PNC Park review

[Noremac]

Wow. What a night. This was my eight show, and it was probably the most fun I've had at one ever. This even surpasses last years N2 at Star Lake for me. I arrived at the pit around 5, and for the most part, the people around me were awesome. They were there for music, which is what I love to see. ZBB was better than I had hoped for; there was some great guitar work, and they played a surprisingly awesome version of Killing In The Name. As for DMB...

Die Trying - While disappointed it wasn't a JTR opener, this song actually worked pretty well here. Being about 20 ft away from the stage, it was so easy to see how much the band loves playing this song. Dave, as was a common theme throughout the night, sounded great, as did Jeff.

Pig - An extremely pleasant surprise. I could hear this at every show. Such a great sing-along, and the point when Carter goes off at the end is a top 5 DMB moment for me.

Grey Street - Our whole section sang their hearts out for this. It was the best Grey Street I've ever seen; Jeff, Rashawn, and especially Carter tore this up.

Stay or Leave - This is such a great song. They've done a great job with it in the full-band setting. It was very nice to hear. I loved watching Rashawn sing along to this the whole time.

BEF - I love the LWS tunes, and I've never seen this before. Needless to say, it was great to hear. I love Tim's little fills throughout the song.

Seven - I had a feeling this would be the segue they'd choose. This song is a powerhouse now. So much fun; the whole band has big grins while they play this. I love Carter's drums on the intro.

#41 - Terrific version. Boyd was all up in Dave's face during his solo. Jeff and Carter just kept going; Dave was joking to Stefan throughout the whole thing; it was pretty entertaining to watch. They didn't let the end drag out like last year, either. A highlight for sure.

Why I Am - This tune never changes, but it should definitely stay a live staple. I'll use this spot to say that all the BWGK tunes sounded great and are really received well at the show. They fit in great.

Nancies - YES. One of my all-time favs, and I hadn't heard it since '04. It was a ton of fun, and Boyd tore it up. For anyone that says he looks disinterested, that was clearly not the case tonight. Every solo he took, he was pretty much in Dave's face, and he was grinning ear to ear playing his fills on Seven and LITHOG. He was on tonight.

Gravedigger - I love it in the acoustic setting, but it is kind of 'meh' for me live. Probably a low point of the show, yet still enjoyable.

Eh Hee - I'd never heard this live before, but it was pretty good. I'd take this over Corn Bread or Can't Stop any day. Our section had a fun time singing the chorus. After the song, Dave sang a few lyrics over some chords. Nobody knew what it was, but it sounded nice.

Shake Me - I've always felt that this sounds bad on the tapes, but at the concert I thought it was as tight as I've ever heard it. The crowd loves this tune. Plus, I couldn't hear Boyd on this song, which is a huge plus.

IBYU - Another nice surprise. A lot of people didn't know this tune, but I thought it sounded great. The horns both left the stage for this one; Tim took the solo. Personally, I would have like to hear Rashawn take it. Still really cool to hear.

Funny - I really like this song, probably more than most on here. Boyd played a really energetic solo, and Tim sounded very nice on his part. Great performance.

LITHOG - Another clear highlight. Carter and Jeff were absolutely ridiculous. They almost took the jam to another peak after seemingly calming down. I'd make sure to listen to this one.

Jimi - People might think it's overplayed, but I loved every second. Boyd went nuts on his last solo, and threw down his bow after he played. It was awesome! Dave mockingly pretended to throw his guitar after it. Jeff had a nasty solo before Rashawn, who continues to make this his best song IMO. Tim gave one of his better solos of the night, and Sexy Mofo is the perfect way to end this song.

Ants - Always a blast. Love the extended jam during Boyd's part. Just awesome.

Some Devil - This is a great tune. The crowd around me was pretty quiet, which made it all the better. Dave sounded terrific.

WYA - Thought this had to be So Right, but this was a big surprise. It sounded really tight, and I really enjoyed it. I don't think many of my friends knew this one though.

Two Step - Unbelievable. I enjoyed the Time Bomb intro without the actual song before it. Tim's solo was his best of the night, and Carter's was thunderous. People were looking around in disbelief. The outro was similar to WPB '09, in that Carter seemingly stopped, only to keep on going to peak yet again. It was maybe the best performance I've ever seen DMB deliver, and a perfect way to end the night.

It's a shame they are taking next year off, because I've never heard them sound better or look like they're having more fun than they did last night. Highlights were Two Step, Pig, Jimi, LITHOG, Nancies, #41, and Grey Street. As you can see, that's a lot of high points in one show! Can't wait for 2012!

[SuekieMonster5]

I couldn't agree with you more. I remember the place erupting when Zac Brown Band played "Killing in the Name Of." Their whole set was incredible.

You Might Dry Trying was surprisingly excellent and the crowd seemed to enjoy every minute. Grey Street was another crowd pleaser and the whole band was on point. Low points for me were defintiely Gravedigger and Eh Hee. Although I like both of the songs, I don't see the band evolving those songs any further.

Highlights were without a doubt Time Bomb>Two Step, an amazing Ants Marching, and What You Are. There was unbelievable energy on all three songs and everyone around me seemed shocked after Two Step. We were all left wanting more.

[rjdubb]

Originally Posted by Noremac

Eh Hee - I'd never heard this live before, but it was pretty good. I'd take this over Corn Bread or Can't Stop any day. Our section had a fun time singing the chorus. After the song, Dave sang a few lyrics over some chords. Nobody knew what it was, but it sounded nice.

IBYU - Another nice surprise. A lot of people didn't know this tune, but I thought it sounded great. The horns both left the stage for this one; Tim took the solo. Personally, I would have like to hear Rashawn take it. Still really cool to hear.

It's a shame they are taking next year off, because I've never heard them sound better or look like they're having more fun than they did last night. Can't wait for 2012!

Eh Hee = poor mans DDTW

IBYU: Great call on Rashawn taking a solo here. Just SO glad this is back in the rotation.

Agreed that this is better than they've been in the last couple of tours, however, the break will do them...and us...good.

Nice review, brother. Glad to hear about people paying less attention to the list and more attention to having fun and enjoying the moment.

[JoshW]

All around, a great show. I'm so glad I made it out.

[maxbrdly1]

good time all around and during jimi thing after boyd dropped his bow carter threw his sticks on the stage then dave pretended to throw his guitar so funny

[Rorschach]

My 3rd time seeing DMB and this was, by far, my best experience from a music played/vibe on stage standpoint.

The way the band did Jimi Thing, combined with the Timebomb lyric mashup on Two Step were the biggest highlights of the night for me, but there were soooooooo many. Those were just my two biggest.

Zac Brown Band surprised the hell out of me, liked them way more than I imagined I would.

The biggest downer for me was my wife having a panic attack between bands. We had got in early, as soon as gates opened, and made our way to about 30 or so feet from the center of the stage on stage right (field left.) Once the douchebros started piling in and not caring about ANYBODY around them it was more than my wife could take and we had to split. What bummed me out was the fact that people got pissed and/or looked "put out" that they had to move 2 inches to get out of our way as getting her out of there. I love the hell out of DMB but, goddamn, there's a large portion of people who come to their shows who's general existence make me wish I didn't love the band as much as I do. I hate the fact I have even this one thing in common with such morons.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Overall it was a great night. After my wife got some air and relaxed (plus snuck a smoke on the back concourse) we were good to go. We spent the rest of the night right on the rightfield foul line at the edge of the field crowd just enjoying ourselves.

[krkoeller]

Great review. Highlights for me were Pig, Grey Street, # 41 and What You Are. The people around me were great and everyone was having a blast.

[stevenlow]

Originally Posted by Noremac

Plus, I couldn't hear Boyd on this song, which is a huge plus.

Why is Boyd not a good thing on shake me?

[Noremac]

Originally Posted by stevenlow

Why is Boyd not a good thing on shake me?

His riff during the verse just sounds awkward and painful to me. Regardless, Boyd was fantastic all night, especially when he dropped his bow down after Jimi.

[rjdubb]

Originally Posted by Rorschach

I love the hell out of DMB but, goddamn, there's a large portion of people who come to their shows who's general existence make me wish I didn't love the band as much as I do. I hate the fact I have even this one thing in common with such morons.

Similar to my experience at Alpine. Large portion of their fan base truly doesn't get it. Drunken idiots. I guess that's true for just about anything these days. Unfortunate.

[JoshW]

Originally Posted by rjdubb

Similar to my experience at Alpine. Large portion of their fan base truly doesn't get it. Drunken idiots. I guess that's true for just about anything these days. Unfortunate.

Don't get me wrong, I like to drink and get a good buzz going at shows, but I can still walk, speak, comprehend, etc. There was a woman sitting behind me that threw up between her feet, and was just looking bad (luckily, she threw up in to a sandwich container thing, so she took it with her when she left). She left a few songs in.

I just don't like the idea of spending X amount of money, to be miserable and not remember my favorite band.

[jecohen]

What time did the boys hit the stage?

[jessimaca290]

Originally Posted by jecohen

What time did the boys hit the stage?

about 8:40 if i remember correctly.