Want to hide all ads on Ants? Click here

   
Liberation History          (View Current Songs Eligible for Liberation)
Liberations
One of the most exciting aspects of a Dave Matthews Band show is the possibility that on any given night, just about any given song can be played. Now the reality is that there are songs that are played with far more regularity than others. It has become a bit of a sport for fans to chase song "liberations", which occur when a song has been played for the first time after a lengthy hiatus.

Conditions for Song Liberation
A line has to be drawn somewhere, and after careful consideration, we at Ants have come up with the following criteria for what constitutes a song liberation:

  • 150 shows since last performance - This is the most subjective criteria of the bunch, admittedly. While humans measure time in terms of days, the band's 2017 hiatus and the pandemic response that forced the cancellation of the 2020 tour pushed us to consider "shows since" as our preferred metric for judging song scarcity. For example, should DMB go on a 3-year hiatus, we wouldn't consider every song a liberation upon return. 150 shows is somewhere in the ballpark of 3 years' worth of shows, and that feels about right. Shows must have been performed to be counted (no cancellations), and we ignore shows that have unknown or empty setlists.

  • No Teasing - Must be considered a full performance of the song. Teases and partials will not be considered a valid liberation.

  • Cover Song Minimum: 10 Plays - The band is known for playing lots of covers, but very few stick around for the long haul. Those that do, certainly warrant liberation should they disappear and return at a later date (read: Watchtower, The Maker).

  • Original Song Minimum: 5 Plays - A song should stick around for a few plays before we consider it established enough to warrant a liberation upon its return.

Exclusions
There are, of course, a few exclusions to cover some outlier cases:

  • Album Exclusions - Tim Reynolds originals, True Reflection songs and songs deemed collaborations

  • Intros, Improv & Jams

  • Previous Song Versions - Examples include Don't Burn the Pig, #36 & Leave Me Praying

Shows Since () Days Since () Last Played () Liberated () Song () Album ()
368 (*)29552015-08-012023-09-03 Long Black VeilCover Songs
17514582018-09-072022-09-04 #34Under the Table and Dreaming
420 (*)33482013-07-032022-09-02 Eh HeeUnreleased
29025342015-08-012022-07-09 Pay For What You GetUnder the Table and Dreaming
506 (*)42662010-09-052022-05-11 Break For ItUnreleased
22921912016-05-112022-05-11 ShotgunUnreleased
23721852015-10-182021-10-11 Little Red BirdLittle Red Bird
Shows Since () Days Since () Last Played () Liberated () Song () Album ()
Shows Since () Days Since () Last Played () Liberated () Song () Album ()












   




Want to hide all ads on Ants? Click here

   
LINKSABOUTMOBILESOCIAL
Home
Ants+
Tour Central
Search bar
RSS Feeds
About Us
Contact Us
The Ants Blog
Advertise on Ants
Privacy Policy
DMB Hub for iPhone
Ants' Twitter
DMBLive Twitter
Ants Facebook
Ants Instagram