Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: FLA
|
Charlotte Review - 07/24/2013
First off, this was my 25th DMB show (27 total shows with 2 D&T), and what a great experience it was. My gf, best friend, and his gf met in the lots early on and tailgated in the scorching heat before meeting up with some fellow Ants. It's always good to meet some new people, and to heighten the good mood before the show.
Anyways, there is no reason to go into great detail about the delay, all I will say is that I have never experienced something like that at a DMB show, and it was pretty crazy. Even though it continued to pour, thankfully the dangerous aspects of the storm moved on so that the band could start right at 9:25 I believe.
JTR (tease): Dave sang "Rain, rain, rain down on me" once, and maybe went through the full chorus once I can't remember. Cool tease, but it gives some blue balls for sure.
Seven: My gf hates this song, and I made the mistake of telling her they hadn't played it in almost a month so hopefully they keep it on the shelf. Nope, they open with it haha. I don't mind the song, it's fun, but just not the opener I was hoping for.
Belly Belly Nice: I enjoy this song, but for some reason wasn't feeling it after Seven. Still fun to sing and dance to.
Broken Things: One of my favorites from AFTW, and I was really hoping to see this song again after last winter. Boyd sounded good on it from what I could tell, and they did a good job with it. At this point I did feel like they needed to kick it into gear with a classic, and what better way to do so than with...
Granny: I don't know what to tell you if you dislike this song. The entire crowd seemed to be ecstatic as soon as Dave started it, and everyone sang along. I could see this song at every show I go to.
#41: Here we go. Seemed like a standard version (aka: great), but I think the outro drags on a little too long. Shorten that up and I will never have a damn thing to say about it.
Don't Drink the Water: Another song I could see anytime, anywhere. The energy seems through the roof at this point, as the crowd and band are both on fire. Nothing out of the ordinary here, pretty standard, but it segues right into...
Long Black Veil: What a nice treat this was. Perfectly placed too. There has been a lot of complaints about the flow of sets this year, but damn did this set have good flow IMO. Dave's voice was fantastic, and the band nailed it. Great version.
Funny the Way It Is: This is the definition of a "0" song for me. I could take it or leave it at every show. I'm never overly excited when it starts, but I always sing a long. The crowd seems to still love it though, so you can't argue with that. Seemed standard to me.
Crazy Easy: I thought I'd never see this song. This was just one of those special 'DMB show' moments that are hard to describe to people that don't understand. A lot of people around me knew what it was and flipped a shit. I'm not sure what the overall crowd reaction was though. It sounded pretty damn good to me. The lyrics seemed good, it seemed like the band was tight, and I didn't hear any flubs, but I will have to defer to the tape.
Runnin' Down a Dream: I didn't even care that this was the 2nd cover of the night, because this song is awesome. They tear this thing apart. Seriously though, eat your heart out Tom Petty.
Kit Kat Jam: Dave was being a little silly before it started and saying something, but I couldn't make out what it was. I just assumed it was Grey St, or possibly JTR, but damn was I wrong! I saw KKJ the last time it was played (07.01.10) in Camden, but never thought I'd see it again. They nailed it. It sounded as if they had been playing it for 20 years on a night in, night out basis. Such a cool little treat. Oh, and it was also the first time it was played live as an instrumental song, which I find to be pretty neat.
Recently: Yes, Dave. Yes. This is how you do it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I have been begging for this song to get consistent play for years, and they are finally doing it. It's awesome. They nail it every time, and it's a perfect song for this lineup. This segued right into...
You & Me: Meh. I went to the bathroom so I wouldn't be in pain for the end of the show. Crowd loves it, I don't care for it too much. I will have to check the tape, but I believe it pretty much segued into...
Drunken Soldier: Dave gave a little speech about how he appreciated everyone staying late and then told what the song was about. This song is a beast on the album, and it's a beast live. I think Dave fumbled the lyrics, but who cares. The ending never gets old, and it faded directly into...
Two Step: The intro was a little extended due to a complication with Dave's IEM, and he even started off without the Time Bomb intro, but we all know he had to come back to it lol. Well, once again, they absolutely destroyed it. The band, crowd, and myself included was going nuts. I told my buddy that Ants > Halloween would come after this almost jokingly. We both truly thought this had to be the set closer, but nope, Carter hits that snare and...
Ants Marching: Crowd. Goes. Wild. The energy in the building was outrageous. I've always known Charlotte crowds to be into it and loud, but this was unprecedented IMO. This was my friend's 27th show, and he had never seen Halloween before and for the weeks and days leading up to this show all he wanted was Ants > Halloween. I was a little worried for him, because I knew it was getting late, and knew he'd be disappointed if they ditched that combo for this show, but fuck that....
Halloween: BOOM. how can the energy be any higher? This was my 4th Halloween, and I think this may have been the best one. What a fantastic run to end the show, and a great show overall.
Carter was still tossing out sticks and everything when the band came back out, Dave said something to Carter they gave their high-five, and Carter rushed back to his kit. There was a little intro by Stefan and Tim, and I just assumed it was going to be Watchtower, but...
Shake Me Like a Monkey: At the time I rolled my eyes, and wasn't too pleased with the song choice, but I figured there would be another after it. Nope. That's when a lot of people around me, and a lot while we were walking out seemed dumbfounded, kind of annoyed, and a few "wtf's" were uttered lol. It's just not a song anyone ever wants to see close a show, you can just tell from the overall feel and vibe from way more than just hardcore fans.
If I had known that Dave just randomly decided to come back out, play an extra song just for the hell of it, and that it had to be a short one, I wouldn't have given 2 shits. Honestly, idt there was even gonna be an encore. It was basically like Dave said lets give them one more and had to pick the shortest song possible...wasn't the end of the world, especially after one hell of a main set.
It's a shame they cancelled Stanley Jordan's guest spot, but the original setlist had him playing on 'If Only', so meh I don't mind missing that. Hopefully I will catch him with them one day.
Overall, I had a freaking blast, and am so glad and appreciative that the band seems to turn it up for Charlotte year in and year out. I can't wait for next year, but more importantly I can't wait for Va Beach tomorrow!
|