Is D&T worth it anymore?

[seanbrutus]

Serious question so hear me out. Last night I went to my first D&T show, and musically it was amazing. The guys were on and Dave's voice sounded lovely.

The crowd TALKED THE ENTIRE SHOW. I was front row of the balcony with a perfect view and great sightline, and could barely hear shit because of all the people yelling over each other and screaming. Then two drunk ass women came down to the front of the balcony and just sat on the steps and clapped out of time, screamed, and fell about everywhere.

It was severely disappointing, and while I would love to catch the guys in a better venue with a more receptive crowd, I can't shake the feeling that if they tour in the states again, unless it's front row, I'd be better off just not going.

Does anyone else feel this way or have any tips to remedy this if I get a chance to see them again?

I wish Dave would just call people out like Jeff Tweedy would or something. You're there to listen to a show, why the hell are you talking? STFU!

[willndmb]

Set wise, D&T are wat better imo
Crowd wise it is hit or miss but there is no reason Bagby can't turn it up

[comeandsee41]

these days, ill take a DT show over DMB, no question.

[seanbrutus]

I’m not arguing that the set was much better than they’ve been of late, but I was hoping for a more interested audience. Are the front few rows the only place to watch the show like an actual fan of music, and not just as a social gathering?

[snake911]

Crowds are pretty terrible, whether DMB or D&T. At Tahoe last year, #34 starts and it was really hard to hear over the 100's of screamed conversations going on nearby. In general, no I don't think its worth going to these shows anymore. Too expensive to not get to do what I paid for which is listen to music.

[SeanMH]

nowadays, D+T seem to play better setlists

[grilldanmo]

seanbrutus, I have the same problem w/ DMB. I’m there to watch and hear a band I love play songs that I love. I hate having to dodge folks that are obviously too drunk and/or stoned to really be watching and comprehending, let alone enjoying, the show.

This has definitely become an issue w/ D&T too. In Dublin we were right behind a couple of guys that were from North America, be it the U.S. or Canada and they talked a ton and one guy basically only stopped to sing the songs he liked. The lawn on N2 @SPAC in 2017 was full of drunk college kids that were more there to see and be seen.

All this said, I don’t mean to shit on how folks have fun, but it’s rough when that gets in the way of my enjoyment of the show. I feel like they need to play louder to drown out the audience (myself included) in general, but especially @ D&T shows. The only place we’ve seen them where people seem to sit back and enjoy the show has been DAR Constitution Hall (Jane Goodall benefit and Standing w/ Standing Rock shows). Music is like my religion, so I can be a bit of a party pooper I guess, but I never confront anyone...I just complain to my wife, and she gets me to focus on why we’re there...

[davem#36]

I was actually surprised with my 2017 shows. My first shows seeing D&T and with all the horror stories and hours of D&T music I've listened too the talking definitly had me worried. But honestly it wasn't bad. Went to Nashville 1 and atl and the crowd were much better than I imagined. ATL is one of my fav shows I've seen.

[ExistenceNow]

It's just going to be luck of the draw with who you have around you, same as DMB. It's just more noticeable when you have loud mouth pieces of shit next to you at D&T. I'd still say D&T are absolutely worth it (infinitely moreso than DMB), you just gotta pray to the show gods that you have good neighbors.

[ExistenceNow]

In the case of the girls you mention sitting on the steps, I absolutely would have told them to fuck off, and gone and got security to have their drunk asses bounced back to their seats if they ignored me. I won't fight that battle at DMB, but at D&T, absolutely. Do you think venues let people walk down into the aisles and sit on the stairs at Hamilton? Nope. It should be no different at D&T.

[YankeesDMB41]

I have no desire to see D+T in an outdoor amphitheater. That's a show that is best sitting in a theater. a D+T summer tour like in 2017 would do nothing for me.

[ExistenceNow]

Originally Posted by YankeesDMB41

I have no desire to see D+T in an outdoor amphitheater. That's a show that is best sitting in a theater. a D+T summer tour like in 2017 would do nothing for me.

Can't really disagree with this too hard, but I will say that D&T Nashville that year was pretty great. Granted, I was in the lowers. I can't imagine how awful the lawn was.

[cry_minarets458]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

In the case of the girls you mention sitting on the steps, I absolutely would have told them to fuck off, and gone and got security to have their drunk asses bounced back to their seats if they ignored me. I won't fight that battle at DMB, but at D&T, absolutely. Do you think venues let people walk down into the aisles and sit on the stairs at Hamilton? Nope. It should be no different at D&T.

like the musical? same set every night bro

[ExistenceNow]

[tyler3440]

Originally Posted by YankeesDMB41

I have no desire to see D+T in an outdoor amphitheater. That's a show that is best sitting in a theater. a D+T summer tour like in 2017 would do nothing for me.

Wasn’t bad at all In 2017. Was able to hear fine, and they played a good show. Could have been much better if I caught a show later in the tour when they were playing great sets tho.

[dontdrink36]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

Can't really disagree with this too hard, but I will say that D&T Nashville that year was pretty great. Granted, I was in the lowers. I can't imagine how awful the lawn was.

I did Reverb to do Nashville D&T so I was on lawn. I just stayed in the very back, I had a great view, could hear everything and the people near me were pretty quiet and just watching.

[but1well]

D&T at the Mann Center in philly was phenomenal, I never thought once about the crowd noise

[garagebrothers]

I went to D&T a couple years ago at Canandaigua and that was my first D&T show since the 90's. Crowds were much better and quieter then.

[NewBernPirate13]

This is a kind of a weird take, and I’m sure I’ll get blasted for generalizations. But I feel like I’ve seen the line exactly and been in the middle of it.

DMB/DT crowds in the South, in general, are god awful. Tons of casual fans there for Dave/the hits and nothing else. DMB is seen only as party music and there’s no time given to back half of the catalog. A show is treated in the same way as a pop country concert..drink, party, and yak it up until that “one song” plays.

For good reason, it seems like Charlottesville is the line. Any show I’ve been to from there north, the crowd has been way more respectful of the music and fans are mostly familiar with larger portions of the catalog. I’ve heard of SPAC lawn craziness but I’ve never made it up that far, so maybe this is where my theory runs out.

But like the post above, Mann Center 17 absolutely blew me away. The best crowd experience I’ve ever been a part of.

Point is, don’t write off Dave and Tim crowds because of a show in Charleston. Sorry for the bashing, I’m a Carolinian too and I wish it were better. Raleigh last year was a joke in the lawn

[notorious v.i.g]

To answer the question yes it's worth it, it's always been worth it. I wouldn't necessarily use this show as a barometer because it was a Saturday night at a (small) stadium. A theater is probably a better setting although at the end of the day it probably just depends on who is around you as people have already mentioned. Have a few beers and things will bother you less. I know for me I can tune out the louder talking more easily that way. I kinda went into this show expecting it to be much less quiet crowd-wise so I guess it didn't bother me too much.

[Hahninator]

It's worth it to me because I am seeing songs at Dave and Tim that I am not seeing full band, and I won't turn down an opportunity to see Dave anyway as D&T are fantastic performers.

However, both shows I have been to - Jacksonville 2017 and Charleston 2019 - have been some of the worst crowds I've ever seen at shows. I don't understand why grown adults will spend $100+ on a ticket (probably more) and talk the entire show and get so drunk they can't function normally. Or they scream at their friends because the music is interrupting their conversation.

Charleston's crowd was bad. Really bad. Waiting in line with some people who were drinking, they said, "I didn't know this wasn't the Dave Matthews Band until just now... I didn't know he played by himself." Download the show and listen to how loud the talking is in my section, you can barely hear the music. Fortunately the people to the direct left and right of me were Warehouse members and were super quiet during the performance.

I'd like to see what happens if they stop all alcohol sales at D&T shows, and sell the shows in small venues with only Warehouse members who joined before the tour was announced.

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by Hahninator

It's worth it to me because I am seeing songs at Dave and Tim that I am not seeing full band, and I won't turn down an opportunity to see Dave anyway as D&T are fantastic performers.

However, both shows I have been to - Jacksonville 2017 and Charleston 2019 - have been some of the worst crowds I've ever seen at shows. I don't understand why grown adults will spend $100+ on a ticket (probably more) and talk the entire show and get so drunk they can't function normally. Or they scream at their friends because the music is interrupting their conversation.

Charleston's crowd was bad. Really bad. Waiting in line with some people who were drinking, they said, "I didn't know this wasn't the Dave Matthews Band until just now... I didn't know he played by himself." Download the show and listen to how loud the talking is in my section, you can barely hear the music. Fortunately the people to the direct left and right of me were Warehouse members and were super quiet during the performance.

I'd like to see what happens if they stop all alcohol sales at D&T shows, and sell the shows in small venues with only Warehouse members who joined before the tour was announced.

I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, but they will never take away alcohol sales at such events. Waaaaaay too much money! Hell, I’d even go as far to say drinking is encouraged inside the venue.

[solo101]

Specifically at the tennis stadium, general admission gets ridiculous regardless of who's playing. I'll never sit up there again. I only buy specific seats now. I know it's still kind of a lottery with who's around you but we lucked out this time. Everyone was quiet and I got to hear everything and our tickets were only $45 (before fees). The stadium here is unique in that the seats go up instead of out so it's usually good sound but those bleachers get really rough and loud with idiots. I'd prefer a theater show but you'd still have the drunk idiots there too...although less of them. They could play the Gailliard downtown but those tickets would probably be twice the amount as the stadium.

[ToySoldier#34]

Of course it's worth it, that sucks the Charleston crowd was so bad though

[BruceW]

Truly depends where you sit for D&T, but if you do get a rough group around you it can really put a damper on the night

[TheLastPig]

The blossom 17 D&T crowd was awesome. DMB crowds not so much. Other than SPAC in 16 its been a damn long time since I had a seat and didnt have some half oblivious group of middle aged women running in and out of the aisle every other song, see someone sitting down obviously not wanting to be there or a couple fully in conversation totally disinterested in whats happening on stage.

[BruceW]

the guy in the row in front of us and to our left had his back turned 80% of the show to talk to some lady beside us. It was comically absurd

[GoingToCA91]

At this show, my fiance and I were in the corner of the side bleachers, first row. We had some other hardcore fans to our right and immediately behind us. It was the people to the left and behind us that were so bad. They were not interested in the show AT ALL. Kept screaming down to some woman who was on the concourse below and about 30 feet away (it was her birthday, apparently). That lady eventually came up and they continued yelling/screaming over the music. Once D&T went in to Nancies, the birthday woman started dancing, but she was wearing this shawl thing and kept hitting my fiance and the people sitting behind us with it.

I don't understand why people think it's acceptable to scream and yell over the music consistently. I get seeing your friend and yelling for them, but that's something you do once. CONSTANTLY yelling and screaming to people standing right next to you is... well I just don't get it. Go to a bar to catch up with your friends and drink.

It's not enough to ruin my experience at a show, but I definitely would've enjoyed it more without that group there.

Also the lawn at Nashville was fine. There was still a ton of chatter in the audience, but I didn't have any of those people around me.

Honestly the crowds at D&T seem to be an exact replica of DMB crowds in my limited experience with both.

[Cscottrun]

I much prefer the setlists at D&T shows. The biggest issue is that they have in recent years been playing venues not suited for acoustic duo shows.

[jwrice5]

Crowds at DMB are terrible, and one of the main reasons I'm not going to a show this summer for the first time since 2002. I would much prefer D&T or Dave solo at this point, and in the right setting, totally worth attending.