink the Water," "Satellite" and "Why I Am," DMB still have plenty of hits to draw from for the next two headlining performances of their inaugural three-day festival. Matthews gave nods to almost all of the day's supporting acts, mentioning Delta Spirit, Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Head & The Heart, and saying, "It was a pleasure to share the stage with Ray Lamontagne." David Ryan Harris, who played Friday afternoon, joined the band for perennial crowd favorite "Jimi Thing" from their 1994 debut, Under the Table and Dreaming. Grammy-winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin proved his chops early, tearing into "You Might Die Trying." Coffin has played with DMB since LeRoi Moore's 2008 ATV accident and death. His Mu'tet ensemble was one of the first acts of the day. Also pulling double duty was guitarist Tim Reynolds, first appearing in the afternoon with TR3. Reynolds will also join Matthews for an acoustic set Saturday afternoon (June 25). A memorable aspect of any DMB show is the quirky frontman's non sequiturs, and Friday night was no exception. Matthews shared these gems: "Facial hair is so transformative" and "Too much morphine will make you constipated," after debuting a version of "Buena" by '90s alt-rockers Morphine. Matthews unleashed his impressive wail on "Grey Street," and the show took a romantic turn when the band followed "Crash" with "You and Me" and "Shake Me Like A Monkey." Returning from a break, Matthews warned, "I think we might f--- it up, but we're gonna try anyway," before his acoustic adaptation of Procol Harum's 1967 classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale." Another cover closed out the set, as the band stunned the audience by playing Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times" for the first time ever in concert. Though not exactly channeling Robert Plant, Matthews did sound oddly unlike himself on the vocals, in a rendition highlighted by a deft guitar solo. And though, rather than returning for a second encore, the band ended 30 minutes shy of their scheduled 11 p.m. ending time, most in the audience, anticipating another two long days capped by three-hour DMB sets, seemed relieved to be shuffling off the grounds. Previously that evening, the Flaming Lips proved it's never too early for them to bring the weird. Flanked by sunglass-wearing, bopping Dorothys, Scarecrows, Tin Men and Cowardly Lions, they shared their ultra-psychedelic take on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, playing the album in its entirety, interspersed with choice selections from "The Wizard of Oz." Those looking for something lighter found instrumental jam band Lotus keeping it groovy as the sun set. An ocean breeze brought welcome relief from the hot and humid day as seagulls cruised overhead. O.A.R., Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and Thievery Corporation join the caravan Saturday, while Sunday's festivities will feature David Gray, Dr. Dog, Bassnectar and Michael Franti with Spearhead. The party travels to Chicago in July, returns to the East Coast in August for a weekend at New York's Governors Island and wraps up at The Gorge in Washington in early September. Did you see the Dave Matthews Band Caravan? Share your review in the comments below!

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Band Announce Festival Details

09 Mar 2011 13:11:03 EST

Band will headline four three-day festivals this summer, beginning in Atlantic City in June.
By Aly Semigran

Dave Matthews
Photo: 2011 Kevin Mazur/ GETTY

For many, the Dave Matthews Band is summer. So, after a 20-year kinship with the band on the road, what exactly would a DMB-less summer look like for devoted fans? Lucky for "Dave heads," they'll no longer have to ponder that prospect. In 2010 the band announced they would be taking a hiatus from touring in 2011, but in the months that followed, an announcement was made that the multifaceted group — which includes Dave Matthews, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard and Boyd Tinsley, as well as Rashawn Ross, Tim Reynolds and Jeff Coffin (who stepped in after the death of founding member LeRoi Moore) — would be headlining a four-stop, multi-act Caravan festival from June to September. On February 22, members of DMB's fan club, the Warehouse, received a cryptic "save the date" e-mail informing them that from June 24 to June 26 Dave and co. would be in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region and from July 8 to July 10 they'd be in the Midwest. The e-mail also alerted fans that the band would bring the tour out in August and September, but no locations or dates have been listed. Now fans can start making some concrete plans, as details for the first part of the festival have officially been announced. From June 24 to June 26, the Dave Matthews Band will headline three shows at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In addition to closing sets from the band each evening, as well as an acoustic set featuring Matthews and Reynolds, concertgoers will see scheduled performers David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, the Flaming Lips, O.A.R., Damian Marley, Bassnectar, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee, Thievery Corporation, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Warren Haynes Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Guster, Lotus, Rebelution, Fitz and the Tantrums, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lisa Hannigan, Punch Brothers, From Good Homes, Delta Spirit, Big Gigantic, Alberta Cross, Mariachi El Bronx, TR3, Vusi Mahlasela, the Budos Band and Bobby Long. Tickets, which will only be available as three-day passes, go on sale to the general public Friday, March 25, at 10 a.m. However, members of the Warehouse will get the option of making ticket requests from Monday, March 14, to Monday, March 21, and Citi Card members will have access to pre-sale tickets on Monday, March 21. Will you be attending the Dave Matthews Band's Caravan festival this summer? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Concert Bomb Plot Results In Arrest

21 Sep 2010 10:24:11 EDT

Police and FBI claim man hoped to undermine administration of outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
By Gil Kaufman

Dave Matthews
Photo: Paul Natkin/ WireImage

Sami Samir Hassoun allegedly dropped what he thought was a bomb into a garbage can outside of Wrigley Field. He reportedly intended to inflict injuries and create chaos just as a Dave Matthews Band show at the home of the Chicago Cubs was letting out and the streets of Wrigleyville were filled with revelers. But Chicago police and FBI agents, who had been watching Hassoun for months, swarmed in and arrested the 22-year-old man. According to the Chicago Tribune, the "bomb" was actually a dud; the device, which consisted of a gallon paint can loaded with fake explosives, ball bearings and a timing device, was provided to Hassoun by undercover agents as part of a months-long investigation into his alleged terrorist intentions. Police said that Hassoun dialed down the device's timer so it would go off sooner, then planted it in a garbage can outside a sports bar near the venue. Moments later, he was apprehended. The arrest came after months of surveillance during which authorities claim to have learned of Hassoun's plot to undermine outgoing Chicago mayor Richard Daley's administration through repeated, deadly attacks. Hassoun also had aims to poison the city's water supply, assassinate Daley, attack nightlife districts and ignite car bombs all over Chicago, authorities said. The home-grown terrorist was reportedly not motivated by religious or political views, but by a drive to undermine Daley's political support and pave the way for one of his pals to take control of the city. The FBI was on to Hassoun from the beginning, and it planted an informant and undercover agents around the troubled man to monitor his moves. Though he never caught on, Hassoun's plans were an open book to investigators. The FBI provided him with a camcorder to scout potential terror locations, paid him nearly $3,000 so he could quit his job and work on his terror plots full time and assembled the fake bomb he used on Saturday night. Hassoun was in court on Monday, and he was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to detonate an explosive device. The owner of the bar, Sluggers, said casualties from a bomb could have been massive, with more than 40,000 DMB fans and revelers roaming the area around midnight. The FBI and Chicago police said residents were never in any danger during the months Hassoun plotted his bombings. A spokesperson for DMB could not be reached for comment at press time.

Related Artists

Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Kings Of Leon Beat The Heat At Bonnaroo

14 Jun 2010 12:19:34 EDT

Kid Cudi performed hours after being arrested in New York.
By Becca Birckhead

Jay-Z performs during day 3 of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival at the Bonnaroo Festival Grounds on June 12, 2010 in Manchester, Tennessee.
Photo: C. Flanigan/ WireImage

MANCHESTER, Tennessee — There was mud, rain, oppressive heat, a set by a world-beating rap superstar (Jay-Z), a classic soul icon (Stevie Wonder), a former "Tonight Show" host (Conan O'Brien) and a jam-band legend (Dave Matthews Band). In other words, just another action-packed weekend at the ninth-annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. From Thursday through Sunday, more than 75,000 fans tried to escape triple-digit temperatures by tuning in to ferocious sets from Jay, a midnight mindfunk from the Flaming Lips, anthemic rock from kind-of hometown boys Kings of Leon and just about every flavor in between. Thursday night eased travelers in with a main stage set from British trio the xx, whose trippy lighting and haunting, minimalist tunes soothed some nerves of attendees who might have sat in eight to 10 hours of traffic to make their way into the grounds. Following earlier sets by Oregon neo-folkies Blitzen Trapper, Motown-esque singer Mayer Hawthorne and hard-charging Manchester Orchestra, a festival favorite, instrumental dance jammers Lotus played late into the night. For Friday night's headliners, Nashville-bred Kings of Leon, the gig was somewhat of a homecoming. Their latest tour is both a victory lap for their 2008 breakthrough album, Only by the Night, and a preview of their next album. They were preceded by the moody rock of the National and the 'Roo debut of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who perked up plenty of ears with their bluegrass twang and harmonies. For a complete change of pace, the Gossip fired up a short time later, drawing a big crowd that got pumped up by Beth Ditto's punk-disco-diva vocal style and boundless energy during tunes including "8th Wonder" and "Listen Up!" On a bill that was somewhat short on female artists, a solo Tori Amos needed nothing more than her soaring voice and dramatic piano skills to draw attention, as she sat on the stage alone, alternating between piano and electric keyboard. A major hit of the day was the due of Damian Marley and Nas, who were introduced by this year's festival host, Conan O'Brien. The crowd was chock-full of some of the best dreads around, all dancing and groovin' to the power duo, who closed with a Bob Marley shout-out and song. Following Damian and Nas were Tenacious D, whom many had been waiting to see all day. The crowd was animated throughout the set, though they seemed to be trying to decide between wanting to sing along and trying not to laugh out loud. For anyone trying to keep their energy level up, Michael Franti and Spearhead's show was the place to be. The band cranked out some seriously groovy vibes, as people waved anything that glowed and twisted around in their hula-hoops. One of the most highly anticipated acts of the festival, the Flaming Lips, didn't disappoint as they played one of their usual confetti and prop-filled sets and then covered Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs. The intermission allowed some fans to wander over to check out some of grungy blues from duo the Black Keys. Following his arrest earlier in the day in New York on charges of criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance, Kid Cudi made it to the stage around 2 a.m. And wrapping up a full day of performances, LCD Soundsystem kicked everyone back into high gear shortly after 2 a.m. with a high-energy run through "Time to Get Away," current hit "Drunk Girls" and "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House." The Crystal Method spun into the daylight as many festival-goers' heads hit their air mattresses. Beginning a Saturday filled with tough decisions as to which show to run to, Dawes took over one of the more intimate stages and were introduced as a band to keep a serious eye on. The Mexican Institute of Sound got their entire crowd dancing just as hard as they would be for techno superstar Deadmau5 about 12 hours later. The entire day was jammed packed with must-see performances that all had similar time slots, including Norah Jones, folk icon John Prine and Rock Hall of Fame guitarist Jeff Beck. After two days of sweltering heat, a light rain glossed the crowd giving everyone a must needed cool-down at during the Avett Brothers' show. Elsewhere, Weezer threw down such hits as "Hash Pipe" and "My Name Is Jonas." The day had also featured performances from reggae icon Jimmy Cliff. A huge draw to the festival on Saturday night was the can't-miss double headlining bill of Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z. After entering the stage wielding a white keytar, Wonder set up a two-hour string of hits including "Higher Ground," "Signed Sealed Delivered," "Superstition" and "My Cherie Amour," before dipping into a cover of Marvin Gay's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" during which he busted out a vocoder to add an extra dose of funk. Just hours later, the same crowd witnessed Jay-Z at his finest, rising to the stage after a 10-minute countdown on the video screens and then throwing down a 90-minute set that cemented his status as a certified festival headliner. Aside from a brief pause to wish a female festivalgoer happy birthday, Jay was all business, throwing out anthem after anthem to a sea of fans throwing up the Roc sign for "On to the Next One," "99 Problems," "Empire State of Mind" and "Can I Get A ..." as his full band blazed away behind him. Jigga gave a shout-out to the White Stripes' Jack White, whose other other band, the Dead Weather, played a snarling distorted blues set on the same stage earlier, and even spilled that he couldn't wait to tell his mother that, "Stevie Wonder stuck around for my set." Even though the Thievery Corporation faced tough competition, sharing a timeslot with Jay-Z, a large, dedicated crowd danced away to the veteran group's world-music-influenced techno. After Saturday's hectic schedule, Sunday provided a mellow closing to the festival. Blues Traveler and Medeski, Martin and Wood played jam-tastic shows that could only be described as "so Bonnaroo." Regina Spektor was a major draw, as were main stage headliners the Zac Brown Band, who just last year were playing at one of the smaller tents at Bonnaroo. They played while French techno popsters Phoenix cranked things up on the other big stage. Another difficult Sunday choice had to be made between the twee pop of They Might Be Giants and country legend Kris Kristofferson, Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty as well as Guinness-soaked punkers Dropkick Murphys. Closing the festival were the Bonnaroo veterans the Dave Matthews Band whose set was filled with ear-candy. As soon as the first notes of "Don't Drink the Water" were played, glow sticks and bubbles were launched into the air and all were treated with a beautiful view of Chinese lanterns floating in the sky above the crowd. Ending with poignant Neil Young cover of of "Needle and the Damage Done" and then their signature searing take on Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" for their encore, DMB made their fans grateful they'd braved the weekend's sometimes harsh conditions to stay until the final notes rang out. Were you at Bonnaroo this year? Share your own reports in the comments below.

Related Photos

Performances At Bonnaroo 2010

Related Artists

Full Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup Includes Jay-Z, Kings Of Leon, More

09 Feb 2010 21:04:00 EST

Festival roster includes more than 90 acts spanning many genres.
By James Montgomery

Jay-Z performs at the EMAs in Berlin, Germany
Photo: Dave M. Benett/ Getty Images

Well, it took all day, but finally, on Tuesday night (February 9), organizers revealed the full lineup for the 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, scheduled for June 10-13 in Manchester, Tennessee. Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Weezer and Flaming Lips top the bill for this year's 'Roo, a list of more than 90 acts spanning genres and eras. There are genuine legends (Jimmy Cliff, John Fogerty), established rock acts (the Dead Weather), hip-hop talent (Wale, Nas, Kid Cudi), electro heavyweights (LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation) and bands that hearken back to the festival's earlier, decidedly jammy routes (Medeski, Martin and Wood, the Disco Biscuits), not to mention the annual WTFs (Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Darryl Hall with Chromeo). All in all, it's a rather jam-packed four days of music.

Rather than announce the full lineup, organizers broke from tradition and revealed each performer individually on the Bonnaroo MySpace page, a decision that was as time-consuming as it was brilliant. According to a spokesperson for the festival, the full lineup will swell to some 125 acts and over 20 comedians, performing on 13 different stages. Tickets for the 2010 edition of Bonnaroo are already on sale at the fest's Web site, with a four-day pass costing $234.50. There are also RV passes available, and a super-deluxe "Total Access" package, which offers 24-concierge service, onstage viewing for all performances and complimentary food. As in previous years, organizers are also giving attendees the option to purchase tickets on an installment plan. The full list of confirmed artists for the 2010 Bonnaroo festival: » Dave Matthews Band
» Kings of Leon
» Stevie Wonder
» Jay-Z
» Tenacious D
» Weezer
» The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs perform Dark Side of the Moon
» The Dead Weather
» Damian Marley and Nas
» Phoenix
» Norah Jones
» Michael Franti & Spearhead
» John Fogerty
» Regina Spektor
» Jimmy Cliff
» LCD Soundsystem
» The Avett Brothers
» Thievery Corporation
» Rise Against
» Tori Amos
» The National
» Zac Brown Band
» Les Claypool
» John Prine
» The Black Keys
» Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers
» Jeff Beck
» Dropkick Murphys
» She & Him
» Against Me!
» The Disco Biscuits
» Daryl Hall and Chromeo
» Jamey Johnson
» Clutch
» Bassnectar
» Kid Cudi
» Baaba Maal
» Kris Kristofferson
» Medeski Martin & Wood
» The XX
» Gwar
» Dan Deacon Ensemble
» Tinariwen
» Wale
» Deadmau5
» The Melvins
» Gaslight Anthem
» Miike Snow
» Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
» Dr. Dog
» They Might Be Giants
» Punch Brothers
» Isis
» Blitzen Trapper
» Blues Traveler
» Miranda Lambert
» Calexico
» OK Go
» Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
» Martin Sexton
» Lotus
» Baroness
» Dave Rawlings Machine
» Mayer Hawthorne and the County
» Japandroids
» Jay Electronica
» Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
» Ingrid Michaelson
» The Dodos
» Manchester Orchestra
» The Temper Trap
» Cross Canadian Ragweed
» Carolina Chocolate Drops
» Tokyo Police Club
» The Entrance Band
» Local Natives
» Brandi Carlile
» Mumford & Sons
» Rebelution
» Diane Birch
» Monte Montgomery
» Julia Nunes
» The Postelles
» Lucero
» Here We Go Magic
» Hot Rize
» Neon Indian
» B.o.B
» Needtobreathe

Related Photos

Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup: The Performers

Related Artists

Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup Adds Kings Of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Tokyo Police Club

09 Feb 2010 17:55:00 EST

Gwar, She & Him and Nas and Damian Marley will also join Jay-Z and other previously announced acts.
By James Montgomery

Photo: Barry Brecheisen/ WireImage

The afternoon rolls on, and so does the list of artists confirmed for the 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival, scheduled for June 10-13 in Manchester, Tennessee. New bands added to the continually growing bill (festival organizers have decided to reveal a new act every five minutes on Bonnaroo's MySpace page) include hometown heroes the Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Tokyo Police Club, She & Him, the National, Tori Amos, Gwar, They Might Be Giants, Damian Marley and Nas, and the Manchester Orchestra.

They join previously announced acts like Jay-Z, Weezer, the Flaming Lips — with Stardeath and the White Dwarves, who will perform Pink Floyd's classic Dark Side of the Moon album — and Steve Martin, not to mention Norah Jones, Wale, Regina Spektor, the Avett Brothers, Medeski Martin and Wood, Bassnectar, Phoenix and the XX. Tickets for Bonnaroo 2010 are on sale now through the festival's Web site, with a four-day pass going for $234.50. For those wishing to experience the fest in the lap of luxury (read: with semi-private toilets), there are RV passes going for $150. There are also super-deluxe "Total Access" packages with 24-hour concierge service and complimentary meals available for a significantly higher cost. And as in previous years, Bonnaroo is also offering attendees the opportunity to purchase tickets on an installment plan. The final lineup for the festival won't be revealed until 9 p.m. Tuesday night (February 9). For up-to-the-minute (or up-to-the-five-minute) looks at the bill, be sure to check out Bonnaroo's MySpace.

Related Photos

Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup: The Performers

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Band Turn A 'Tiny Song' Big For Grammy Performance

29 Jan 2010 20:09:00 EST

Matthews has recruited 45 musicians to help take his intimate song 'You and Me' to Sunday's big stage.
By Larry Carroll, with reporting by Daniel Montalto

Dave Matthews
Photo: MTV News

With Grammy weekend upon us, there's plenty of speculation about who will take home one award or another. But it's no secret that when people tune in Sunday evening, that stuff takes a backseat to another element of the show: the performances. On Friday (January 29), Dave Matthews gave us an exclusive sneak peek at his musical number, a massive effort likely to be one we're all buzzing about come Monday morning. It features a beloved song about intimacy — as expressed by several dozen musicians. "We're doing a song called 'You and Me,' " Matthews said of the song from his band's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, which is nominated for Album of the Year. "It was a tiny song I wrote for my wife and kids when we were on a tiny little motorboat, going across a lake in upstate New York. It started off as this tiny song, but then, I had this idea that it would be fun to do it a little bigger."

No kidding. Matthews' massive crew during Sunday's live telecast will include singers, percussionists, horn players, a string section and more — all teenage students taken from the Grammy in the Schools program. "We've got a bunch of people to sing and just some awesome players. We have 45 people up there," he said. "Everybody is playing, and that's a big part for me. Everybody is playing. There's nobody up there faking it." Matthews and crew have spent the past few days rehearsing, and he was eager to fill us in on some of his favorite elements of the collective. "We've got some African drumming going on, some amazing players," he explained. "We have a great choir that's coming. We have a beautiful string section, a small orchestra, and the Grammys lent us an amazing youth horn section. "They're ridiculous," he marveled. "All 16, and smoking musicians. ... There's a little bit of rock in it, a little bit of folk music in it, a little bit of funk music in it, a little bit of gospel, hopefully a little church music in there." After a seven-year absence from the awards show, DMB are up for two nominations on Sunday, and Matthews said he couldn't be happier. "I think I walk in a mildly different circle; my circle doesn't often cross over into the Grammys' world," he explained. "We've had real commercial success, so I'm not pretending that we're unknown, but at the same time, this record is the best record that we've ever made. "We lost our founding member, [saxophonist] LeRoi Moore, during the making of the record, and that added something to it," Matthews said of the emotional impact he'll feel if GrooGrux wins Album of the Year on Sunday. "We made a record that means a lot to us. To have the Grammys single this one out, and say this is arguably one of the best records of the year, that's awesome. I'm psyched it was this one; it made me feel that magic again." Stick with MTV News all week for our coverage of the 2010 Grammy Awards. We'll have reports on your favorite nominees, party photos, behind-the-scenes video and much more leading up to and during the big show Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Related Videos

Related Photos

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band Nearly Called It Quits Before Grammy-Nominated LP

27 Jan 2010 06:50:00 EST

The death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore made them press forward, all the way to an Album of the Year nod.
By James Montgomery

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

Over the course of some 18 years together, the Dave Matthews Band have reached some rather incredible heights. They've sold more than 30 million albums, toured the world more times than anyone can remember and, in 2003, played a free show in New York's Central Park that drew more than 120,000 fans. It's been a fairly successful ride, to say the least.

But for all the highs, DMB have never been lower than they were in 2008, when they began work on their seventh studio album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Dogged by infighting and exhausted after nearly two decades spent on the road, the band nearly imploded. (In an interview last year with CBS News, Matthews even admitted that he sent a letter to his bandmates saying the group was finished.) The songs weren't going anywhere. Nobody's heart seemed particularly in it this time around. And then, in August, saxophonist LeRoi Moore died, following injuries he sustained in an ATV accident. Needless to say, it was a pretty bleak period. So perhaps the biggest achievement of GrooGrux — which is nominated for a pair of Grammy awards, including Album of the Year — wasn't that it paid tribute to Moore, both in title and sound (the album opens and closes with solos he laid down while sessions were still in their infancy) or that it debuted at #1, giving DMB their fifth-consecutive chart-topping bow. No, it was that the album got made at all.

Album Of The Year Nominees

» Beyoncé
» Black Eyed Peas
» Dave Matthews Band

Because, more than anything, GrooGrux is a testament to DMB's willpower, their unyielding drive and determination and their commitment to one another. Moore's death galvanized the group, made them realize that even the most serious of spats were merely trivial in the grand scheme of things, and they pressed on accordingly. There is an underlying (and understandable) weariness that runs through much of the record — even jovial numbers like "Why I Am" and "Funny the Way It Is" are thinly veiled ruminations on fate, life, love and (most of all) death — but the important thing is that they finished it. Lesser bands would have folded in situations half this bad. That was not an option here. The Dave Matthews Band owed it to themselves, their fans and, most of all, Moore to continue onward. And that's exactly what they did. Still, they had some help along the way. Moore might have passed on, but he was still somewhere high above, guiding them through the album — as Matthews explained to MTV News back in April. "There was one song called 'Lying in the Hands of God' that I wrote the words over the piece, [over] the constructed song that we made," he said. "I wrote the words and the chorus and all the stuff, and then played it back and it was a duet! It was already there, 'Roi playing along. And it was bizarre, because we hadn't really turned the sax up, then we did, and there it was. He was playing along the whole time." Check out more about other Album of the Year nominees, including Beyoncé's I Am ... Sasha Fierce and the Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D.

Related Videos

The Road To The 2010 Grammys

Related Photos

The Evolution Of: Dave Matthews Band

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Band Announce Summer Tour

26 Jan 2010 19:07:00 EST

Band will perform at Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
By MTV News staff

Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Dave Matthews Band will launch an extensive North American summer tour, it was announced via a press release from the band's publicist on Tuesday (January 26). An online ticket request period begins on Thursday and continues through Monday at the band's Web site; tickets will go on sale to the general public on February 26. Support acts on various dates include Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Ben Harper and Relentless7, the Felice Brothers, Zac Brown Band, Gov't Mule, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Brett Dennen, Raphael Saadiq and others; see the Web site for full details. The group's 2009 album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, is nominated for two Grammy awards, and the band will perform at the Grammys on Sunday night.




	The Evolution Of Dave Matthews Band

The band will launch a monthlong European tour in Hamburg, Germany, on February 16. North American tour dates are as follows: » 5/28-29 Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
» 6/1 Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
» 6/2 Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
» 6/4-5 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
» 6/7-8 Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
» 6/15 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
» 6/16 Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
» 6/18-19 Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
» 6/22 Columbus, OH @ Huntington Park
» 6/23 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Center
» 6/25 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
» 6/30-7/1 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
» 7/3-4 East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
» 7/9 Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
» 7/10 Pittsburgh,PA @ PNC Park
» 7/13 Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
» 7/14 Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
» 7/ 16-17 New York,NY @ Citi Field
» 7/20 Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
» 7/21 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
» 7/23 Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
» 7/25 Louisville, KY @ Churchill Downs Music Festival
» 7/27 Atlanta,GA @ Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
» 7/28 Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
» 7/30-31 West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
» 8/14 Wichita, KS @ InTrust Bank Arena
» 8/17 West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
» 8/20 Chula Vista, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
» 8/21 Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
» 8/23 Los Angeles,CA @ Hollywood Bowl
» 8/25 Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
» 8/27 Marysville, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
» 8/28 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
» 8/31 Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
» 9/3-5 George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
» 9/10 Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
» 9/11 Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
» 9/14 Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
» 9/15 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center

Related Photos

The Evolution Of: Dave Matthews Band

Related Artists

Dave Matthews Band

Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. Begins At Billboard #1

17 Jun 2009 11:26:00 EDT

Peas kick Dave Matthews Band to #2, as Mos Def and Pleasure P debut in top 10.
By Gil Kaufman

Photo: Joe Kohen/ WireImage

The E.N.D. is clearly just the beginning for the Black Eyed Peas. Thanks to the speaker-shredding mega-smash "Boom Boom Pow," the group will take the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart next week with first-week sales of more than 304,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That is more than enough to dethrone last week's #1, the Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King, the sales of which plummeted by 70 percent to 128,000. At #3, Eminem's Relapse also saw another steep decline (38 percent) to 87,000 units moved, but the album managed to surpass the platinum sales mark in its first month. Showing remarkably strong hang-time, the all-star debut from Chickenfoot — featuring ex-Van Halen members Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani — holds strong at #4 with a more than 50 percent uptick in business to 79,000. The only debuts in the top 10 are from bachata stars Aventura, whose Last comes in at #5 on sales of 47,000; veteran rapper Mos Def, whose Ecstatic lands at #9 (39,000); and former Pretty Ricky star Pleasure P, whose Introduction of Marcus Cooper sneaks in at #10 (39,000). The rest of the top 10 are: Lady Gaga's Fame (#6, 47,000), the "Hannah Montana" soundtrack (#7, 46,000) and Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown (#8, 41,000). Back on an independent label after 20 years on a major, legendary New York noisers Sonic Youth hit #18 with their latest, Eternal (19,000), and veteran soul sister Teena Marie is close behind at #20 with Congo Square (18,000). The full-length debut from D-Block (featuring the members of the LOX and others) drops in at #40 (12,000), while the DJ Quik & Kurupt collaboration, Blaqkout, pops up at #61 (9,000). One of the year's latest most talked-about indie albums, the Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca, arrives at #65 (8,000), and punk agitators Anti-Flag's People or the Gun makes a quiet noise down at #120 (4,000). The Peas should savor the moment, because next week brings the latest from the Jonas Brothers, Lines, Vines and Trying Times.