Our finest hour arrives

(Listening to: Dave Matthews Band, Stand Up)

Tonight's setlist:

The Stone. (!!!!!)
One Sweet World.
Louisiana Bayou. (An unspeakably awesome version, too.)
Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives). (!!)
Crash Into Me.
Say Goodbye. (!!!!)
Hunger for the Great Light.
Dreamgirl.
Lie in Our Graves. (Which clocked in somewhere around 15 minutes, and was unspeakably awesome.)
What Would You Say.
American Baby Intro. (Which was so awesome it gave me chills.)
You Might Die Trying.
Smooth Rider. (Which was so good that I hate the truncated album version even more now.)
Everyday.
All Along the Watchtower. (See AB Intro.)

Encore:
American Baby.
What You Are. (See Watchtower.)

Holy shit, dude.

Wow. Just...wow.

I thought I didn't want to hear "Crash Into Me." Steve and I were talking about that beforehand.

But they started playing it. And everyone -- everyone -- was singing along. A massive sea of people all locked into the same wavelength. Everyone even knew the "Dixie chicken/Tennessee lamb" part that's not on the album.

It was almost hypnotic.

And Boyd Tinsley -- yo, someone ate their Wheaties this morning. He was crazy tonight. On the DVDs, I've seen him wander his side of the stage during his solos...but tonight, he was racing around everywhere, even over in Leroi's face. Damn!

At one point -- it was after "Louisiana Bayou," I think -- Dave said to the crowd, "Thank you, everybody." I immediately responded with, "No, thank you." The people around me seconded that.

Sorry, Metallica -- this was the greatest concert I've ever seen. More emotion, more virtuoso solos, more "The Stone" (as an opener, holy crap), and far less Fred Durst. (Though DMB's opening act, Victor Wooten, did jump all over the stage like a spaz just like Freddie, he was playing the most incredible bass I've ever heard while he was doing so. When he wasn't swinging the instrument around his body like a hula-hoop, that is.)

I couldn't afford to buy a t-shirt, but I did buy a Firedancer sticker. That's going on my car tomorrow.

And next up: Carlin.

Yeah!