andrew dodson

The Dave Matthews Band has started their 2006 summer tour in a big way. They’ve dusted off “JTR” for the first time since August of 2001. Dave has performed a new song, “Sister,” solo a few times to begin the encore. Last night, they debuted a new song called “The Idea of You.” Tonight, they surprised everyone by pulling out “The Dreaming Tree” for the first time since August of 2003 (I was lucky enough to catch one of these).

(side note: for those of you that think I’m a big nerd for knowing this stuff, it’s not because I keep track - there’s a website that catalogs all of this information - dmbalmanac.com.)

I’ve listened to an audience recording of “The Idea of You,” and it sounds like a great, great song. For those of you that may’ve been disappointed in the last batch of new material - fear not. It’s what some would call “classic” DMB. What makes it really interesting is that Dave used a mandolin-style guitar on the song. According to a message on the tour website, we’ll see him using this more often throughout the summer.

At this point, I’m disappointed that I haven’t bought tickets to see them this summer. If they keep this up, I think I’ll have to scramble to get some tickets for the Riverbend show, which won’t be easy.

For those of you that want to keep up with the setlists, be sure to bookmmark the band’s road website.

Last night, several of us made a trip to Cincinnati for Justin & Emily’s wedding. It was held at the 20th Century Theater. Justin, a big movie buff, and Emily succeeded in pulling off a Hollywood wedding. The atmosphere was unbelievable. Everyone was decked out, the red carpet entrances were great, the lighting was excellent and the music was fantastic. Justin & Emily truly outdid themselves in planning & executing the wedding. It was a most-unique wedding.

Unfortunately for me… my camera’s battery died at the beginning of the night. I was able to snap a few photos, but not as many as I would’ve liked.

They’re off to Barcelona, Spain for their honeymoon, and will return to Frankfort soon. We’re looking forward to Emily joining “the group”. While I’m a big Cincinnati fan, I’m personally glad they decided to make Frankfort their home. We like ‘em. They’re good people.

Way to go Justin & Emily!