The Gorge...

I remember picking up my first Dave Matthews Band CD "Crash" when I was in high school. I was hooked. The albums, MP3's, and DVD's haven't stopped coming since then.

I almost saw them live in 2001. (A long story, but suffice it to say that I gave up my ticket because it was more important to stick around for some friends who had an emergency.)

Then Erin and I went to a show in Vancouver in 2002. She was "with child" and was having a particularly difficult time with the unusual blue smoke permeating the air. (Strangest smelling cigarettes ever!) We made our way to the concourse after 4 or 5 songs, and left after 6. It wasn't worth it.

In 2008 we were able to find a mostly smoke free environment at the Key Arena in Seattle to watch Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds play. After that show I knew I had to see the band play again.

I waited. And waited. And tried. And tried. (I might have even whined and begged.) The annual stop that DMB makes at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington was on the top on the "must see" list. So when the band announced this summer that they were taking 2011 off and not touring, I knew I had to make one show this summer.

So Logan and I jumped in a car last Friday at 7:00am and made the 5 hour drive to the Gorge to watch night #1 of a three night concert series. (We camped out nearby and I met the rest of the family on the return trip in Seattle on Saturday for our annual Labor Day Weekend trip.)

Letting my my true geek side show, I tried to keep up with the setlist by punching into my phone what was being played. I only got 2 songs wrong and one I had out of order (I've marked them below with an asterisk). That's got to count for something!

This was the actual setlist for the evening: (I've put my personal favorites from the evening in bold.)

1. The Last Stop
2. The Dreaming Tree
3. Shake Me Like a Monkey
4. Grey Street
5. Busted Stuff
6. Seven
7. Crush
8. Write a Song*
9. Spaceman
10. Cornbread
11. Loving Wings*
12. Sleep to Dream Her (First time played since August 1, 2008)
13. Gravedigger
14. Sister
15. What Would You Say
16. Dancing Nancies
17. Time Bomb*

Encore:

18. Some Devil (Dave solo)
19. You & Me
20. Jimi Thing

What an evening of music! While a few of my all time favorite songs got played on the Saturday and Sunday night, I have to say that I was not disappointed, except maybe mildly about the opening song which is one I don't like at all.

Now I just need to figure out a way to do a whole weekend at The Gorge in 2012.

Oh...and just a little FYI. In the three nights of shows, the band did not repeat a single song.