@AndyShore Saturday at ACL was one of the rainiest, muddiest, sloppiest days of a festival I have ever seen. It was impossible to stay clean and dry. It rained on and off from the moment we arrived at Zilker Park. Zack and his friends were determined to have a rainy day dance party for Ghostland Observatory. I decided that if I was going to stand through a show in the rain, that it was going to be one I knew I would enjoy. Dave Matthews Band is as reliable as it comes for a festival headliner. You can be sure they will not disappoint.

The band took the stage and began the opening notes to “Don’t Drink the Water” as I worked my way towards the front of the stage. Early on, it was clear Dave was there to please the crowd. The best tunes from the new album came out early and often. Before I knew it, he had already played through “Funny the Way It Is,” “Shake Me Like a Monkey” and “Why I Am.” Keeping the energy going, was a raucous “Jimi Thing” that reminds you just how good Tim Reynolds is. I tweeted last night saying that if you felt you were too cool to be enjoying DMB, you could just tell people you were seeing Reynolds instead.

An always stellar cover of “Burning Down the House” switched things up a bit and had the whole crowd singing along. The horns section showed off just how much they add to the mix with “So Much to Say” before Dave went for the knockout blow with the last few songs. First it was “Ants Marching,” which I expected to end the set before the encore. Rather, they closed out their show with “Two Step,” which contain probably the most quoted of DMB lyrics. As fans cheered for more, the lights came up and it was clear. The mudfest that was Saturday at ACL had come to an end.

Related posts:

1. Dave Matthews Band at Alpine Valley 8/9/08
2. Dave Matthews Band owned Rothbury
3. Dave Matthews Band From the Beacon Theatre
4. Dave Matthews Band @ Jazz Fest
5. Dave Matthews Band closes out Mile High