Username Password Remember?

DMB Hub
Download the new app from antsmarching.org: DMB Hub. The Hub, News, Tour Central, Live Show Updates, Push Notifications and the Setlist Game.

Similar News Stories
Four New Songs Highlight First show The Top Cover Songs Performed by Dave Matthews Band DMB Live Setlist for Windows Phone Two More Songs Debut from Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King DMB Catch-Up: New Songs (part 1)

Setlist Selection - Yellow and Red Songs

Posted by Joe M in Tour News at 12:37pm on Friday, May 17th, 2019

As Buddy celebrates his first full year with the band (congrats!), he celebrates with a snapped photo that has the community all a wonder. A photo of a piece of paper containing an extensive alphabetical DMB song catalog that has particular songs highlighted as Yellow and Red. It's safe to assume it's something Dave leverages when building out show set lists as it's along other pieces of known collateral for creating a night's set list (pad of lined paper to write set, and past years' sets at the venue.)

Over the last week there's been much speculation of how it's used, and while we may never get the official meanings of the highlights, there are some pretty good theories. But outside of theories, we wanted to take a data driven look at the highlighted (and non-highlighted) songs that appear on this setlist selection catalog. We take look at how the start of this year's tour in relation to the highlighting, along with notable inclusions and exclusions of songs from the list. We'll refrain from sharing our thoughts (we'll save that for a podcast), and for now just share the data.

• 162 Songs are listed. 30 are Yellow, and 17 are Red.
• 32 of the songs on the list are ones that are not released in some way. (4 of which are Red songs, 0 are Yellow)
• Before These Crowded Streets and Crash each have 8 Highlighted Songs (UTTAD has 7)
• Of the 56 different songs played this tour: 26 are Yellow, 4 are Red, and 26 are neither
• Of the 152 song performances played: 74 are Yellow, 4 are Red, 74 are neither
• Of the 30 Yellow songs: 26 have been played in first 7 shows. (The 4 Yellow Not Played Yet: Halloween, Lie In Our Graves, Where Are You Going, Pig)
• Of the 17 Red songs, 4 have been played. (All 4 Red songs were played at Des Moines, Iowa.)
• The number of Yellow songs in each of the first 7 shows: 8, 10, 10*, 8*^, 10, 10, 10, 8^
• The number of Non-Yellow in each of the first 7 shows: 12, 10, 5*, 6*, 10, 10, 10, 11
• * Festival shows (reduced set length) ^ An additional Yellow song was cut
• Notable Songs Not Included: (especially when compared to the other songs that were included)
  
  • Belly Belly Nice (AFTW)
  • Broken Things (AFTW)
  • Drunken Soldier (AFTW)
  • Gaucho (AFTW)
  • Too High (Some Devil)
  • Time Of The Season (recently played)
• Every significant (and nearly every non-significant) song that's been played recently (since 2018) is included, except for two:
  
  • Time Of The Season
  • Belly Belly Nice
• Included Songs of Special Note:
  
  Rare Included:
  
  • Dream Of Our Fathers (never played live)
  • Mother Father (played only 7 times)
  • bkdkdkdd (never played live in current form)
  • Let You Down (played in 1997/Crash, then only twice in 2015)
  • Pretty Bird (D&T cover played 5 times in 2017 & 1 time DM solo)
  • Break For It (Only played 7 times. 2010)
  Recent Songs Included:
  
  • Clown (new song, played 1 in Mexico 2019)
  • Funny How Time Slips (recently played, 1st time 2010)
  • The Joke (recent, 1st time cover, Mexico 2019)
  Old Songs Included:
  
  • For The Beauty Of Wynona (hasn't been played since 2003)
  • A Dream So Real (2007 song, not played since 2008)
  • Sweet Up and Down (not played since 2010)
  • Black Jack (Not played since 2012)
  • Crazy Easy (2004 song, played 5 times in 2013)
  • Good Good Time (not played since 2014)
  • Shotgun (not played since 2016)(Red Song)
  • Sugar Will (not played since 2017)
  • Bismarck (2016-17, once in 2018.)

UPDATE: Story continues with new updates to the list. Read it here