As summer closes in, excitement among Dave Matthews Band fans is heightening.

Earlier this month, the Warehouse sent out its summer tour ticket confirmations. Tickets are now on sale to the general public. And Stefan Lessard and Steve Lillywhite continue to tease fans with tweets, such as Lillywhite’s “Big 4…. FOR SURE!!!” remark that compared the new DMB album to the band’s first three. I decided to talk to fellow fans and find out what their expectations are for the new album.

“I tend not to expect much, as I find it more enjoyable” to go in blank and without expectations,” said Pat Dougherty, a Pittsburgh fan. “I like to think that Lillywhite was brought back in order to find the older sound the band had during the record of the big three.”

Dougherty and other fans are hoping for DMB and Lillywhite to recapture the sounds of Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash and Before These Crowded Streets.

“I genuinely hope that they reconnect with their big three, C’ville roots,” said Nick Urick, a fan from Illinois. “I’m not really sure if we will get some new sounds, but hopefully they are more ‘90s-DMB-esque. … I think (Lillywhite) will challenge Dave to tap into the creativity that he had during the big three era. I think we will see more ‘I’ll Back You Up’-style lyrics opposed to ‘You and Me’. I would also like to see a lot less Tim (Reynolds)-driven songs.”

But Brian Abt said he does not think Lillywhite will be as big of an influence as he was in the past.

“Dave seems like a passionate person and picky with what he wants done for the album,” Abt said.

Fans are also looking forward to Jeff Coffin’s contributions on the album. He has toured with DMB for three and a half years, and he helped the band finish recording Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, but he has never participated in the full recording process until now.

“Considering how big of shoes he had to fill, Jeff has done a wonderful job in the past few years,” Urick said. “This album is going to have some big-sounding horns, and Jeff and Rashawn (Ross) will do a great job.”

Photo by Casey Cotcamp