Camden -- July 1, 2010

[DMBzilla]

After an extremely mediocre first night at Camden, I had pretty mixed emotions heading into tonight's show. Part of me felt that tonight had to be different, if for no other reason than the fact that so many of the, shall we say, "undesirables" were out of the way. However, another part of me feared that the band would still remain in its comfort zone, possibly playing it safe, repeating a song here or there, and failing to debut anything (at least of note). Luckily, the former couldn't have been more true.

From the time the lights when down tonight, there was a very different vibe around the place -- a buzz and energy from the crowd that wasn't present on Wednesday -- and the excitement as the band took the stage was palpable. After messing with a few chords that sounded very much like Good Good Time, the band exploded into Pig, a big shock considering that I was fully expecting Don't Drink the Water. This was my first Pig in a quite a while, and I loved every second of it. A knowledgeable crowd shared my interest and sang along loudly. FTWII was a great song to follow this one, because it recaptured the casual fans in attendance who wanted to hear something more familiar. With that one-two punch, the band gained complete control over the crowd and fed off that energy all night.

FTWII was followed by one of my favorite DMB songs in The Stone, and this version did not disappoint-- it was virtually flawless, with every member firing on all cylinders and Carter using his sticks to conduct the crowd during the Can't Help Falling in Love sing-a-long. Proudest Monkey > Satellite served a similar function as the Pig-FTWII opener, allowing the band to settle into a groove during the former and thrill the crowd with the latter. Grey Street kept the post-Satellite energy high, and Why I Am was the perfect compliment to such an upbeat song. Seven songs in, and barely a moment to catch our collective breath.

Enter Stay or Leave, which was perfectly placed to bring things back to Earth again. This song was very well received, but provided a nice moment to relax a bit after a very fiery start. They turned the dial up again as #41 began, and by the time it ended things were back to full frenzy -- Jeff's solo began with a nice interpolation of John Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things, and soon melted into a full blown cacophony of jazzy melodies. It was incredible that as he finished, Jeff's face appeared on the huge overheard screens, visually stunned and tired out by what had just transpired. Never had I seen a more well-deserved finger-to-finger "high five" with Carter.

The band continued with a "no rest for the weary" approach, as #41 jumped almost immediately into Dancing Nancies. The crowd loved this one, and for good reason -- it was passionate and intense, capped off with an amazing Boyd solo. He and Dave had their usual "duel" as he began, but this one led the two of them to circle each other around the middle of the stage. The crowd was so loud by the final note that it took a few moments of them quieting down before realizing that Dave had jumped immediately into Warehouse. I hadn't heard the UTTAD intro in a very long time, nor had I heard the song at all since 2007, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Following Warehouse up with Crash Into Me was another smart decision, keeping an already rapt crowd at full attention and appeasing the casual fans and diehards alike. Kit Kat Jam was standard fare for 2010, but was pretty well received even if it seemed as if many didn't know it well.

Gravedigger and So Damn Lucky were two more good choices to chill things out a bit, and were both played well. Carter's introduction to Gravedigger sparked a short but noticeable Halloween chant, and So Damn Lucky was very well played and faded into a fairly unique, almost silent conclusion with no reprises. Two Step was the perfect conclusion to this already stellar performance, and it was kept at a manageable length without sacrificing its power or uniqueness.

The encore was a nice complement to the show as a whole. I'm not generally a fan of Rye Whiskey, but I've never once heard it played as well as it was tonight -- my fiance actually commented that it was the best RW she'd ever heard -- and the crowd loved it. So Right was standard but great as always, and since I'm no hater of the Stay encore (it's not great, but it's nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be), I was just fine with hearing this one close out the evening.

The mix of songs was excellent, and this kind of album distribution is what should have been happening all tour. Also, the song placement was brilliant tonight -- the band did a fantastic job of building the energy, peaking, and then cooling things out before bringing it back up again. On another note, I haven't seen Boyd look like he was having that much fun in a very, very long time -- he was all over the place tonight, playing great and just brimming with energy and aggression. All in all, this was just a fantastic show, the best I'd personally seen since SPAC N2 '09 and easily the best of 2010 so far.

[Foreverford05]

Absolutely! I agree, Boyd was having a blast up there, which was real refreshing to see. Such an awesome night!

[Gravedigger789]

For as much as I hate your complaining sometimes, this was a great review. Thanks. Hopefully this is the turn around that everyone keeps mentioning. Guess we'll have to wait and see. Again, excellent review man. Perfectly worded.

[paulaugustus]

great review. i almost didn't go back to n2 but i suspected it had to be better and it was. not only for the set, but the people around me in the pit. both nights at this venue there were way too many pit tickets sold. fortunately good guys all around me n2, bout 8 rows back between fonz and dave. great night last night.

cheers.

[Bluewater21]

Originally Posted by DMBzilla

After an extremely mediocre first night at Camden, I had pretty mixed emotions heading into tonight's show. Part of me felt that tonight had to be different, if for no other reason than the fact that so many of the, shall we say, "undesirables" were out of the way. However, another part of me feared that the band would still remain in its comfort zone, possibly playing it safe, repeating a song here or there, and failing to debut anything (at least of note). Luckily, the former couldn't have been more true.

From the time the lights when down tonight, there was a very different vibe around the place -- a buzz and energy from the crowd that wasn't present on Wednesday -- and the excitement as the band took the stage was palpable. After messing with a few chords that sounded very much like Good Good Time, the band exploded into Pig, a big shock considering that I was fully expecting Don't Drink the Water. This was my first Pig in a quite a while, and I loved every second of it. A knowledgeable crowd shared my interest and sang along loudly. FTWII was a great song to follow this one, because it recaptured the casual fans in attendance who wanted to hear something more familiar. With that one-two punch, the band gained complete control over the crowd and fed off that energy all night.

FTWII was followed by one of my favorite DMB songs in The Stone, and this version did not disappoint-- it was virtually flawless, with every member firing on all cylinders and Carter using his sticks to conduct the crowd during the Can't Help Falling in Love sing-a-long. Proudest Monkey > Satellite served a similar function as the Pig-FTWII opener, allowing the band to settle into a groove during the former and thrill the crowd with the latter. Grey Street kept the post-Satellite energy high, and Why I Am was the perfect compliment to such an upbeat song. Seven songs in, and barely a moment to catch our collective breath.

Enter Stay or Leave, which was perfectly placed to bring things back to Earth again. This song was very well received, but provided a nice moment to relax a bit after a very fiery start. They turned the dial up again as #41 began, and by the time it ended things were back to full frenzy -- Jeff's solo began with a nice interpolation of John Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things, and soon melted into a full blown cacophony of jazzy melodies. It was incredible that as he finished, Jeff's face appeared on the huge overheard screens, visually stunned and tired out by what had just transpired. Never had I seen a more well-deserved finger-to-finger "high five" with Carter.

The band continued with a "no rest for the weary" approach, as #41 jumped almost immediately into Dancing Nancies. The crowd loved this one, and for good reason -- it was passionate and intense, capped off with an amazing Boyd solo. He and Dave had their usual "duel" as he began, but this one led the two of them to circle each other around the middle of the stage. The crowd was so loud by the final note that it took a few moments of them quieting down before realizing that Dave had jumped immediately into Warehouse. I hadn't heard the UTTAD intro in a very long time, nor had I heard the song at all since 2007, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Following Warehouse up with Crash Into Me was another smart decision, keeping an already rapt crowd at full attention and appeasing the casual fans and diehards alike. Kit Kat Jam was standard fare for 2010, but was pretty well received even if it seemed as if many didn't know it well.

Gravedigger and So Damn Lucky were two more good choices to chill things out a bit, and were both played well. Carter's introduction to Gravedigger sparked a short but noticeable Halloween chant, and So Damn Lucky was very well played and faded into a fairly unique, almost silent conclusion with no reprises. Two Step was the perfect conclusion to this already stellar performance, and it was kept at a manageable length without sacrificing its power or uniqueness.

The encore was a nice complement to the show as a whole. I'm not generally a fan of Rye Whiskey, but I've never once heard it played as well as it was tonight -- my fiance actually commented that it was the best RW she'd ever heard -- and the crowd loved it. So Right was standard but great as always, and since I'm no hater of the Stay encore (it's not great, but it's nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be), I was just fine with hearing this one close out the evening.

The mix of songs was excellent, and this kind of album distribution is what should have been happening all tour. Also, the song placement was brilliant tonight -- the band did a fantastic job of building the energy, peaking, and then cooling things out before bringing it back up again. On another note, I haven't seen Boyd look like he was having that much fun in a very, very long time -- he was all over the place tonight, playing great and just brimming with energy and aggression. All in all, this was just a fantastic show, the best I'd personally seen since SPAC N2 '09 and easily the best of 2010 so far.

I wish i could put this in my sig so more people other than the ones that read this can see that you actually have some positive things to say. Well done, glad you had a great time, hope this carries over to PNC, Citi, and WPB

[Midwestern Girl]

Well written review!

Enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing.

[Super Fan]

Great review Zilla, I'm happy you got an excellent show. From what I see, you are an essential poster on this site, keep up the good work. I'm excited once again for this band, let's see if they can use this show as a launching pad and shoot for the stars for the rest of the summer.

[CGTP13]

Great review

[PSUforever21]

Zilla, I like your analysis of the Stay closer. I said after night one that as long as Stay wasn't in a closing role that night 2 would be huge. Well, guess what, Stay was in a closing role and the show was still huge. I commented to my mother after the show that for some reason, the length of the show really made me "accept" stay as a respectable closer. I'm not sure why that is. Either way, the boys put alot of passion into Stay and it rocked. I almost felt as if the show had "restarted" with the encore..kinda a microcosm of the whole night, wrapped into three songs.

[AZFish]

well written. thanks.

[Jigga9JayZ]

chad, great review. i was hoping you would be happy with n2 after pig and stone. it was good meeting/chatting with you before n1. thanks again for the tickets!

[LisaH]

Great review! This was an awesome show. After night one I really didn't know what to expect last night.

[hawkma2]

Mind blowing show! If PNC is half as good I'll be happy.

[Bluewater21]

Originally Posted by hawkma2

Mind blowing show! If PNC is half as good I'll be happy.

For sure

[macpolski]

Awesome show!! I was turned on to DMB only a few years back. Better late than never. Took a few photos. Hope you enjoy.
http://antsmarching.org/forum/album.php?albumid=445
Rich

[crashintonickdm]

great review. you could almost see last night coming after N1 which wasnt even that bad. only 2 BW songs and no stand up and the best song off everyday. woooonderful

[PSUforever21]

did anyone catch that dave sang "good good time" during stay

[TrippinNancies1]

Very good review! Thanks for this, I enjoyed watching the setlist from my computer, but would have given anything to be at Camden N2.

[rickyh24]

Amazing show.

[DMBzilla]

Originally Posted by Jigga9JayZ

chad, great review. i was hoping you would be happy with n2 after pig and stone. it was good meeting/chatting with you before n1. thanks again for the tickets!

Nice meeting you as well man! Hope you enjoyed the seats at N2!

[spoot388]

great review. very spot on with the judgements of the songs, and very little bias.

Originally Posted by PSUforever21

Zilla, I like your analysis of the Stay closer. I said after night one that as long as Stay wasn't in a closing role that night 2 would be huge. Well, guess what, Stay was in a closing role and the show was still huge. I commented to my mother after the show that for some reason, the length of the show really made me "accept" stay as a respectable closer. I'm not sure why that is. Either way, the boys put alot of passion into Stay and it rocked. I almost felt as if the show had "restarted" with the encore..kinda a microcosm of the whole night, wrapped into three songs.

i know why. when was the last time you actually got a Stay closer? there have only been like 15 shows that closed with Stay since the start of 08. its not something that you're expecting to get for the 4th time in 7 shows like how it used to be. hell, i haven't heard Stay since 2007. i LOVED it closing last night.

[smokew11]

great review...and ive only heard stay twice in 14 shows (cville 09, camden 10) so im completely fine with it,. i think it gets much more hate than it deserves

[DMBzilla]

Originally Posted by smokew11

great review...and ive only heard stay twice in 14 shows (cville 09, camden 10) so im completely fine with it,. i think it gets much more hate than it deserves

My feeling on Stay is that it's weak compared to much of the Big Three and R2T, but it's still a far better song that almost anything released since 1998. The main source of the hate was the overly long versions with the Lovely Ladies, and the fact that it closed a TON of shows during that era. These days it's become something of a rarity -- just 33 plays in the past three years -- and while it certainly isn't the best closer out there, it's definitely not bad at all. I would easily take Stay closing shows over YMDT, SMLAM and SDL.

Not to mention the fact that it's a damn fun summer song and the crowd absolutely loves it. It was a great way to wrap up last night's show, and I will never complain about getting one more BTCS song in the set.

[gonz085]

Originally Posted by DMBzilla

My feeling on Stay is that it's weak compared to much of the Big Three and R2T, but it's still a far better song that almost anything released since 1998. The main source of the hate was the overly long versions with the Lovely Ladies, and the fact that it closed a TON of shows during that era. These days it's become something of a rarity -- just 33 plays in the past three years -- and while it certainly isn't the best closer out there, it's definitely not bad at all. I would easily take Stay closing shows over YMDT, SMLAM and SDL.

Not to mention the fact that it's a damn fun summer song and the crowd absolutely loves it. It was a great way to wrap up last night's show, and I will never complain about getting one more BTCS song in the set.

zilla, you are the man. we need to chill at a show sometime considering we're from similar areas and all. we def needed another BTCS. i woulda loved dreaming tree.

[PSUforever21]

Originally Posted by spoot388

i know why. when was the last time you actually got a Stay closer? there have only been like 15 shows that closed with Stay since the start of 08. its not something that you're expecting to get for the 4th time in 7 shows like how it used to be. hell, i haven't heard Stay since 2007. i LOVED it closing last night.

You're right: the last night I heard Stay was CVille '09. Then, I went 6 shows without it (4 more in '09 and 2 more this year). Before that; however, I saw it 2/5 in 2008 and 3/3 in 2007!