Lighting Magazine Interviews Fenton

Projection, Lights and Staging News has an interview with Dave Matthews Band lighting designer Fenton Williams online and its July issue. The article describes how Fenton acts as a member of the band during shows, designing most of the stage lighting on the fly to keep up with the band's improvisational music. It's probably something you never really thought of during a show, but it's interesting to read all the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Live Nation Buys Musictoday

Live Nation, formerly part of Clear Channel Communications, has purchased a majority stake in Musictoday, according to an article posted today on The Wall Street Journal's Web site. Dave Matthews Band manager Coran Capshaw runs Musictoday, which controls the Warehouse and many other major artists' and athletes' fan clubs.

Another Newspaper Review of Hartford

The Republican of Springfield, Mass. has a better-late-than-never review of Dave Matthews Band's show in Hartford, Conn. on Friday night in today's paper. Much like the Hartford Courant review posted earlier, this article reads more like a recap, and it also features fancy critics' words and phrases like "confluence," "impenetrable wall of sound" and "jubilant vibe."

"#41" Makes Tour Debut

Dave Matthews Band played fan favorite "#41" for the first time this summer at last night's show in Hartford, Conn. Warren Haynes of opening band Gov't. Mule played electric guitar on the song, which included parts of Roger Miller's country classic, "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd."

The show featured "The Last Stop" and "Say Goodbye," as well as the new Dave solo song, "Sister." It was the first time since 1995 that Dave has played a solo song in the middle of a set; he usually plays them at the beginning of encores.

DMB was supposed to play "Where are You Going" and "Jimi Thing," according to the setlist, but did not. They probably ran out of time after jamming with Warren for so long. The band's next show is Tuesday in Cincinnati, Ohio.

New DVD in Stores on Tuesday

An unauthorized DVD documentary about Dave Matthews Band is coming out Tuesday. It's called "Dave Matthews Band: Crowded Streets Superstars," and according to this retailer, it features "a wealth of interview footage and previously unreleased clips." Locomotive Records, a label based in Madrid, is releasing the DVD.

Newspaper Reviews Hartford Night 1

The Hartford Courant today has a review of last night's Dave Matthews Band concert at the Dodge Music Center. It reads more like a wrap-up of the show than an actual review, offering few opinions other than to say the show was "mellow" and "generally crowd-pleasing." On the plus side, the article does include the phrases "lionized rhythm guitarist" and "celebratory bobbing," and it describes songs as "robust," "buoyant" and "ebullient." Let's hope for another splendiferous show tonight, when DMB finishes its two-night stand in Connecticut.

"Sleep to Dream Her" Returns

Dave Matthews Band played "Sleep to Dream Her" for the first time in almost three years tonight, as the summer 2006 tour resumed in Hartford, Conn. after a three-week break. DMB is apparently continuing the trend of bringing back songs that have been dormant for a while, although "Sleep to Dream Her" is nowhere near as popular as "The Dreaming Tree," "The Last Stop" or any other rarities that have made their returns this year. Oh well. More variety in the setlists is always a good thing.

Tonight's show also featured guitarist Eric Krasno, from opening band Soulive, on "Smooth Rider" and "Ants Marching." The show ended with an encore of "Everyday" and "Stay." The first show after a hiatus is usually when DMB plays familiar songs and shakes off its rust, so we'll see if they experiment more with the setlist tomorrow, the second of two shows in Hartford.

Cleveland Paper Interviews Dave

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland has an interview with Dave Matthews up today in advance of Wednesday's show in nearby Cuyahoga Falls. There's nothing new in the article, but Dave does make some funny comments about having Transformers and aliens on stage during DMB shows.

After a three-week break, the summer tour resumes tonight with the first of two shows in Hartford, Conn.

Dave, Leroi to Guest on New Randolph CD

Dave Matthews and Leroi Moore will guest on "Love is the Only Way," a track on Robert Randolph and the Family Band's upcoming album. Colorblind, which also features contributions from DMB producer Mark Batson, hits stores Sept. 26. Randolph and his band are on tour with the Black Crowes through Aug. 12 and then will join the last leg of DMB's summer tour, which ends with a two-night stand in Charlottesville, Va. on Sept. 22 and 23.

Dave Horses Around

A nancies.org member has posted a picture of Dave Matthews riding a horse before the July 5 concert in Scranton, Pa. Dave came across some mounted police during a pre-show walk in the woods and ended up going for a horse ride with them. The nancies poster, qbdenver7, said he obtained the photo from another board member whose husband is in the mounted police force.