CONCERT REVIEW Dave Matthews Band takes its time before getting warmed up

The group tested the patience of the large audience.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. -- As the temperature became colder Saturday night, the Dave Matthews Band performance got hotter on the Post-Gazette Pavilion stage.
For much of the first half of the concert it seemed as if the quintet was testing the limits of its devoted fans. In a show that spanned 18 songs spread out over 140 minutes, it played four brand new numbers. (DMB's official Web site, www.dmband.com, doesn't even list titles for them.) The more than 24,000 in attendance were accepting and excited by anything that emanated by the band members. That included loud cheers for a simple "Thank you" by Matthews.
The large crowd gave added weight to the line in the evening's final number, "Ants Marching" -- "People in every direction."
Playing so much unfamiliar material was significant for the audience and the band. Since Matthews has spent a good portion of the fall of 2003 and much of this year promoting his solo debut and performing with his solo band, the songs represented not only the excitement of new sounds but also a nod toward the future for DMB.
The upbeat atmosphere created by "Best of What's Still Around" was squandered with numbers that, while containing the band's typical dramatic arc within their arrangements cultivated by Matthews' acoustic guitar strumming, Boyd Tinsley's violin, Leroi Moore's arsenal of woodwind instruments and the rhythmic foundation of Carter Beauford on drums and Stefan Lessard on bass, kept the early portion of the show grounded rather than occasionally soaring.
Perhaps, the band members were forced to redevelop the teamwork of playing together again. The Post-Gazette date was the summer tour's sixth date. That was particularly exemplified following a graceful "The Space Between" when "New Song #4" struggled to find its groove. It eventually did.
Raising the roof
With "One Sweet World" the band's methodical approach from earlier in the night loosened up and made a concerted effort to raise the roof as high as the group's devotees were willing to go. It's why the double shot of "So Much to Say" into "Rapunzel" created a major impact to close the set.
That went one step further when the audience repeatedly sang a line derived from "#36" ("Honey, honey, come and dance with me") as Matthews and company weaved that song's musical motif within another number, the upbeat, love-each-other emotions in "Everyday." It's an approach that DMB has done a number of times in the past, but the unity it sparked loses none of its impact, particularly on a night when one could view the group testing fans' patience.
Due to the traffic jam getting into Post-Gazette Pavilion, many concertgoers missed opening act Keller Williams. He uses looping devices to enhance his playing the half dozen instruments at his disposal onstage, making him, literally, a one-man band.
Those inside the grounds saw Matthews offer his seal of approval when he introduced Williams who then proceeded to mix originals such as "Freaker Speaker" with a cover of folk artist David Wilcox's "Boob Job" and an a cappella version of "Women Are Smarter."