What I Miss - Page 2 - Antsmarching.org Forums

Hilly · 01-21-2015, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richvisser23

I think this statement is a little ridiculous. I don't disagree with you that its is not what it used to be. And I would see that show in 2000 over 95% of shows these days, but corporate puppet seems a bit dramatic.

A band doesn't conform to do exactly what I want. Instead they do what they want. Corporate puppets. They'd make so much more money doing what I want them to do instead of what they want to do. Sellouts.

flutterby · 01-21-2015, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadgerDJQ

I miss Alpine. The first 25 seconds of this #41 sum up the Alpine experience for me.
http://youtu.be/0_Cl3bHvN90

Man, I love that place. Can't wait to see what 2015 brings

richvisser23 · 01-21-2015, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hilly

A band doesn't conform to do exactly what I want. Instead they do what they want. Corporate puppets. They'd make so much more money doing what I want them to do instead of what they want to do. Sellouts.

Sarcasm? Besides this being blatantly stupid, I didn't see any indication that it in fact was sarcastic.

help me out man.

lockman21 · 01-21-2015, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richvisser23

Sarcasm? Besides this being blatantly stupid, I didn't see any indication that it in fact was sarcastic.

help me out man.

He was being sarcastic. I was being tongue-in-cheek.

sweens2002 · 01-21-2015, 09:48 AM

I miss not knowing what song will be played next. Whether that is my fault for following this band for so long and just knowing the flow or because they have gotten lazy and the sets aren't nearly as unpredictable as they used to be, I have no idea. I am not saying I can pick every single setlist and that is very apparent from my scores during the game haha, but rather that if you're at a 2 night stand and bartender wasn't played n1, it will almost 100% open n2. (it's my favorite song so no complaints), and now i feel like im rambling and not making any sense. Does any one else feel this way and can help me out?

flutterby · 01-21-2015, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweens2002

I miss not knowing what song will be played next. Whether that is my fault for following this band for so long and just knowing the flow or because they have gotten lazy and the sets aren't nearly as unpredictable as they used to be, I have no idea. I am not saying I can pick every single setlist and that is very apparent from my scores during the game haha, but rather that if you're at a 2 night stand and bartender wasn't played n1, it will almost 100% open n2. (it's my favorite song so no complaints), and now i feel like im rambling and not making any sense. Does any one else feel this way and can help me out?

I'm with you. Especially openers/closers. It was such a treat this year when Beachball opened at Deer Creek. Not only was it great because I like the song and I've been chasing it, but what an unexpected opener!

KevinTH · 01-21-2015, 12:21 PM

***Disclaimer*** This is going to be exceptionally long. I'm bored, and I'm just riding it out my last week of work until I start my new job in a week and a half. But this question really made me reflect on the band and my thoughts on them. I'll break this up into two posts in case people don't want to read the first half.

Where to begin? I feel like the only way to get to where I feel now is to revisit the past. Dave Matthews Band is and always will be my favorite band of all time. There's always something "Dave" in my car CD player (archaic I know, but wife's car does not have an auxiliary port and we only have hers now). A lot of people around here know that I tend to see the bright side of things and try to stay positive about my favorite band. I even find enjoyment in hated songs like Can't Stop. Is that my #1 song I want to see at a show? No, but it's not the worst song in the world, I like the bluesy riff and Tim kills that solo. Depending on where it falls in the set it isn't always bad. But like many other older fans...it's just not like the old days. I discovered the band in 94 and became a really avid fan around 97/98, and those were some memorable years for sure. 1999 and 2000 were really magical times, and man what a year 2003 was.

Having said all that, what band thats been around for almost 25 years stays the same from their inception? As an artist you just can't keep doing the same thing over and over again, or else you'll be completely bored. Whether fans like it or not, the band has tried something different on every album they've ever released. I love Under the Table and Dreaming, but I'd venture to guess fans would be sick of hearing every album sounding like that over and over again. You may not like it, but it's necessary. Sure the Big 3 have a more classic DMB sound to them, but they're all still very different from each other. Some of the younger fans may not even know that Before These Crowded Streets was not immediately looked upon as the masterpiece it is today. That's my favorite album of all time and even I can admit that when it came out I was hesitant. I didn't get it right away. But I would say that a lot of DMB's music takes some warming up to truly get. The best stuff usually does.

A lot of bands try new things and sometimes they work, other times they don't. So many other bands have tried a different side of themselves. Pearl Jam tried a mellower side of themselves starting with No Code. Some loved that, while others jumped ship. U2 started getting experimental with Achtung Baby, which was generally loved, but then got even more experimental with Zooropa and Pop (not as well liked). I think every band needs to experiment and deviate from the norm to keep things interesting, whether it works or not.

The big change for DMB came with Everyday. It seems that ever since then they've been fighting an uphill battle to return to the greatness of The Big 3. Everyday was a HUGE departure. For those that weren't around for that period I'll put it this way, you'll just never know what it was like to hear "I Did It" for the first time. That summer of 2000 gave us songs like "Grey Street" (way before it became the abortion it is now), "Sweet Up and Down", "Bartender" and "Grace is Gone". So hearing, "I'm mixing up a bunch of magic stuff" for the first time was like a punch to the face. But looking back on it, the album still has fundamental elements of DMB's sound in a lot of songs. So, while more poppy, I'd say the consensus is that it's looked upon as a solid album now that time has passed. They returned to their roots with Busted Stuff. Some liked it and others who had heard The Lillywhite Sessions were mixed. Summer 2002 saw the band playing less Everyday songs and sounding more like the band we knew and loved. Even the Everyday songs were starting to take new life and sound more like DMB. 2003 was awesome just to have a summer off from album promotions and just sit back and watch the band dig deep into the catalog. What an amazing feeling to see the return of "The Last Stop" in Columbus after a 4 year hiatus.

Anticipations grew high by summer of 2004, having not heard any new music from the band since 2002 (not counting Some Devil). That summer brought us a good blend of old and new and also gave us 5 new songs. The best thing about those new songs? They sounded like "Old School DMB"! So it seemed Everyday was just an experiment and the band we fell in love with was back. Then the infamous release of Stand Up. Stand Up is the band's most hated album among fans and while I like it, I get why. I don't think it was AS shocking as Everyday, but it was still not expected. The next summer saw some cool new tunes like "The Idea of You" and "Kill the King", as well as a new member - Rashawn Ross. That's where things started to deviate a little to left of center for me. Rashawn has never seemed like a necessary addition to the band and to me he was stepping all over Roi's toes (whether Roi wanted him to or not, I don't care). Summer of 2007 was not the band at it's best and left many thinking if the band was just lost.

Fans were elated to hear Tim Reynolds would be joining the band in the summer of 2008 and we even saw Roi return to player we knew he always was. Then the unthinkable happened and we were all left wondering what was next. With the death of Roi, and band seemingly in a rut from 2006-2007, I felt Big Whiskey was a great statement. It felt like a step in the "right direction" but still produced a different side of the band. I love that album even though it's heavier then what we have been used to. To follow that album up with Away From the World was a home run in my opinion. I know opinions on the album are mixed, but it was really the album I had been waiting for since Busted Stuff. I even think, had Stand Up and Big Whiskey never existed, Away From the World would be a perfect follow up to Busted Stuff. The album just encapsulates a lot of what made DMB my favorite band while incorporating different elements of every album they've ever released. I think it's the perfect mash-up of the old and the new.

So those of us fans that have been around for as long as me, and longer, have been through a lot with this band. So many ups and downs, but that's some of the fun in latching on to a band. Taking the ride with them and seeing where it all goes. So having been following them for as long as I have, and as adamantly as I have, there are definitely things I miss despite appreciating the new.

Continued in my next post...

KevinTH · 01-21-2015, 12:21 PM

Roi.
If you are a fan of the band, old or new, I don't know how you can't miss him. I don't think we all knew what his true impact on the band was until we lost him. I remember people making lists, "If you could replace any member, who would it be and who would be their replacement?". Roi seemed like one of those easily replaced members (most lists had Jeff as his replacement by the way). He had such a quiet presence that it seemed like anyone could take that spot. Boy were some folks wrong. His quiet unassuming presence fit the band perfectly. That presence gave the chance for the music to breath more and let everyone's parts interweave beautifully. That's why I never understood the need to bring in Rashawn. I've said it countless times. Roi and Boyd worked beautifully together. Two instruments you never imagined playing in perfect harmony of each other, yet they made it happen. The second Rashawn entered it started to set the horns apart from everyone else. What's one of the things that made DMB so great in the early days? The ability to take 5 completely different guys, from different backgrounds, an unusual mix of instruments and make it into something that worked.

Dynamics
This band has seemingly lost all ability to control their dynamics. This was another key factor in what made DMB great. They have a drummer like Carter Beauford who can play faster and more intricate than anyone, but he didn't need to. He played intricate little fills and patterns here and there, but sparingly. Then when the song called for him to take things up a notch he did it. What happened to THAT guy? Now he plays at one level through almost every song. I always use Grey Street as an example. He used to play a pretty straight forward beat throughout the song and at a very mellow pace. This allowed for the music to work together and build up to that big explosion when Dave starts yelling into that drum roll and then BOOM, the band just lets loose. But even during the jam Carter was playing a controlled, but intricate, rhythm between the hi-hat and bell of the ride as well as the snare and toms. This allowed us to hear Dave's guitar and Roi's soulful playing. Now? The pace has become rapid, the once concise straight-forward beat that held the verses together has become a syncopated nightmare, and the once exciting climax of the song has disappeared because the song is played at the same level all the way through. Top that off with the loss of the intricate drumming and soulful sax it's now replaced with Carter's thrashing and crashing and the mind numbing horn duel between Jeff and Rashawn. The end wouldn't be so bad if they just let Jeff do his thing, but instead Rashawn has to fight against Jeff with his ear piercing, out of tune trumpet squealing. All of this completely drowns out Boyd's driving violin riff.

Boyd
I miss this guy just as much as I miss Roi, only Boyd is actually still on stage! What happened to him??? My theory is that he's just lost any interest in trying to compete with the noisy horns and Tim's shredding. People wonder why he doesn't know parts and plays out of tune. Maybe there's something really wrong with him, drugs? tone deaf? his wrist? Lost somewhere in Narnia??? I don't know, but maybe he just sees no point anymore since you can barely hear him anyway.

Those are the 3 things I miss the most about my favorite band. I will always love DMB, I'll always look on the bright side, I know nothing stays the same, I'll always make it out to a show or two, but man it sure isn't like the days of old. Without Roi the band will never sound like they used to. It's just not possible. And as long as Rashawn is in the band (he's here to stay unfortunately) the sound will remain where it is. The benefit is that we have so many different variations of this band and THAT is awesome. Not many bands sound like 10 bands in one. Having so much access to shows from 1991 to today is also a huge benefit. You're never in shortage of live music when it comes to DMB. Want to get mellow and relax to Busted Stuff? Pull out a tape from 2000. Want the same song but need something a little more upbeat? 2010 to the rescue. So through all the changes, ups and downs of this band, I like to think there's always something for everyone to listen to.

Thanks for reading!

lockman21 · 01-21-2015, 12:38 PM

http://i.imgur.com/55nZ27G.gif

KevinTH · 01-21-2015, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lockman21

http://i.imgur.com/55nZ27G.gif

KevinTH · 01-22-2015, 09:39 AM

Less intense post today.

While I love the access we have to downloads and videos, part of me misses the lack of availability. It just made getting a show that much more exciting. I remember going to a local record store and listening to live shows to check the quality and then shelling out $40 for a live bootleg LOL! But man was it exciting to pop that into the CD player. I'll never forget how it felt to get the Woodstock set on VHS. My little brother's friend ordered the whole weekend on Pay Per View and taped the set for us. He had to use two VHS players to make us a copy. That was a few months before we got Listeners Supported, so that was the only video I had of the band back then. Other than that I can remember excusing myself from the dinner table so I could run downstairs and press record on the VHS player to tape Dave and Tim Storytellers. Those were exciting times. It's great to go online and download practically any show I want, but there was just something so much more exciting about finding ONE show on Napster and downloading it for a day and a half HAHAHA.

01-21-2015, 09:48 AM	#35
sweens2002 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 249 Shows Seen: 55 DMB Hub Stubs: 19 My Tour Central Stats	Re: What I Miss I miss not knowing what song will be played next. Whether that is my fault for following this band for so long and just knowing the flow or because they have gotten lazy and the sets aren't nearly as unpredictable as they used to be, I have no idea. I am not saying I can pick every single setlist and that is very apparent from my scores during the game haha, but rather that if you're at a 2 night stand and bartender wasn't played n1, it will almost 100% open n2. (it's my favorite song so no complaints), and now i feel like im rambling and not making any sense. Does any one else feel this way and can help me out?

01-21-2015, 12:21 PM	#37
KevinTH KevinTH5 Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 8,947 Shows Seen: 33 DMB Hub Stubs: 16 My Tour Central Stats	Re: What I Miss *Disclaimer* This is going to be exceptionally long. I'm bored, and I'm just riding it out my last week of work until I start my new job in a week and a half. But this question really made me reflect on the band and my thoughts on them. I'll break this up into two posts in case people don't want to read the first half. Where to begin? I feel like the only way to get to where I feel now is to revisit the past. Dave Matthews Band is and always will be my favorite band of all time. There's always something "Dave" in my car CD player (archaic I know, but wife's car does not have an auxiliary port and we only have hers now). A lot of people around here know that I tend to see the bright side of things and try to stay positive about my favorite band. I even find enjoyment in hated songs like Can't Stop. Is that my #1 song I want to see at a show? No, but it's not the worst song in the world, I like the bluesy riff and Tim kills that solo. Depending on where it falls in the set it isn't always bad. But like many other older fans...it's just not like the old days. I discovered the band in 94 and became a really avid fan around 97/98, and those were some memorable years for sure. 1999 and 2000 were really magical times, and man what a year 2003 was. Having said all that, what band thats been around for almost 25 years stays the same from their inception? As an artist you just can't keep doing the same thing over and over again, or else you'll be completely bored. Whether fans like it or not, the band has tried something different on every album they've ever released. I love Under the Table and Dreaming, but I'd venture to guess fans would be sick of hearing every album sounding like that over and over again. You may not like it, but it's necessary. Sure the Big 3 have a more classic DMB sound to them, but they're all still very different from each other. Some of the younger fans may not even know that Before These Crowded Streets was not immediately looked upon as the masterpiece it is today. That's my favorite album of all time and even I can admit that when it came out I was hesitant. I didn't get it right away. But I would say that a lot of DMB's music takes some warming up to truly get. The best stuff usually does. A lot of bands try new things and sometimes they work, other times they don't. So many other bands have tried a different side of themselves. Pearl Jam tried a mellower side of themselves starting with No Code. Some loved that, while others jumped ship. U2 started getting experimental with Achtung Baby, which was generally loved, but then got even more experimental with Zooropa and Pop (not as well liked). I think every band needs to experiment and deviate from the norm to keep things interesting, whether it works or not. The big change for DMB came with Everyday. It seems that ever since then they've been fighting an uphill battle to return to the greatness of The Big 3. Everyday was a HUGE departure. For those that weren't around for that period I'll put it this way, you'll just never know what it was like to hear "I Did It" for the first time. That summer of 2000 gave us songs like "Grey Street" (way before it became the abortion it is now), "Sweet Up and Down", "Bartender" and "Grace is Gone". So hearing, "I'm mixing up a bunch of magic stuff" for the first time was like a punch to the face. But looking back on it, the album still has fundamental elements of DMB's sound in a lot of songs. So, while more poppy, I'd say the consensus is that it's looked upon as a solid album now that time has passed. They returned to their roots with Busted Stuff. Some liked it and others who had heard The Lillywhite Sessions were mixed. Summer 2002 saw the band playing less Everyday songs and sounding more like the band we knew and loved. Even the Everyday songs were starting to take new life and sound more like DMB. 2003 was awesome just to have a summer off from album promotions and just sit back and watch the band dig deep into the catalog. What an amazing feeling to see the return of "The Last Stop" in Columbus after a 4 year hiatus. Anticipations grew high by summer of 2004, having not heard any new music from the band since 2002 (not counting Some Devil). That summer brought us a good blend of old and new and also gave us 5 new songs. The best thing about those new songs? They sounded like "Old School DMB"! So it seemed Everyday was just an experiment and the band we fell in love with was back. Then the infamous release of Stand Up. Stand Up is the band's most hated album among fans and while I like it, I get why. I don't think it was AS shocking as Everyday, but it was still not expected. The next summer saw some cool new tunes like "The Idea of You" and "Kill the King", as well as a new member - Rashawn Ross. That's where things started to deviate a little to left of center for me. Rashawn has never seemed like a necessary addition to the band and to me he was stepping all over Roi's toes (whether Roi wanted him to or not, I don't care). Summer of 2007 was not the band at it's best and left many thinking if the band was just lost. Fans were elated to hear Tim Reynolds would be joining the band in the summer of 2008 and we even saw Roi return to player we knew he always was. Then the unthinkable happened and we were all left wondering what was next. With the death of Roi, and band seemingly in a rut from 2006-2007, I felt Big Whiskey was a great statement. It felt like a step in the "right direction" but still produced a different side of the band. I love that album even though it's heavier then what we have been used to. To follow that album up with Away From the World was a home run in my opinion. I know opinions on the album are mixed, but it was really the album I had been waiting for since Busted Stuff. I even think, had Stand Up and Big Whiskey never existed, Away From the World would be a perfect follow up to Busted Stuff. The album just encapsulates a lot of what made DMB my favorite band while incorporating different elements of every album they've ever released. I think it's the perfect mash-up of the old and the new. So those of us fans that have been around for as long as me, and longer, have been through a lot with this band. So many ups and downs, but that's some of the fun in latching on to a band. Taking the ride with them and seeing where it all goes. So having been following them for as long as I have, and as adamantly as I have, there are definitely things I miss despite appreciating the new. Continued in my next post...

01-21-2015, 12:21 PM	#38
KevinTH KevinTH5 Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 8,947 Shows Seen: 33 DMB Hub Stubs: 16 My Tour Central Stats	Re: What I Miss Roi. If you are a fan of the band, old or new, I don't know how you can't miss him. I don't think we all knew what his true impact on the band was until we lost him. I remember people making lists, "If you could replace any member, who would it be and who would be their replacement?". Roi seemed like one of those easily replaced members (most lists had Jeff as his replacement by the way). He had such a quiet presence that it seemed like anyone could take that spot. Boy were some folks wrong. His quiet unassuming presence fit the band perfectly. That presence gave the chance for the music to breath more and let everyone's parts interweave beautifully. That's why I never understood the need to bring in Rashawn. I've said it countless times. Roi and Boyd worked beautifully together. Two instruments you never imagined playing in perfect harmony of each other, yet they made it happen. The second Rashawn entered it started to set the horns apart from everyone else. What's one of the things that made DMB so great in the early days? The ability to take 5 completely different guys, from different backgrounds, an unusual mix of instruments and make it into something that worked. Dynamics This band has seemingly lost all ability to control their dynamics. This was another key factor in what made DMB great. They have a drummer like Carter Beauford who can play faster and more intricate than anyone, but he didn't need to. He played intricate little fills and patterns here and there, but sparingly. Then when the song called for him to take things up a notch he did it. What happened to THAT guy? Now he plays at one level through almost every song. I always use Grey Street as an example. He used to play a pretty straight forward beat throughout the song and at a very mellow pace. This allowed for the music to work together and build up to that big explosion when Dave starts yelling into that drum roll and then BOOM, the band just lets loose. But even during the jam Carter was playing a controlled, but intricate, rhythm between the hi-hat and bell of the ride as well as the snare and toms. This allowed us to hear Dave's guitar and Roi's soulful playing. Now? The pace has become rapid, the once concise straight-forward beat that held the verses together has become a syncopated nightmare, and the once exciting climax of the song has disappeared because the song is played at the same level all the way through. Top that off with the loss of the intricate drumming and soulful sax it's now replaced with Carter's thrashing and crashing and the mind numbing horn duel between Jeff and Rashawn. The end wouldn't be so bad if they just let Jeff do his thing, but instead Rashawn has to fight against Jeff with his ear piercing, out of tune trumpet squealing. All of this completely drowns out Boyd's driving violin riff. Boyd I miss this guy just as much as I miss Roi, only Boyd is actually still on stage! What happened to him??? My theory is that he's just lost any interest in trying to compete with the noisy horns and Tim's shredding. People wonder why he doesn't know parts and plays out of tune. Maybe there's something really wrong with him, drugs? tone deaf? his wrist? Lost somewhere in Narnia??? I don't know, but maybe he just sees no point anymore since you can barely hear him anyway. Those are the 3 things I miss the most about my favorite band. I will always love DMB, I'll always look on the bright side, I know nothing stays the same, I'll always make it out to a show or two, but man it sure isn't like the days of old. Without Roi the band will never sound like they used to. It's just not possible. And as long as Rashawn is in the band (he's here to stay unfortunately) the sound will remain where it is. The benefit is that we have so many different variations of this band and THAT is awesome. Not many bands sound like 10 bands in one. Having so much access to shows from 1991 to today is also a huge benefit. You're never in shortage of live music when it comes to DMB. Want to get mellow and relax to Busted Stuff? Pull out a tape from 2000. Want the same song but need something a little more upbeat? 2010 to the rescue. So through all the changes, ups and downs of this band, I like to think there's always something for everyone to listen to. Thanks for reading!

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01-22-2015, 09:39 AM	#41
KevinTH KevinTH5 Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 8,947 Shows Seen: 33 DMB Hub Stubs: 16 My Tour Central Stats	Re: What I Miss Less intense post today. While I love the access we have to downloads and videos, part of me misses the lack of availability. It just made getting a show that much more exciting. I remember going to a local record store and listening to live shows to check the quality and then shelling out $40 for a live bootleg LOL! But man was it exciting to pop that into the CD player. I'll never forget how it felt to get the Woodstock set on VHS. My little brother's friend ordered the whole weekend on Pay Per View and taped the set for us. He had to use two VHS players to make us a copy. That was a few months before we got Listeners Supported, so that was the only video I had of the band back then. Other than that I can remember excusing myself from the dinner table so I could run downstairs and press record on the VHS player to tape Dave and Tim Storytellers. Those were exciting times. It's great to go online and download practically any show I want, but there was just something so much more exciting about finding ONE show on Napster and downloading it for a day and a half HAHAHA.

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